The tortoise and the cricket

Matsuno-o-Taisha and Suzumushi-dera

Matsuno-o-Taisha and Suzumushi-dera are situated in the west of Kyoto and to the south of Arashiyama. In earlier times this area was a summer resort for the nobility; a relic of these times is the Katsura Imperial Villa which is nearby.

Matsuno-o-Taisha was founded in 701 AD and is one of the oldest shrines in Kyoto. The temple grounds are quite large with several main buildings, a museum and four gardens.

After walking through the gate into the court, the entrance to the museum and three of the gardens can be accessed through a gate on the right hand side of the main hall. You have to pass underneath a wooden walkway connecting the main hall with another building. There is a little window where you pay the entry fee. Around the corner there is another elevated walkway. You again have to walk underneath it, which seems a bit awkward. The stone garden behind the walkway is rather peculiar and quite special.

The gardens are rather new – they were created in 1975 but they represent gardens from ancient times, the Heian and Kamakura period. This one consists of a serpen- tine stream through a flat area with rough rocks sitting in it and is paved with uneven dark gray stones. The water reflects the colour of the leaden-hued stones. From the garden you can enter another walkway to the little museum, which exhibits three statues representing the enshrined deities. Leaving the museum, duck underneath the walkway that led you towards the museum and walk around the outer part of the shrine. (To find the way consult the map you get at the entry). You will come across a number of little shrines of which the main one sits right in front of a small natural waterfall. The legend says, that a lord once saw a turtle sitting in the stream on front of the waterfall. Turtles are symbols of long life, good health and good fortune, which is the reason the temple was founded at this place. Matsuno-o-Taisha is thus mainly visited by people whose business relies on the purity of water, for example, manufacturers of miso paste or sake brewers. A large display of sake barrels in the main court indicates the importance of this shrine for these businesses.

Another sightseeing-spot in this area is Suzumushidera (nickname) or Kokedera (official name, found on maps), which was founded in 1723. A set of uneven steps lead steeply to the entrance of the temple. The temple itself is small and does not have a very big garden either but provides a good view over the city of Kyoto.

Suzumushi is a type of cricket whose sound is similar to a bell. The monks breed the crickets throughout the year to be able to listen to their sounds. But the crickets are also bred at the temple because, in their short lives, they live eagerly and energetically and are thus a good model for humans wishing to live according to Buddhist beliefs.

The entry fee includes some green tea and a "cricket sweet", as well as a descriptive speech of one of the monks who explains in detail about the history of crickets in Suzumushi-dera.

Text: Tanja Poppelreuter • Photos: Gary Quigg