---
title: Shimogamo Shrine (Kamomioya-jinja)
url: https://karigurashijourney.com/en/notes/shimogamo-shrine/
lang: en
journey: https://karigurashijourney.com/en/episodes/kyoto-soba/
---

# Shimogamo Shrine (Kamomioya-jinja)

A little of each town’s story　/　Kyoto City, Kyoto

Its official name is Kamomioya-jinja. Its exact founding is unknown, but records say its sacred fence was repaired in the seventh year of Emperor Sujin's reign (90 BC), and it was registered as a World Heritage Site in 1994. The Mitarashi Pond in its grounds is counted among the seven wonders of Kamo, because clear water wells up around it and from the streambed in the midsummer doyo days of July, and mitarashi dango are said to be shaped after the bubbles rising from the bottom of the pond. According to the information board, the record of the sixth periodic rebuilding in 1161 tells of praying for rain at the Mitarashi well in a time of drought.

## This moment in the journey: Mitarashi dango by Shimogamo Shrine

One thing you must eat at a Kyoto teahouse is mitarashi dango, fresh off the grill. I headed to Kamo Mitarashi Chaya, across the road from Shimogamo Shrine. Beside the noren hung a sign reading Kyoto Specialty.

Shimogamo Shrine, one of the oldest shrines in Kyoto, is said to be the birthplace of mitarashi dango: the dumplings are said to be shaped after the bubbles that well up from the bottom of the Mitarashi Pond in its grounds. According to the information board, the sacred water rising by the three cedars of Tadasu no Mori has long nourished people's lives and fields. The vermilion gate glowed in the winter sun.

Five dumplings to a skewer, toasted until charred in spots and drenched in a sweet-and-salty sauce. I love their chewy bite. This is the taste of a teahouse that has been loved at the shrine's doorstep for over a hundred years.

![The vermilion gate of Shimogamo Shrine in the winter sun](https://karigurashijourney.com/img/kyoto-soba/s97-1200.jpg)
- Sources: https://www.shimogamo-jinja.or.jp/about
- Sources: https://www.shimogamo-jinja.or.jp/saiji/mitarashi
- Sources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50Lap8lZ8Lg

Read this scene in the full journey: https://karigurashijourney.com/en/episodes/kyoto-soba/