Yesterday Kyoto’s Aoi Festival took place, and since I’ve seen the festival several times I thought I’d take a stroll this year around Kamigamo Shrine after the proceedings had ended. I was glad I did, for I found the shrine to be full of interest and activity, without the crowds that can make such occasions irksome. Though I only had my old iphone camera to hand, there was sufficient light left in the day for a few rough shots…
- Ancestor worship (51)
- Anime and manga (13)
- Animism (132)
- Book Reviews (52)
- Death (44)
- Emperor (imperial family) (51)
- Fertility (19)
- Festivals (181)
- Folklore (38)
- Fuji (12)
- General (174)
- Green issues (106)
- Hinduism (10)
- Hokkaido (16)
- Inari (35)
- Insularity (3)
- International (181)
- Interviews (34)
- Ise (31)
- Izumo (42)
- Japanese culture (131)
- Kami (57)
- Kansai (22)
- Kanto (41)
- Kojiki (1)
- Koshinto (1)
- Kumano (16)
- Kyoto shrines (196)
- Kyushu (33)
- Lafcadio Hearn (26)
- Martial arts and sumo (13)
- Misogi (9)
- Mountains (41)
- Mythology (73)
- Nagano (7)
- Nationalism (50)
- New Year (51)
- Nihon Shoki (2)
- Oddities (38)
- Okinawa (13)
- Origins (45)
- Paganism (58)
- Pilgrimage (25)
- Poetry (31)
- Politics (35)
- Power spots (22)
- Practical (38)
- Priests (16)
- Purity and pollution (28)
- Rites and celebrations (73)
- Rocks (40)
- Setsubun (14)
- Seven Lucky Deities (13)
- Shamanic connections (55)
- Shinto sects (6)
- Shrine items (86)
- Shrine types (25)
- Shrine visits (141)
- Shugendo (22)
- Social values (31)
- Spirituality (26)
- Syncretism (116)
- Taoism (1)
- Tenson Korin (4)
- Tohoku (19)
- Uncategorized (2)
- World Heritage (65)
- Yasukuni (23)
- Zen (27)
Nice explanation John, bybthecway I saw that man also
The man with the yellow hat seems like a character
Yes indeed. Highly individualistic in a land of conformity.
Some nice ‘rough’ shots there John. The camera on the latest iPhone is pretty good if you want to upgrade! There are some pretty interesting sheep at the shrine. When I visited earlier this year the ones with the fortune slips were made of ceramic rather than wood with the slip inside the sheep. A couple of questions – I was wondering what the bells at the top of the rope that is in front of the elemental banner symbolise? Also, it looks like most of the visitors at the shrine were relatively young. If so, would the love wish ema be one of the main attractions?
Yes, the enmusubi (love connection) shrine certainly attracts the young, though around the shrine generally there were plenty of older people. As for your question regarding the bells, those are usually the type the miko wave around when they dance. The sound is thought to have a purifying effect.
Thanks John, The bells did have a familiar ring to them, the ones the miko hold being a little smaller.
Hi John, I visited Kamigamo a couple of days ago and was pleased that I did as I enjoyed wandering the grounds and gardens, I intended visiting Ota or Ohta which is at the eastern end of the extensive Kamigamo site which I’ll leave for another day as I wanted to see if the kakitsubata/irises were still blooming there.
I was immediatlly struck by the image of the bells on the top of the rope which are strikingly similar to the bells on the handles of torah scrolls.
I’m glad you enjoyed Kamigamo as it’s one of the nicest and greenest parts of Kyoto. The similarity of the bells with those on the handles of the torah scrolls is of course interesting in terms of the Jewish connections that some have proposed, though personally I’m inclined to think there will be parallels and similarities between religions everywhere…