Shrine

Ota Shrine

Demachiyanagi, Kyoto

Address
340 Kamigamo Motoyama, Kita-ku, Kyoto 京都市北区上賀茂本山340

Source: ja.kyoto.travel, checked 11 Oct 2026.

Stone steps and lanterns leading up to the worship hall of Ota Shrine in Kamigamo
Photo: Saigen Jiro / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)

Ota Shrine is a small branch shrine of Kamigamo, dedicated to Ame-no-Uzume. Its marsh, the Ota no Sawa, fills with wild purple kakitsubata irises in May, a colony that's been a protected natural monument since 1939 and that Fujiwara no Toshinari wrote a poem about in the Heian period.

Nearest station Kamigamo-jinja-mae bus stop (City Bus 4, 46)
Cost Free
Time needed 20 min
Best time Mid-May

Insider tip

The irises usually peak in mid-May. It's about 10 minutes' walk from the Kamigamo-jinja-mae bus stop, with no parking and no public toilet. Charms for skill in the performing arts and iris charms cost ¥800 each.

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What's on near Ota Shrine

Upcoming events within a ten-minute walk of Ota Shrine, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.

Exhibition Starts in 8 days ¥1,000 (junior and senior high school students ¥500)

Kamigamo Shrine Autumn Hidden Cultural Properties Opening

上賀茂神社 秋期 京都非公開文化財特別公開

31 Oct to 6 Dec Kamigamo Shrine, Demachiyanagi

Time 9:00 to 16:00 (reception hours) Station Kamigamo-jinja-mae or Misonoguchi-cho bus stop (City Bus, Kyoto Bus), right outside

The National Treasure Honden and Gonden are opened to visitors, with priests guiding at intervals, and the sacred treasures are shown in the Takakura-den (Important Cultural Property). It is part of the 62nd Kyoto Hidden Cultural Properties programme, and rites can change dates or hours.

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The Hosoden hall of Kamigamo Shrine with its two sacred sand cones, Kyoto Kimon Berlin, CC BY-SA 2.0
Festival

Kamo Kyokusui no En Poetry Party

賀茂曲水宴（上賀茂神社）

11 Apr (dates to be confirmed) Kamigamo Shrine, Demachiyanagi

Time From 13:00 Station Kamigamo-jinja-mae bus stop (City Bus 4), right by the stop

Poets in Heian court dress compose waka on the spot by the stream in the Shokeien garden, on a theme set by the previous year's Aoi Matsuri princess, with music and recitation. Viewing is paid.

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The Hosoden hall of Kamigamo Shrine with its two sacred sand cones, Kyoto Kimon Berlin, CC BY-SA 2.0
Festival

Saio-dai Purification Rite

斎王代禊の儀

4 May (dates to be confirmed) Kamigamo Shrine, Demachiyanagi

Time From 10:30 Station Kamigamo-jinja-mae bus stop (City Bus 4), right by the stop

The Aoi Matsuri's princess and her ladies in Heian dress dip their hands in the stream to purify themselves before the festival. Kamigamo and Shimogamo take turns to host it, and it was at Shimogamo in 2026.

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The Hosoden hall of Kamigamo Shrine with its two sacred sand cones, Kyoto Kimon Berlin, CC BY-SA 2.0
Festival

Kamo Kurabeuma Horse Race at Kamigamo Shrine

賀茂競馬（上賀茂神社）

5 May (dates to be confirmed) Kamigamo Shrine, Demachiyanagi

Time Rite from 13:00, races from about 14:00 Station Kamigamo-jinja-mae bus stop (City Bus 4), right by the stop

Riders in bugaku costume race in pairs on the shrine's lawn, a court race moved here in 1093: the second horse starts a length behind and wins if it closes the gap. Viewing is paid. The trial runs that pick the pairs are on 1 May at about 13:00.

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The Hosoden hall of Kamigamo Shrine with its two sacred sand cones, Kyoto Kimon Berlin, CC BY-SA 2.0
Market Free

Kamigamo Handmade Market

上賀茂手づくり市

4th Sunday of the month, 9:00 to 15:00 Kamigamo Shrine, Demachiyanagi

Time 9:00 to 15:00 Station Kamigamo-jinja-mae bus stop (City Bus 4)

Stalls line the Nara-no-ogawa stream in Kamigamo Shrine's grounds, and everything is made by the seller, from jewellery, clothes and pottery to vegetables, baked sweets and bread. Check the organiser's dates, since a month with five Sundays can catch people out.

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The Hosoden hall of Kamigamo Shrine with its two sacred sand cones, Kyoto Kimon Berlin, CC BY-SA 2.0

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Nearby

Kamigamo Shake-machi Neighbourhood · 4 min walk Just east of Kamigamo Shrine, the houses of its priestly families line the Myojin river, which flows out of the shrine grounds. Kamigamo Shrine Shrine · 7 min walk Kamigamo Shrine is one of Kyoto's oldest, on 76 hectares south of Mt Koyama, where its god is said to have come down to earth. Malebranche Kitayama Cafe · 13 min walk Malebranche opened on Kitayama-dori in 1982, across from the Botanical Gardens' Kitayama gate, and this is still the main shop. Kyoto Botanical Gardens Park · 16 min walk Opened in 1924, this is Japan's oldest public botanical garden, 24 hectares with about 10,000 kinds of plants, 7,000 of them garden varieties. Kamogawa-yu Sento · 23 min walk Kamogawa-yu opened on Kitaoji-dori in 1926, and Yutonamisha took it over in 2023. Daisen-in Temple · 2.1 km away Daisen-in, founded in 1509, is a Daitoku-ji subtemple you can visit any day of the year.

Around Demachiyanagi

Stepping stones, a shrine forest and the trains to Kurama

Demachiyanagi is where the Kamo and Takano rivers meet, and where the Keihan line from Osaka ends. Come up out of the station and the Kamogawa Delta is right there, with stepping stones shaped like turtles and birds. Walk north from its tip and you're in Tadasu no Mori, the forest round Shimogamo Shrine. Eizan trains for Kurama and the foot of Mt Hiei leave from the platforms above ground.

Demachiyanagi has 15 places on the Roam Kyoto map: 5 shrines and temples, 2 landmarks, 2 parks and gardens, 2 cafes, 1 shop, 1 neighbourhood, 1 restaurant and 1 bathhouse. Read the Demachiyanagi guide.

Good to know

What is the address of Ota Shrine?
340 Kamigamo Motoyama, Kita-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都市北区上賀茂本山340).
How do I get to Ota Shrine?
The nearest station is Kamigamo-jinja-mae bus stop (City Bus 4, 46). Ota Shrine is in Demachiyanagi, Kyoto.
How much does Ota Shrine cost?
Nothing. Ota Shrine is free to visit.
How long do you need at Ota Shrine?
Plan for 20 min.
When is the best time to visit Ota Shrine?
Mid-May.

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