我們出了鞍馬寺，踏上京都府道 361 號路，再走一段路便到了貴船神社。它以那石階兩側襯著極其上鏡的紅色木製燈籠而聞名。
貴船神社座落於貴船山與鞍馬山之間林木蓊鬱的山谷之中，屬京都市左京區。神社前流淌著貴船川，據信是滋養京都市區的鴨川的源頭。
主祭神為水神「高龗神」，主要掌管降雨和水源。自古以來不僅農業、電力相關人士前來祈願，飲食、釀造、染色、浴場等行業也深受其庇佑，同時祂也被視為防火與消防之神。 貴船神社是日本 2000 座水神神社的總本社。
根據神社傳說，神武天皇之母玉依姫乘坐一艘黃色的船，溯淀川、鴨川、貴船川而上，在此登陸並祭祀水神，這便是貴船神社的起源。社名「貴船」即源自「黃船」之意。奧宮境內有一塊「御船型石」，相傳正是玉依姫所乘之船，後來被小石子覆蓋而成。
After leaving Kurama-dera Temple, we set out along Kyoto Prefectural Road 361 and, after walking a short distance, arrived at Kifune Shrine. It is famous for its photogenic stone steps lined with red wooden lanterns.
Kifune Shrine sits in a densely forested mountain valley between Mt. Kibune and Mt. Kurama in Kyoto's Sakyo Ward. The Kibune River flows before it — considered the headwaters of the Kamo River that runs through the heart of Kyoto.
The main deity is Takaokami-no-kami, the water god who presides over rainfall and water sources. Historically venerated by those in farming and water-related industries, the shrine also draws worshippers from the food and beverage, brewing, dyeing, and bathing trades. It is revered as well as a deity of fire prevention and firefighting. Kifune Shrine is the head shrine of the 2,000 Suijin (water kami, water deities) shrines in Japan.
According to shrine legend, Tamayori-hime (玉依姫) — mother of Emperor Jinmu — traveled upstream by yellow boat along the Yodo, Kamo, and Kibune rivers, landing here to enshrine the water god. The shrine's name is said to derive from this "yellow boat" (黄船). In the Okunoin grounds stands the "御船型石" (Mikune-gata-ishi), a stone formation said to be that very boat, now buried beneath layers of small stones.
貴船神社由本宮(主殿)、結社(中宮)及奧宮(內宮)三座社殿組成，統稱為「三社」。如前所述，本宮供奉的是水神「高龗神」。位於本宮上方 300 公尺處的結社，供奉被視為姻緣之神的「磐長姬命」。傳說天孫瓊瓊杵尊當年選擇了她的妹妹而拒絕了她；磐長姬命因悲傷而發願留在此地，庇佑世人得獲良緣。位於本宮上方 700 公尺處的奧宮則供奉著另一位水神「闇龗神」。傳說奧宮正殿之下藏有「龍穴」──這是嚴禁凡人窺探的聖地，也被列為日本三大龍穴之一。我們此次造訪，僅在本宮附近走走。
我在本宮下方看到一匹黑馬及一匹白馬的塑像。原來，在古代日本，人們相信馬匹是神明的交通工具與坐騎。而貴船神社自古便是朝廷祈求天氣平穩的重要聖地，信徒會透過進貢活馬來表達虔誠與上達天聽。
乾旱時人們會奉獻象徵烏雲的「黑馬」來祈雨；在連續降雨時則獻上象徵晴空的「白馬」來祈求陽光普照。但因活馬昂貴，神社便逐漸改用「繪有馬匹的木板」代替真實馬匹，演變成現今的「繪馬」—— 供信眾祈願、還願的木製奉納物。
Kifune Shrine consists of three shrines—the Honmiya (Main Shrine), Yui-no-yashiro (Middle Shrine), and Okumiya (Inner Shrine)—collectively known as the "Three Shrines of Kifune" (Sansha-mairi). As previously stated, the Main Shrine is dedicated to the water deity, Takaokami-no-kami. The Middle Shrine is located 300 meters above the Main Shrine and enshrines Iwanaga-hime (磐長姫命) as a deity of matchmaking and marriage. Legend tells that the divine Ninigi rejected her in favor of her younger sister; in her sorrow, Iwanaga-hime vowed to remain at this spot to bestow good relationships upon others. The Inner Shrine is located 700 meters above the Main Shrine and is dedicated to Kuraokami, another deity of water. Legend has it that directly beneath the Inner Shrine's main hall lies a "Dragon's Lair"—a site strictly forbidden to human eyes—which is ranked as one of Japan's three great Dragon Lairs. During our visit, we only walked around the vicinity of the Main Shrine.
