Distributor :  Alexander ND TraveLLer

The Path of Philosophy, or “Tetsugaku-no-michi” in Japanese, is a beautiful canal-side strolling path in northern Higashiyama, that runs between Ginkaku-ji Temple in the north and Eikan-do Temple in the south. It is named after a philosophy professor at Kyoto University, Nishida Kitaro, who when tired of grappling with complex problems about the nature of reality and man’s place in the universe, would refresh himself with a brisk constitutional walk among Kyoto’s most scenic spots. Though the Path is most famous for its cherry blossoms in the spring, and its colorful foliage in the fall, in any season you will find much to reward the eye, and many sites of interest along the way.

Otoyo Shrine (大豊神社) is a small place of worship which is located on the South side of Kyoto’s Tetsugaku no Michi.
Here, instead of shrine dogs, mice guard the shrine. Why mice? Here’s the background story: First, you need to know that in Otoyo Shrine, Okuninushi-no-mikoto, the god of marriage based in Izumo Taisha (a major shrine in Shimane Prefecture), is worshiped as a deity. He was a descendant of Susanoo-no-mikoto, one of the gods in Japanese myths.

According to the Kojiki, which is the oldest historical book in Japan, Okuninushi went to another world. He arrived there and met Princess Suseri, daughter of Susanoo. They fell in love with each other at first sight. Then Susanoo commanded Okuninushi to sleep in a room filled with snakes, but Princess Suseri gave Okuninushi a snake scarf, said to be one of ten ancient treasures. The scarf helped him to sleep safely in the room. Susanoo imposed another ordeal on Okuninushi. Susanoo shot an arrow into a vast plain and made Okuninushi go to retrieve it. When he was searching for it, Susanoo set fire to the surrounding plain. The flames spread quickly and Okuninushi lost all means of escape. Suddenly a mouse appeared and told him that there was a hole in the ground. While he was hiding in the hole, the fire passed overhead. Then, the mouse gave him the arrow. Thanks to the mouse, Okuninushi escaped by a hair’s breadth. He finally married Princess Suseri.

Otoyo Shrine traces its origins back to this story. It is said that mice will bring the health, long life and happiness. The mouse statue on the left has a sake bowl, which means that if you worship here you will have a healthy baby. The one on the right has a scroll. In addition to these statues, there are figures of a monkey and kite (hawk) in this shrine. You can enjoy observing these fascinating animal guardians