Shrine · Matsuo / Nishikyo

Matsuo Taisha 松尾大社

The guardian shrine of sake brewers in western Kyoto, with a wall of sake barrels and Shigemori Mirei's last masterpiece, three bold modern gardens.

HoursShrine 5:00-18:00; gardens 9:00-16:00 (Sun and holidays until 16:30)

ClosedOpen daily

PriceShofu-en gardens (adult): ¥500
Shrine: Free

Getting thereMatsuo Taisha Station (Hankyu Arashiyama Line), 3 min

Time needed45 min

Best timeApril for yamabuki; any quiet weekday

Address3 Arashiyama Miyamachi, Nishikyo Ward, Kyoto

Websitematsunoo.or.jp

About

Matsuo Taisha was established in 701 by the Hata clan and is one of Kyoto's oldest shrines; its sacred spring Kame-no-I was believed to improve sake brewing, so brewers all over Japan worship here and donate barrels, stacked by the hundreds in the precinct. A small sake museum explains the connection. The Shofu-en gardens are the last work of Shigemori Mirei, completed in 1975 after his death by his son: the Joko-no-niwa rock garden of jagged upright stones representing a sacred mountain-top, the Kyokusui-no-niwa winding stream garden in Heian style, and the Horai-no-niwa crane-shaped pond garden. In spring the shrine is famed for its yamabuki (kerria) flowers. It is a quiet alternative to Arashiyama, one stop away on the Hankyu line.

Highlights

Shigemori Mirei's Shofu-en gardens, his last work
Hundreds of donated sake barrels
Kame-no-I sacred spring
Yamabuki yellow kerria in April
Small sake museum

Tips

The shrine is free; the gardens and sake museum have a small fee.
Fill a bottle at the Kame-no-I spring, as brewers do.
One stop from Arashiyama on the Hankyu line, and close to Saiho-ji and Suzumushi-dera.
Mid-April brings 3,000 yamabuki along the stream.

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Matsuo Taisha 松尾大社

About

Highlights

Tips

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