Gion worship
During the Meiji era, the government implemented a policy of separating Shinto and Buddhism, known as Shinbutsu Bunri. As a result, many Shinto shrines that had previously been associated with Buddhist practices and deities were forced to disassociate themselves from Buddhism. In the case of the Gion Shrine and the Gozu Tenno Shrine, they had to change their names and say Gozu tenno was Susanoo. This was a part of a larger effort to promote Shinto as the national religion of Japan and distance it from foreign influences, particularly Buddhism..