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Subsidiary shrine within Shimogamo Shrine（sessha）

Sakyo, Kyoto

Kawai Shrine

河合神社

A subsidiary shrine within Shimogamo Shrine’s precinct, known for beauty prayers and hand-mirror-shaped ema. Choose it for a focused visit to this tradition, or combine it with the forest approach to Shimogamo’s main shrine.

Visit at a glance

Estimated visit time: 20–40 minutes
Kawai Shrine worship and a short look at the mirror-ema tradition. Excludes travel from the station, ema preparation or offering queues, Shimogamo’s main shrine, extended forest walks and special paid visits. A trip-planning estimate, not an official duration. Shared walking routes mean this time should not simply be added to a Shimogamo visit.
Getting there: Kyoto’s official tourism guide lists about 7 minutes on foot from Keihan Demachiyanagi Station, or about 4 minutes from the Shinaoibashi city-bus stop. This is the Kawai Shrine visit, not the longer walk to Shimogamo’s main sanctuary.
Grounds hours: 06:30–16:30 according to Shimogamo Shrine’s official guide; ceremonies can change the schedule. Shimogamo’s romon area closes at 17:00, so its hours should not be applied to Kawai Shrine.
Office hours: Separate regular hours for mirror ema, amulets and goshuin were not confirmed. The main shrine’s formal-prayer reception schedule is not a confirmed Kawai counter schedule.
Admission categories: Kyoto’s official tourism listing tags the shrine as free to visit. Ema, amulets and separate special-visit areas are not included; check the current offering amounts on site.

Open in Google Maps Official website

What to see

Hand-mirror-shaped ema associated with beauty prayers
The subsidiary-shrine precinct within Shimogamo

Traditions & prayers

Beauty prayers

Traditionally associated with these prayers. Associations describe worship traditions, not guaranteed results.

Prayer source

Enshrined kami

Tamayorihime no Mikoto (identified here in shrine tradition as Emperor Jimmu’s mother)

A short history

Shimogamo’s official account describes Kawai Shrine as a longstanding sessha, a subsidiary shrine with a recognised relationship to the main shrine. It also connects Kawai with writer Kamo no Chomei, who was the son of a priest here. An exact founding date was not confirmed from the official information reviewed.

Before you go

The beauty-prayer tradition belongs to Kawai Shrine and is not a claim about Shimogamo’s main sanctuary. The official account presents the mirror ema as a wish to cultivate inner as well as outer beauty; it is a religious custom, not a promised result. Kawai’s kami is recorded using its own official account, rather than copied from the parent shrine. Check counter availability before planning to make an ema.

First shrine visit: etiquette & offerings →

Location

59 Shimogamo Izumigawa-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto

35.034779, 135.771935 · Representative Kawai Shrine precinct location; not a verified step-free entrance. · Location source

Sources

Details checked 2026-10-08. Check the official site for changes before visiting.

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