Tenjin was our second spot on the Kyoto tour with Matsui-san and Hitoshi. This is where we combine plum trees (Ume) and prayers for scholarship with orange temples and statues of bulls. Sounds like University of Texas with a plum orchard.
Michizane, a poet, died in 903 in exile. When he died there were many natural disasters from rain, lightning, and fire and the emperor decided Michizane’s spirit was angry and ordered temples built with his favorite tree planted on the grounds, the Ume Tree. February is bloom time and exam time so the blooms were associated with scholarship.
The parents come to this shrine before their children are accepted into universities to pray for a favorable outcome. Prayer cards are hanging on nails as shown in the picture. Hitoshi’s mother went to Tenjin before he was accepted into one of the universities in Kyoto.
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