Shinto is sometimes called the religion with 8 million gods, as it does not only honor nature spirits, but also deceased people of importance. A notable example is the Hippocrates shrine in Kyoto, but the Seimei shrine is more closely connected with Japanese history.
Abe no Seimei was a historical figure who lived around the turn of the last millennium working as an onmyo-ji, or fortune teller and astrologer to the empirical court. His life is connected to many divine acts of magic, which gave him the nickname 'Merlin of Japan'.
The temple dedicated to him is located in the north east of Kyoto, on top of his old living place. He was asked by the emperor to live there, as it was believed that evil often came from the north east. After his death he was quickly deified and a shrine was erected on the location of his residence, likely so that he could continue to protect the court from evil even after death.
These days the shrine is quite popular due to several popular culture appearances of lord Seimei, as well as due to his connection with academic success. Amongst foreigners the shrine is popular due to the pentagram logos, which give an interesting contrast with the traditional designs.
