Reiko-Ji is the only remaining temple building in Tachikue Gorge. When the area was a stronghold of Shugendo there were many more.The large Owaraji (straw sandals) are a common offering at temples and shrines, but as far as I can remember this is the only shimenawa I've seen adorning a temple building. I've been unable to find out why.In 852 a monk discovered a statue of Yakushi Nyorai, the

At this time of the year, and others too, there is not a lot of color.Grey greens, grey browns, grey blues, etcOne could think that one was in a 3D ink wash painting.....

The full name of Sai shrine is Sainiimasuomiwaaramitama Shrine. It enshrines Omiwa Aramitama, the spirit of the sacred mountain Mount Miwa. It is an affiliate shrine of the great Omiwa Shrine, and is located right next door, close to the southern end of the Yamanobenomichi in Nara Prefecture.Mount Miwa has been sacred since ancient times, and is an example of a "kannabi", a mountain where the

All afternoon yesterday the forest behind my house was alive with the calls of our troop of monkeys. My human neighbor was away, so there had been no firecrackers set off to drive the monkeys away.This troop, with about thirty members, are very shy and skittish which makes it hard to get good photos of them. 100 meters away on the opposite hillside is another troop of mo nkeys that are far more

Shimenawa, the sacred ropes that mark sacred space, can often be found wrapped around trees.Sometimes the tree features in an old story or myth, but most often they are simply very old.Shrines are one of the few places where these ancient trees can still be found in Japan.One way I look for shrines is to look for an unusually large clump of trees in the landscape, and often that is where the

Extremely busy right now. I have 4 tons of wood to move, cut, and stack. On top of that spring is very, very early, so the garden is needing a lot of attention. So,.... no time to write blogs, so for now some snaps from last years vacation to Turkey. Above is Pamukkale.And this is CappadociaThgere were, of course, lots of mosques.

The manhole cover of Shimonoseki in Yamaguchi shows a Fugu, a Pufferfish. Famous as an expensive and very poisonous delicacy in Japan, it is illegal to eat in Europe and other countries.Every year in Japan people die from eating improperly prepared fugu.The Karato Fish Market in Shimonoseki is where most Fugu in Japan is sold. A lot of fugu now is farmed, and they have even developed a completely

This is my beautiful wife Yoko.While there are countless reasons for me to thank her, in this instance I'd like to thank her for all the help she patiently gives me with this blog.I'm sure it is no fun researching obscure points in topics she has absolutely no interest in.