Introduction
Writer’s block is a real doozy. All writers know that the illusion of being able to sit down and have sentences flow straight from the brain onto the screen without pause, each and every time, is precisely that — an illusion. (At least, if we’re talking about doing it the human way.)
Good work takes time — time spent crafting sentences that sound just right (and hitting backspace or delete just as often), but also time away from producing work to recharge one’s mental batteries and fill the creative coffers.
So what is a writer to do when not writing? Anything that’s not producing sentences — a different form of creating, like art or knitting; or more ambulatory approaches, like taking long walks; exploring the surrounding neighbourhood; travelling to a new city. Doing chores. Talking to another human being. The options are endless. We’re here to add one more option to the list: visiting a literary shrine.
Sugawara no Michizane is the deity of scholarship and learning, so many people visit Tenjin shrines to pray for better luck in their exams, but also to better their writing skills. Similarly, there are many shrines and temples where one can pray to Benzaiten (or Sarasvati as she’s known in Hinduism), who is the goddess of all things that flow, such as water, music, art, and time. She’s a popular choice for people seeking artistic development.
Those seeking a little more specific spiritual help should consider one of the literary shrines and temples below. Even if you don’t subscribe to the notion of asking deities for anything, consider this a form of intention-setting. Visiting these places might prove to be a surprising source of inspiration, too.
Kitano Shrine, Tokyo
The area of Magome in Ota Ward is south of central Tokyo, about halfway to Haneda Airport if you start downtown. In the early 1900s, some of Japan’s most beloved writers and artists, including literary giants Yukio Mishima and Nobel Prize-winning Yasunari Kawabata, were drawn to this quiet, rural, welcoming community, and moved here to pursue their life’s work.
Magome can hardly be described as rural in the 21st century, but in remembrance of this literary history, the local government decided to highlight the cultural contributions of these artists by creating a network of walking trails they’ve called ‘Magome Writers’ Village.’
Curiously enough, Kitano Shrine doesn’t seem to be included on any of the routes, perhaps because it’s not specifically associated with any of the writers who lived there in the 20th century. Nevertheless, this Tenjin shrine had its own devotees, and the writers in the area reputedly visited to pray for improvement and inspiration in their writing.
The shrine was said to have been founded somewhere between 1532 and 1555 by a local resident by the name of Hirabayashi Shigerōzaemon, who first established it as a ‘branch’ of the more famous Kitano Tenmangu in Kyoto.
Within the precincts is a ‘brush mound,’ where worshippers would dedicate and bury old writing brushes that were no longer useable. This practice apparently continued all the way until the early Shōwa period, when even local elementary schoolchildren would bury their worn-out brushes.
These days, the shrine tends to attract students praying for good results in their entrance exams. It is probably still a good place for literary luck; perhaps there will one day be a ‘pen mound’ (or keyboard mound) where we can give thanks to modern writing instruments.
Sumiyoshi Shrine, Kyoto
Sumiyoshi Shrine in Kyoto is located at the corner of Takatsuji and Samegai-dori in Shimogyō Ward. It is one of several shrines established between 1177 and 1186 by the poet Fujiwara no Toshinari (or Shunzei), who famously compiled the Senzai Wakashū anthology. Where it stands now is not its original location; it was moved and revived in 1566 after it burned down during the Onin War (1467-77).
Naturally, there are deities of poetry — three or five of them, to be exact. The imprecise number is due to the fact that not everyone agrees on the exact members of the Three Deities of Waka Poetry (Waka Sanjin), three guardian deities closely associated with poetry and outstanding poets.
The members of the trio are most commonly identified as Sumiyoshi Myōjin, Tamatsushima Myōjin, and Kakinomoto no Hitomaro. However, they have also been identified as Yamabe no Akahito and Soto-orihime instead of Sumiyoshi and Tamatsushima.
Sumiyoshi is enshrined at the eponymous Sumiyoshi Taisha in Osaka; all other Sumiyoshi shrines across the country, including this one in Kyoto, are branch shrines. Wherefore his association with poetry? According to the shrine records, the living deity Sumiyoshi appeared before a certain Prince Karu and responded to his prayer with a poem, suggesting that poetry was the vehicle for divine revelations.
