Matsunoo shrine situated in the western suburb of Kyoto was founded in 701 and is the oldest shrine in Kyoto. Matsunoo shrine with its “kami” – deities protecting and blessing many human activities and situations. The shrine is also renowned for its spring of healthy water appreciated by ordinary people as well as by manufacturers of sake and miso paste, who come to pray for blessing and prosperity. Throughout the year, several religious festivities are observed, marking the important period of the cycle of rice-growing year. In 1975 the renowned and prolific garden designer Shigemori Mirei created his last three gardens on the ground of the Matsunoo shrine. Each garden represents one period in the history of Japan and its gardens.