narachou tenjin sha

Tenjin Shrine in Takabatake-cho, Nara, traditionally traces its founding to 1078. It served as a guardian shrine of Gangoji Zenjo-in and later the Daijo-in of Kofukuji. The principal deity was originally Sukunahikona no Mikoto, known locally as Tema Tenjin. During the Heian period, in the reign of Emperor Shirakawa, Sugawara no Michizane was enshrined alongside him. Records from 1441 document the performance of sarugaku here. The main hall and haiden, built in the mid-Edo period, survive in the precincts today.