Sakura and Lanterns

Sakura and lanterns - two of my favorite things - so Japanese- at a Shrine. Daiyuzan Saijo-ji Shrine was a beautiful Buddhis Temple complex, on an isolated hill in a forest in Kanagawa Prefecture.  Several trains and buses and walking to finally get there, but well worth the effort - peaceful, serene and beautiful.

Senso-ji Shrine

Senjo-ji is Tokyo's oldest temple.  Normally thriving with crowds of visitors -tourists and locals, it was incredibly empty on my last visit.  The lanterns were still glowing.

Sunday Kimono 27- Wedding Guests

More wedding guest in kimono at Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji-Sengen shrine. Taken during my visit in March. Love the gold handbag, shoes/thongs (zori? ) and obi.

Spring Maples

Spring means new green leaves.  A ceiling of green maple at Okusawa shrine.

Sunday Kimono 26 Shiromuku Wedding Kimono

 When visiting a shrine near Mt Fuji last month I was lucky enough to witness the arrival of bride and her wedding party.  The white kimono was beautiful. The fabric had an intricate crane pattern.  See below for an explanation of white bridal kimonos.

Shiromuku is a wedding kimono originally worn at weddings in samurai families, the shiromuku has become one type of wedding kimono worn by brides in Japan. White has symbolized the sun’s rays since ancient times, and from the Heian period, pure white bridal kimonos became prized. The shiromuku stands out due to all its parts — over-robe, under-robe, obi sashi, etc.. — being pure white. Brides at the wedding in shrines always wear white clothes. Why Japanese brides have such custom to be covered with only white things on a day of wedding ceremony? It’s because “white” has been regarded by Japanese people as a symbol of pureness, cleanness or virginity. “White” can be dyed with any color, so shiromuku means that brides are ready to be dyed with color of groom. “White” has also been regarded as a sacred color for many years, so Japanese people have believed shiromuku to be suitable for the wedding ceremony held at sacred and religous places.

Torii Gates at Hie Shrine

 The tunnel of 90 torii gates at Hie Shrine, make it an "instagrammeable" site in Tokyo, but in times of social isolation it was very quiet. The seasonal azaleas added to the colour. 

More Wisteria

While only covering one trellis at Hie Shrine the wisteria makes an impact, both up close and in the greater context of the shrine.

Sakura in the Cemetery

Cemeteries are sites for peak Sakura viewing.  These were taking in Yanaka cemetery during my Spring break in March.   Yanaka is an old neighbourhood in the north of Tokyo.  The cemetery was originally the graveyard for Tennoji Temple and the Sakura-dori was the entrance way to the temple.

The cemetery covers over 10 hectares.  

It is the final resting place for many famous people in Japanese history, including Tokugawa Yoshinobu, the last shogun of Japan and the novelist Ichiyo Higuchi (1872-1896) who appears on the 5,000 yen note.

Shrine Social Distancing

Silence, social distancing and finding a moment of solitude at Khombatsu Shrine last Saturday.

Gingko in Spring

New Gingko leaves.  Spring is springing here in Tokyo.

Same tree, different angle, back in October 2019.

Sakura and Maple

The fresh spring green of new maple leave with Sakura at Khombatsu shrine on the site of the Old Okusawa castle.  Not quite in my neighbourhood, as short bike ride away and close to "Punk Doily" an Australian baker who sells hot cross buns.

Sunday Kimono. 21 Wedding Guests

Cherry Blossoms

And so it starts.  Not sure what type of cherry this is, (or if it is a cherry blossom???) but these vibrant pink blossoms at a shrine in Tokoroki gorge show the season has started. An early variety different from the Sakura planted on masse in Tokyo, but still gorgeous.

Winter Ginkgo

My obsession with ginkos continues into the winter.  No bright yellow but still majestic trees.  These are at the shrine where I took yesterday's wedding kimono photos.

These photos show  the trees back in autumn.

Added in a video to show the snow/sleet on Saturday afternoon.

Sunday Kimono 18 - Wedding Photos

 Wedding photo time in the fall at a shrine in Todoroki gorge. Uchikake are colourful outer garments, usually in bright colours, red or orange like this and worn for photos and after the wedding ceremony at the reception.

White Magnolia

Winter white.  White magnolia flowers are blooming in the neighbourhood.  This tree at riverside shrine was elegant in the sunshine last Friday.

Okusu - A 2000 year old tree

Last Sunday I visited Atami and the Kinomiya Shrine where there is a designated monument, a sacred tree called "Okusu" which is more than 2000 years old. Amazing to think the times the tree has lived through - if only it could speak.

More cat good luck

Ema boards with cat images at Gotokuji Shrine.  Ema means picture horse.  Worshippers write messages for good luck on the boards.

Wikipedia tells me

In ancient times people would donate horses to the shrines for good favor; over time this was transferred to a wooden plaque with a picture of a horse, and later still to the various wooden plaques sold today for the same purpose.Once inscribed with a wish, Ema are hung at the shrine until they are ritually burned at special events, symbolic of the liberation of the wish from the writer.

Beckoning Cats

The beckoning cats at Gotokuji Temple in Setagaya (my neighbourhood) are said to bring good luck.  Even for me they were cute cats.
The porcelain statues were everywhere and are meant to bring good luck. There are several versions of the history of the shrine and the cats.  The temple grounds were peaceful and zen like and cat free.

Shichifukujin on a Sunday

Shichifukujin Meguri is the seven lucky gods pilgrimage - a New Year tradition to invite luck into your life.

Of course Mary never arrives on time, so I visited seven shrines a month late!! Sunday I explored shrines in Nihonbashi. The aim is to visit shrines for seven deities.

• Ebisu – the god of prosperity, commerce, and fishing
• Daikokuten – the god of agriculture (hence his being called the “kitchen god”), prosperity, and commerce
• Bishamonten – the god of war who defends humans against evil spirits
• Benzaiten – the goddess of beauty and the arts
• Fukurokuju – the god of wisdom, good fortune, and longevity
• Jurojin – the god of longevity and good health
• Hotei – the god of happiness and good fortune

As I was a month late I missed any English documentation so I not sure I ticked all the deity boxes.  It was interesting, especially watching the crowds at Suitengu Shrine  which is famous, being visited as a shrine for safe childbirth and blessing for  children.  and at Koami Shrine Fukurokuju (virtue/longevity) and Benzai-ten (learning/wealth) are worshipped here.

Better late than never - I hope the visits bring me luck for 2020.