Kakinomoto no Hitomaro, on the other hand, was a real person — a poet and aristocrat of the late Asuka period. Many of his poems are included in the Man'yōshū; however, little is known of his life. It isn’t clear as to when he became a deity, but there are records of Heian-period poet Fujiwara no Kanefusa praying to Hitomaro every day in the hopes of one day being able to compose poetry as skilfully as he, especially after having seen Hitomaro in his dreams. His poetry did eventually improve, although whether this was down to prayer or hard work remains unclear.
One can still pray to him at Hitomaru Shrine, a small sub-shrine on the Sumiyoshi precincts. According to a contemporary Edo-period tourist guidebook, it was revived and re-established in 1769, after a certain nobleman, Reizei Tamemura, lamented the regrettable absence of a Hitomaru Shrine despite the existence of the Niitama Tsushima and Sumiyoshi shrines dedicated to the Waka Sanjin. (It had fallen into obscurity until Tamemura found it again.) The current sub-shrine was rebuilt in 1873 by Tamemura’s descendant, Tamemoto, who later became the High Priest of Ise Jingu.
The Sumiyoshi area was renowned for its scenic beauty, its pine trees frequently celebrated in waka. Over the centuries, literati and scholars would meet here for poetry gatherings, and the shrine grounds also played host to the Sumiyoshi Poetry Contest.
All this is to say that Sumiyoshi Shrine in Kyoto (or indeed any of the 2,000-plus branch shrines) would be a fine place for poets to pray for a little divine inspiration.
Niitamatsushima Shrine, Kyoto
At the behest of Emperor Go-Toba, this shrine was established in 1186 by the poet Fujiwara no Toshinari on his own estate, which stretched from Karasuma on present-day Matsubara-dori to Muromachi.
It enshrines Sotoori-hime, who seems to be remembered largely for being “exquisitely beautiful” — if the Kojiki is anything to go by — and was either a concubine or daughter of Emperor Ingyō (reign 412-453). She was originally enshrined at Tamatsushima Shrine in Wakayama; Niitamatsushima can be considered a branch shrine of sorts.
Niitamatsushima was burned down and rebuilt several times over the centuries, most notably during the Ōnin War, after which it was left in ruins until around 1566, when the then-Emperor finally found the funds to revive both Niitamatsushima and Sumiyoshi Shrine.
This shrine’s association with poetry was set in stone during the Edo period when the scholar Kitamura Kigin, who mentored Matsuo Bashō (Japan’s most famous poet), resided here for around seven years as one of its priests, devoting himself to compiling an annotated edition of the Man'yōshū. Kigin later left the shrine in 1689 at the request of the fifth shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi and travelled to Edo, becoming the shogunate’s first official poet.
Thanks to these connections, many people still visit today to pray for improvements in their writing, particularly their poetry.
Entenji Temple, Tokyo
Entenji’s name translates to ‘Temple of the Blazing Sky,’ which belies the image of this small, tranquil temple but perfectly describes every single summer day in Japan.
It was founded by Minamoto no Yoriyoshi and his son Yoshiie in the 11th century as a mark of gratitude to Hachiman, the war god and patron deity of their clan, after they emerged victorious in a difficult battle against the local samurai.
Since the battle took place on a scorching day in the sixth month — which seems to have been considered the height of summer — they called the temple ‘enten.’ A Hachiman Shrine was built next to Entenji, while the surrounding village was named ‘Rokugatsumura’ or ‘Sixth-Month Village.’
Issa hailed from the north, but when he visited Edo, he would often stay at Entenji, located just outside the city in the area that’s now present-day Adachi Ward. He wrote a beautifully summer-appropriate haiku about the temple:
蝉鳴や六月村の炎天寺
cicadas are chirping / in Sixth-Month-Village's / Temple of the Blazing Sky
Another stone on the temple grounds has been inscribed with a charming Issa haiku about a frog; it stands next to a statue of a frog on a lotus leaf:
痩蛙まけるな一茶是に有り
skinny frog / don't give up the fight / Issa is here!
Today, the temple hosts the Issa Festival every year on 23 November — though a memorial service is also held on 19 November, Issa’s death anniversary — which also doubles as a haiku competition for primary and middle school students from all over Japan.
Written by Florentyna Leow