A Wiccan in Kyoto: 清明 Seimei Shrine: An interesting place for Wiccans

There are more than a 1000 Buddhist temples in Kyoto and probably an equal number of Shinto shrines. I have a long connection to Kyoto, but I think I can be forgiven for not knowing them all. But how this one slipped my net for so many years is surprising. The reason it is so surprising is the symbol for the shrine is a pentacle, very rare in Japan, but as a Wiccan very important for me.

Abe no Seimei

This shrine is named after and built on the site of Abe no Seimei's house. He was an Onmyoji a natural scientist and occultist. For six generations of emperors he was the court astrologer and exorcist. He accurately predicted the abdication of the emperor Kazan. He studied Feng Shui and became a master in China. This is where he acquired the pentacle, in this case symbolising the five traditional Chinese elements ( a little different from what the Wiccan pentacle symbolises).

After Abe"s death in 1005 in his honor the emperor build Seimei Shrine. He became a mythical character with many stories generated after his death. Even in modern times, movies, books and manga have been made or written about him. In comparison to some of the famous shrines in Kyoto, Seimei shrine is relatively small. But many people including many famous people make pilgrimages to the shrine.