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Kyoto’s Shrine of Severing Ties does its job a little too well again…by losing jobs

Krista Rogers Feb 12, 2020
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This (un)lucky recipient of the shrine’s divine power also shares a list of tips to be aware of before praying at the infamous shrine.

Yasui Konpiragu is a shrine in Kyoto’s Higashiyama district. As we’ve seen before, it possesses an uncanny power to help its visitors break off bad relationships and usher in good ones–just not always in the way that they’d expect.

Japanese Twitter user @sms0sms is the latest in a long line of visitors to Yasui Konpiragu whose wishes were granted in roundabout ways. He shared his experience several months after the fact in a viral tweet online:

https://twitter.com/sms0sms/status/1225055027992989696

“To Yasui Konpiragu, the Shrine of Severing Ties.

I would like to inform you that these days I’m experiencing prosperity. Last year I prayed in your grounds to allow me to change careers, but never did I imagine that my prayer would lead our firm to the verge of corporate bankruptcy. I didn’t mean for it to go that far.”

It sounds like the gods were being a bit overly dramatic at the time, right? @sms0sms elaborated on his company’s predicament by resharing his tweets from last summer:

https://twitter.com/sms0sms/status/1170896437975977984

“The company I work for after I visited the Shrine of Severing Ties and asking to change careers:

We fell under the jurisdiction of another company (got bought out)

About ten people quit

Two people were hospitalized

The head of the planning department quit

Our boss is planning to retire

We’re being driven out. Gods, do more!”

Here are his tips that all visitors should heed before praying at the shrine:

https://twitter.com/sms0sms/status/1225358168651288576

“Things I’ve learned:

I wasn’t prepared enough

Things won’t go easily

As a large number of others as well as those involved will suffer the consequences, you should be specific in your wish

I am now aware that the Buddha saves but the gods curse

Definitely return to the shrine to give thanks

Emperor Sutoku is scary [1119-1164, he is enshrined there but is rumored to have become an angry ghost]

Because I prayed to change careers using my company’s name, it seems the ties were severed without delay.”

▼ Beware Emperor Sutoku’s spirit trying to “help” you

This is all some kind of big joke, right? Not so, according to the droves of other net users who were quick to share their own personal stories of visiting Yasui Konpiragu:

“I went there last year and prayed to leave my job. The same day I was dismissed (seriously).”

“It’s the same with me. I wanted to get away from a coworker I couldn’t stand and then got laid off. Well, it’s absolutely true that I stopped having to deal with that person.”

“A long time ago my daughter prayed there to leave the house. The house caught on fire. Scary stuff.”

“I heard a story about an old man who prayed there to fix his knee and then it ended up being amputated after an accident.”

“This shrine is super famous because Emperor Sutoku is said to now be a vengeful spirit.”

Whether you believe in the stories of angry gods or dismiss them as practical jokes, perhaps you should exercise caution at a bare minimum when visiting Yasui Konpiragu–or just go to an entirely different shrine in the area altogether.

Shrine information
Yasui Konpiragu / 安井金宮比羅
Address: Kyoto-shi, Higashiyama-ku, Shimobentocho 70
京都市東山区下弁天町70
Open 9:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m. (reception desk for buying amulets)
Website

Source: Twitter/@sms0sms via Hachima Kiko
Top image: Pakutaso
Insert image: Pakutaso
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