Below the main shrine, I spotted statues of a black horse and a white horse. As it turns out, in ancient Japan, horses were believed to be the sacred vehicles and mounts of the gods. Kibune Shrine has long served as an important sanctuary where the imperial court offered prayers for favorable weather. Devotees would dedicate live horses as offerings to demonstrate their devotion and to carry their prayers to the divine.
During droughts, a black horse — symbolizing dark rain clouds — would be offered to pray for rainfall; during prolonged rains, a white horse — symbolizing clear skies — would be presented to pray for sunshine. However, as live horses were costly, shrines gradually began substituting them with wooden plaques painted with images of horses. This practice eventually evolved into what we know today as ema (絵馬) — the wooden votive tablets on which worshippers write their wishes and give thanks.
本宮的附近有一座「龍船閣」，這是一座木製休憩亭，採用被稱為「懸造」（kakuzukuri）的傳統建築技法，凌空架設於山谷之上。亭閣四面通透，環繞著優美的自然風光，是納涼、飽覽壯麗景色的絕佳去處。
Near the main shrine stands a structure called the Ryusenkaku — a wooden rest pavilion suspended dramatically over a mountain valley using the traditional architectural technique known as kakuzukuri ("suspended construction"). Open on all four sides to the surrounding scenery, it makes for an ideal spot to catch a cool breeze and soak in the breathtaking views.
貴船神社的御神籤十分獨特，稱為「水占おみくじ」（水籤 / 水占卜 ）。遊客只需付 200 日圓後，便可抽選一張空白籤紙；將其放置在神社的靈泉上，隨著紙張漂浮，簽文便會慢慢顯現，揭示占卜吉凶。
每張籤文上都印有二維碼，可連結至多種語言的譯文，因此即使不懂日語也無需擔心看不懂籤文。
我雖然未抽籤，但看著別人將空白紙條放入水中，滿懷靜謐的期待，等待著隱形的字跡緩緩浮現，相當有趣——那是一個簡單卻又扣人心弦的時刻。
Kifune Shrine is also known for its uniquely enchanting omikuji — fortune slips called Mizuura Omikuji (水占おみくじ), or "water fortune-telling." For just ¥200, visitors receive a blank slip of paper, which they then float on the surface of the shrine's sacred spring. As the paper rests on the water, characters gradually emerge, revealing one's fortune.
Conveniently, each slip includes a QR code that links to translations in multiple languages — so there's no need to worry even if you can't read Japanese.
I didn't try it myself, but watching others place their blank slips onto the water and wait in quiet anticipation as the hidden words slowly appeared was a delight in itself — a simple yet utterly captivating moment.
今天這趟鞍馬寺及貴船神社遊蠻有趣的，讓我領略了日本獨特的風光。我們從貴船神社步行去坐公車，隨後換乘火車回旅館，為這趟難忘的旅程畫上了圓滿的句號。
Today's trip to Kurama-dera and Kifune Shrine was quite enjoyable. It gave me a glimpse of some scenery unique to Japan. We walked from Kifune Shrine to catch a bus, then transferred to a train back to the hotel. That wrapped up this truly memorable journey.
⛩ Stay tuned for more of our Kyoto, Japan adventures!
World Through My Eyes (Photographs) Posts/我鏡頭裏的世(視)界帖子
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