Kibune Town of the Kawadoko (Floating River Platforms) 川床の貴船町 | Kifune Shrine and Hyoue Ryokan,Kyoto

Kibune Town of the Kawadoko (Floating River Platforms) 川床の貴船町 | Kifune Shrine and Hyoue Ryokan, Kyoto
Exploring Japan
Kibune, Kyoto
June 2023

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Kibune Village
Kibune village is mainly a street lined with ryokan and restaurants that feature kawadoko (decks) over the rushing Kibune River, on which patrons dine on kaiseki meals while enjoying the flowing water beneath. Fish served is usually caught from this very river.

Kifune Shrine
Kifune Shrine is a Shinto shrine in Kibune village. 3 shrines make up this complex: the Hongu (main hall), the middle Yui- no- Yashiro and the final Okunomiya.

Kifune shrine is dedicated to the god of water. Legend has it that the god led a goddess up the river on a kifune (meaning "yellow" boat" and giving the shrine its name), and she landed at Okunomiya.

Yui- no- Yashiro, also known as Nakamiya (meaning "middle") is dedicated to the goddess of matchmaking. Aioi-no-Sugi, the coexistent cedar lies nearby, named because it is an ancient cedar tree with 2 trunks sharing the same roots, believed to mean good matchmaking fortune.

Okunomiya is the final shrine, and is dedicated to the goddess of harmonious marriage. Some of the cedar trees here are 1000 years old! The Funagata-Ishi (Boat Shaped Stone) is said to cover the goddess' kifune. A special tree lies here: renri-no-sugi, a cedar and maple tree fused together.

Kaiseki Ryori
Kaiseki dates back to the 15th century, when tea master Sen-no-Rikyu introduced an austere version of the cuisine to accompany the tea ceremony. Kaiseki dishes are chosen to reflect the season: ingredients are always “shun-no-mono”, meaning "fresh".
The courses of kaiseki:
Shokuzen-shu (aperitif)
Saki-zuke (starter)
Ko-suimono (small soup course)
Muko-zuke (sashimi course)
Mushi-mono (steamed food course)
Yaki-mono (grilled fish course)
Atsu-mono (hot dish)
Shii-zakana (side dish)
Gohan (rice)
Mizu-mono (dessert)





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