Temman Shrine

The Temman Shrine in Ōsaka, Japan, is dedicated to Sugawara Michizane, a scholar and politician of the Heian period who was later deified as Tenjin, the patron of scholarship and literature. A major festival honoring Tenjin is held annually at this shrine on July 25th. Numerous local shrines across Japan also venerate Tenjin, and schoolchildren often visit them to purchase amulets for good luck during examination periods. Shinto shrines, in general, are places of serene atmosphere, often surrounded by nature, designed to calm worshipers' minds. Festivals (matsuri) at these shrines typically involve purification rites, presentation of food offerings, prayers, and sacred music and dance, followed by a celebratory feast.123