“Prayer Beads and Memorials” : Kyoto, Japan, 5th May 2007
To be honest I can’t remember the exact location of this shot – except that it was somewhere up in the hills surrounding Kyoto, Japan’s former capital and treasure trove of ancient wonderment.
In a Buddhist temple precinct I came across these huge stands of what I can only assume are memorials, the names of people being written below the metal figurines.
I suddenly noticed that someone had left prayer beads over three of the Buddhas, and the names below reveal them to be of the same family.
I felt a bit strange taking this photo, almost as if I was somehow violating or disturbing the peace of rituals that are beyond my cultural heritage – but then again, it was all on display to the public in the open air…
You can find a larger version of this image here.
