Goryo Shrine

Founded in 794, the year Kyoto became Japan's capital, by order of Emperor Kanmu to protect the imperial palace. It also served to appease spirits of those wronged in life, including the emperor's brother exiled during a power struggle. Centuries later, a battle in the woods nearby became the opening act of the Onin War, a civil conflict that devastated most of Kyoto. Rebuilt in the late sixteenth century, the South Gate dates from that period and was originally part of Fushimi Castle. The Goryo Matsuri on May 18 is the shrine's most important annual festival, when the portable shrine is carried in procession to Kyoto Imperial Palace and back.