Yasaka Koshindo

A temple built in a famous tourists spot in Kyoto called Higashiyama, where other famous sights such as the Kiyomizu Temple and Yasaka Shrine are located. The official name of the temple is "Daikokusan Kongoji Koshindo,” but is well-known as "Yasaka Koshin-san" in the local area. It is said that this was where the Koshin faith, which derived from Chinese Taoism, first started in Japan, and is also one of the three Koshin in Japan.

What stands out inside the temple grounds is the "Kukuri Monkey" made of colorful cloth, which has become a hot topic on SNS in recent years. It is a talisman in the form of a monkey whose limbs are tied up and cannot move, portraying control over the restless heart that constantly moves around like a monkey. If you write a wish on the “kukuri monkey” and give up one greed, it is said that wish will come true. Write your wish, date, and name on each handmade “kukuri monkey,” and hang them before you go home.

”Shomen Kongo '' is enshrined as the principle object of worship. It was originally the guardian deity of a powerful family in Kyoto named Hata, Yasaka Koshindo was established in the year 960 in an attempt to have commoners visit and worship Shomen Kongo as well. In the Koshin faith, monkeys are considered to be messengers of the gods, and the three wise monkeys who are also the followers of the Shomen Kongo, “see no more, hear no more, and say no more," are displayed throughout the precincts.

On the “Day of Koshin” held six times a year, monkey-shaped konjac is served to visitors.
In addition to the “Kukuri monkey,” there are many talismans with designs of monkeys with adorable facial expressions. Each talisman is handmade and has a different facial expression, so please go and find your favorite one.