Usually referred to as the Gion shrine, Kyoto. Established as a protection against pestilence, it has retained more than some other shrines the combinatory ji-sha (temple-shrine) character of the pre-Meiji period in its architecture and in its festival, the Gion matsuri, which is probably the best-known and most spectacular in Japan. It has about 3000 branch shrines (bunsha) throughout the country.
A Popular Dictionary of Shinto. Brian Bocking.