Mikami Shrine: Japan’s One and Only Hair Shrine has Amusing Prayer Plaques

September 17, 2021

If you’re going to Arashiyama to see the bamboo grove, you might as well drop by Mikami Shrine. Standing across a beautiful pond, this small Shinto shrine invites visitors from all over the country—some hairdressers, some follically challenged, and some, like me, there just to read the prayer plaques.

History of Mikami Shrine

Mikami Shrine’s origins date back to the Kamakura Period (1192 to 1333). Japan’s so-called first hairdresser, Masayuki Unemenosuke, lived during this time. In an effort to help his father earn money, he offered to arrange women’s hair as a service. He went on to become so loved and respected for his profession, that after his death, a shrine was built in his honor.

Today, this shrine stands in scenic Arashiyama. Many people come here to pray for good, healthy hair, as can be seen in the votive plaques. The shrine is also popular among hairdressers, some of whom pray to pass the national exam for cosmetology or to wish for the success of their newly-opened salons.

Prayer Plaques

One of the highlights of visiting Mikami Shrine is reading people’s prayer plaques. Here are some of the most interesting ones I saw when I visited the shrine in 2019:

Kyoto hair shrine Mikami Shrine prayer plaque - "May I always have hair" — “May I always have hair.”

“I really want my hair to grow. I don’t wanna go bald!”

“May my hair always be a luscious jet black.”

“Please stop my baldness from advancing. Let my radio program advance instead.”

Please let me have even just a little bit of hair left.

Albeit fewer, some of the plaques are written in other languages, too.

Omamori (Protective Charms)

For extra luck, you can also buy a protective charm. Most of them come with a comb or scissors design. There are also ones with the characters “合格” (gōkaku), meaning “to pass,” presumably for people taking the national exam to be certified hairdressers.

Other than this, you can also have a Shinto priest cut some of your hair as an offering. Although this might not be a viable option for people who already have little hair, to begin with.