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Posts Tagged ‘shrine’

“Shinto Wedding” : Tokyo, 20th March 2012

This is how a traditional Japanese wedding looks, taking place at a Shinto shrine. Things don’t get much more ‘Japanesey’ than this, and it’s a rare treat if you happen to visit when one is going on.

These days few couples opt for these ultra-traditional affairs, preferring the faux Western version done in a faux church with a faux priest.

The bride wears an ornate kimono with a totally white face, black hair tied up in the traditional style most non-Japanese will know from their ideas of geisha. The priest behind her shades her with a vermilion parasol.

I can’t remember where I stumbled upon this scene, but I’m glad I did…

Click on the picture to be magically transported to a larger version.

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“Brass Lantern” : Nara, Japan, 31st July 2006

Kasuga Taisha shrine (春日大社) in the ancient Japanese city of Nara is one thousand three hundred years old and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

As well as the traditional vermilion wooden buildings and gates, this Shinto shrine is stuffed to the gills with lanterns.

Stone ones, some so ancient they seem almost to have melted away, line the paths leading up to it which wind their way through an ancient forest.

Inside are numerous brass lanterns such as this one – not ancient, of course, but nonetheless the colour of the metal nicely compliments that of the surrounding structures.

Kasuga Taisha might just be a little off the major tourist routes, but its slightly spooky atmosphere make it well worth a look…

A larger version of this picture can be viewed here.

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“Sacred Vermilion” : Miyajima, Japan, 22nd January 2011

Japan’s unusual religious system comprises the native Shinto and the imported Buddhism with its myriad flavours.

The Japanese are not a deeply religious folk, however, and for many the Shinto shrine will only be visited on New Year’s Day to throw a few coins into a trough, ring a bell and grab a quick fortune-telling paper.

Buddhism only comes into the picture for funerals.

A quick and easy way to tell the difference between a Shinto shrine and a Buddhist temple is to look for vermilion: if great swathes of the buildings and gates are in this orangey-red hue, then it’s going to be the former.

However, I’ve just remembered that many temples also include shrines within their precincts, just to complicate things :)

Click here for a larger version of this photo.

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A detail from one of wooden walkways at Itsukushima Shrine on the Japanese island of Miyajima, near Hiroshima. Orange is a traditional colour for these Shinto structures. This was taken last winter, shortly after the acquisition of my Nikon D7000 and 18-200mm zoom.

A larger version of this picture can viewed here at my dedicated website and store, Andy Lightfoot Photography.

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