Matsunoo Taisha

The shrine became the object of Imperial patronage during the early Heian period. In 965, Emperor Murakami ordered that Imperial messengers were sent to report important events to the guardian kami of Japan. These heihaku were initially presented to 16 shrines including the Matsunoo Shrine. From 1871 through 1946, Matsunoo-taisha was officially designated one of the , meaning that it stood in the first rank of government supported shrines. == Shofuen Gardens ==

After a new set of buildings was finished in 1973, modernist garden designer Mirei Shigemori was brought in to design new garden areas at Matsuo Taisha. Shigemori designed three new garden areas, which were completed in 1975: • Kyokosui no Niwa 曲水の庭 (Garden of the Winding Stream) with a clear flowing stream in the style of the Heian period • Jōko no Niwa 上古の庭 (Prehistoric Garden), a setting of large stones that references the ancient Mt. Matsuo shrine stone behind the shrine buildings • Horai no Niwa 蓬莱の庭 (Garden of Horai), a garden referencing the land of Horai in Chinese and Japanese myth The gardens at Matsuo Taisha were Shigemori's last project; his son, Kanto, supervised the final work after Shigemori's death on March 12, 1975. ==Images==

File:Matsuo Taisha front gate.jpg|Front gate File:Shofuen Matsuo-taisha Kyoto Japan01s3.jpg|Horai Garden of Shofuen File:Shofuen Matsuo-taisha Kyoto Japan07s3.jpg|Kyokusui Garden of Shofuen File:Tsukuyomi shrine Kyoto.jpg|Shrine to Tsukuyomi ==See also==