晴明神社：2024年9月1日（日）
私の通勤途上の堀川通沿いには，歴史を物語る神社仏閣が数多くある。
京都市の堀川一条の交差点を少し上がったところに晴明神社がある（上の写真は筆者撮影(2024.8.31)）。東堀川通で上がっていくと，今では河津桜（毎年3月上旬に満開）で有名な一条戻橋を渡り，堀川通を横断すると，2基の鳥居が並んで見えるのが晴明神社である。晴明神社のある今出川通から下立売通の間は，私の経験値では天候の変化が微妙に激しいと感じている。京都市バスでは「晴明神社前」で降車する。
京都市を南北に走る主要な道路には，千本通（平安京の朱雀大路，南端に羅城門(羅生門)がある），堀川通，烏丸通，河原町通がある。もともと堀川通は堀川小路と呼ばれ，道幅が狭かった。現在のように道幅の広い幹線道路になったのは第二次世界大戦時に防火帯を作るために，西堀川通の沿道の家屋が強制疎開されてからのことである。現在の晴明神社において2基の鳥居が短い間隔で並列しているのは，このためである（下の写真参照）。西堀川通，堀川（平安京から明治期までは水運用の都市河川），東堀川通がそれぞれ12m程度の幅だった。戦後，堀川通は上賀茂まで拡張整備と舗装が行われた。
晴明神社（創建1007(寛弘4)年）は，平安時代中期の天文学者・陰陽師の安倍晴明をお祀する神社である。実際に訪れてみると，意外にも晴明神社の敷地が狭く見えるのは，応仁の乱，豊臣秀吉の町割り（天正地割），その後の数多くの戦火などによるものだという。
現在放映中のNHKの大河ドラマ『光る君へ』で陰陽師の安倍晴明が登場する。ドラマを見て，関心を寄せている人も多いのではなかろうか。毎年，秋分の日の前日と当日に晴明祭が執り行われている。今年は9月21日（土）に宵宮祭（お迎え提灯行列/湯立神楽奉納，19時から），22日（日）に神幸祭（神輿巡幸，13時から）が晴明神社で執り行われる。おそらく今年は大賑わいで盛り上がることだろう。
Seimei Shrine: Sunday, September 1, 2024
On my commute to university along Horikawa Street, there are many temples and shrines that tell the story of history.
Seimei Shrine is located a little further up from the Horikawa Ichijo intersection in Kyoto City (the photo above was taken by the author on August 31, 2024). If you go up along Higashihorikawa Street, you will cross the Ichijo Modoribashi Bridge, now famous for its Kawazu cherry blossoms (which bloom fully in early March every year), and after crossing Horikawa Street, you will see two torii gates side by side, marking the entrance to Seimei Shrine. From Imadegawa Street to Shimodachiuri Street, where Seimei Shrine is located, I have experienced that the weather changes subtly but dramatically. If you are taking the Kyoto City Bus, you should get off at the "Seimei Shrine-mae" stop.
The major roads running north-south through Kyoto City include Senbon Street (formerly Suzaku Avenue of the Heian capital, with the Rajyomon(Rashomon) gate at its southern end), Horikawa Street, Karasuma Street, and Kawaramachi Street. Originally, Horikawa Street was called Horikawa Alley and was quite narrow. It became the wide thoroughfare it is today during World War II, when houses along the west side of Horikawa Street were forcibly vacated to create a firebreak. This is also the reason why two torii gates stand in close proximity at the present-day Seimei ShrineShrine (see the photo below). The widths of West Horikawa Street, Horikawa (a city river used for water transportation from the Heian period to the Meiji period), and East Horikawa Street were each about 12 meters. After the war, Horikawa Street was expanded and paved, extending all the way to Kamigamo.
Seimei Shrine, founded in 1007 (Kanko 4), enshrines Abe no Seimei, an astronomer and onmyoji (a master of Yin and Yang) from the mid-Heian period. When you actually visit the shrine, it may surprisingly appear small, which is due to the devastation caused by the Onin War, the town planning of Toyotomi Hideyoshi (Tensho land division), and numerous other fires over the years.
Currently, Abe no Seimei, the onmyoji, appears in the ongoing NHK Taiga drama "Hikaru Kimi e." Many people might have become more interested in him after watching the drama. Every year, the Seimei Festival is held on the day before and on the day of the autumnal equinox. This year, the Yoimiya Festival (Welcoming Lantern Procession and Yudate Kagura) will take place on Saturday, September 21st, at 7 PM, and the Shinko Festival (Portable Shrine Procession) will be held on Sunday, September 22nd, starting at 1 PM at Seimei Shrine. This year’s festival is likely to be very lively and exciting.