Heian Shrine　(平安神宮)

This Shinto shrine was built relatively recently, in 1895, in Sakyo-ku, to commemorate the 1,100th Anniversary of the establishment of the capital at Heian in 794. It is dedicated to the emperors Kammu and Komei, the emperors who moved the capital to Heian and then to Tokyo, thus being the first and last emperors who lived in Kyoto. It has one of the largest torii gates in Japan, and is built as a scaled replica of the Imperial Palace in Kyoto. The gardens surrounding the shrine are also huge, occupying about half of the total land area, and were created over a period of 20 years.

One of Kyoto's most important festivals, the Festival of the Ages, originated here, and is held here, annually on October 22^nd.