Black, bark-covered torii gates stand at the entrance of Nonomiya-jinja, a style rarely seen in modern shrines. This small shrine sits deep within the Arashiyama bamboo grove. Centuries ago, imperial princesses chosen to serve at the Ise Grand Shrine spent a year here in ritual purification before traveling to the coast. These women lived in silence and isolation, surrounded by the woods, far from the life of the imperial court in Kyoto. Today, visitors pray here for success in their exams or marriages.
Nonomiya-jinja
religious
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