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Temples & Shrines

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Yoshida shrine, founded in 859, was originally dedicated to the ancestors of the powerful Fujiwara clan. The biggest event, Setsubun (lit. parting of the season) take place at the start of February over three days, which celebrates the coming of spring.

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Yoshida shrine, founded in 859, was originally dedicated to the ancestors of the powerful Fujiwara clan. In the fifteenth century, the scholar and priest Kanemoto Yoshida, whose family had an influential role as advisors to the imperial family from the Heian period (794-1185) declared that the Ise Jinja diety had moved to Yoshida Jinja, and established a branch of Shinto Buddhism called Yoshida Shinto here. This new Shintoism incorporated elements of Tendai Buddhism, Shingon rituals, and Taoist cosmology. The biggest event, Setsubun (lit. parting of the season) take splace at the start of February over three days, which celebrates the coming of spring. Rituals are enacted where dried soybeans are thrown at demons to ward off bad spirits and bring in good luck. Unique to Yoshida shrine is the tossing of rice-cakes to visitors as an act to petition the gods for peace and a good harvest. In the evening, a bonfire is set ablaze in a central firepit, and people throw shinsatsu (strips of paper with messages written on them).