Jōnangū Shrine
Heian-era shrine and five-style garden where a defeated emperor once staged a fake archery tournament to muster rebel warriors.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to Jōnangū Shrine in Kyoto opens in 1221, when the retired emperor Go-Toba staged what looked like a horseback archery tournament here — a cover story concealing what he was actually gathering for. It traces the shrine back further too, to its founding in 794 to guard the new capital from evil spirits, and to the poet-emperors who later filled its gardens. Listen for the twice-yearly poetry ritual still held beside the garden's curving stream today.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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