Omi Shrine

Omi Jingu Shrine is about a 9-minute walk from Keihan Omi-Jingu-mae Station. It enshrines Emperor Tenji (38th emperor), who is credited with establishing Japan’s first household registration system, school system, and tax system. Because he guided people through difficult times with pioneering policies, he is revered as a deity of good fortune, warding off misfortune, and guidance in culture, industry, and the arts. Emperor Tenji is also associated with the origin of time signals (jiiho) in Japan. On the grounds, you can see a restored version of Japan’s first clock, the rokokku (water clock), said to have been created by Emperor Tenji. The adjacent Clock Museum & Treasure Museum displays valuable timepieces such as Japan’s oldest pocket watch, along with traditional Japanese clocks and antique clocks. Emperor Tenji is also known as the author of the very first poem in the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu, and Omi Jingu is famous as a “holy place of karuta.” Every January, it hosts the competitive karuta Meijin and Queen title matches. In recent years, it has also gained attention as a filming location for the movie Chihayafuru.