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Wash basin at Shirakaw Hachiman Jinja – Ogimachi, Japan
Today’s photo is from the loveliest town on the planet, Shirakawago’s Ogimachi. The stickers over the wash basin (temizubachi or 手水鉢) are known as senja fuda (千社札).
Barrels of sake are quite common at shrines and temples in Japan. At Toshogu in Nikko I was a bit surprised to see barrels of whisky lined up. The kegs were staying dryer than I was in the snow storm.
As we came down the trail (one of many and I have no idea which one) on Mt. Takao we found ourselves alone with a priest and a waterfall.
The grounds for this Inari Shrine are part of the Buddhist temple on Mount Takao formally known as Takao-san Yakuo-in Yuki-ji, and most commonly known as just Takaosan Yakuoin (高尾山薬王院). This place was supposedly established in 744 on the orders of Emperor Shomu as a base for Buddhism in eastern Japan. I have no way of knowing how long these torii and structures have been around, but I think it is safe to say that they are much more recent creations. This shrine has more Shinto characteristics than Buddhist ones.
In the USA, or probably any country other than Japan, you wouldn’t normally find two different religions occupying the same grounds in harmony. In Japan, it is fairly common. Today’s photo is from the grounds of Hasedera (長谷寺), a Buddhist temple. Yet Kakigara Inari is a Shinto Shrine. Japan takes “coexist” to a whole other level.
