Mountain Temples

Japan has many temples usually facing the mountain or located up in the mountains.  Both the Shinto and Buddhist religions have a similar style of temple, each using torii gates running from north to south, a series of corridors running east to west, gardens, spaces for prayer, gardens, etc. (I like gardens).  The construction of all Japanese temples are the same; consisting of wood posts and beams, tatami straw mat floors and bark roofs (usually made from cypress).  Recent roof replacements use other materials other than bark.

The temples are not only a place of worship, but also a place of safekeeping of sacred objects and a specialization in certain rites.   We visited many temples while in Japan, and one specific temple, Shinto shrine Fushimi Inari Taisha, is the protectorate of rice and rice wine.  Rice is the most important food of Asia, especially Japan.  I have an appreciation for the protection of all wines, including sake.  So this temple was a must see. 

The fox is considered a messenger of the gods to the Japanese and Fushimi Inari Taisha is protected by foxes.  The fox is prevalent throughout the temple grounds, including the picture below where the fox is holding rice in its mouth.  Quail eat rice, therefore killing and eating this bird helps preserve the sacred rice crop.  The small town below the mountain where the temple is located has many street vendors serving quail.  Since I find quail delicious and I want to help protect the rice wine, I am very much in favor of eating quail.

A trail of more than 10,000 torii gates leads up the mountain passing various mini-shrines along the way.  People donate money for the construction of a torii gate to bring good luck.  You can stop and pray for the things you need in life.  People will often write their wishes on a piece of paper and attach it to a tree branch near one of the shrines.  Praying for prosperity and good health is common, but also finding a suitable person to marry is an important reason to take the trip up the mountain.  

Asians are very superstitious.  The temple lists the age of people that need special protection (see list of unlucky ages below).  If your age is listed, then buying special protection is a good hedge against bad luck, which I recommend.  On one street in the town below the mountain, falling down the stairs of this street is considered very bad luck and you will certainly die within 3 years.  However, if you fall on this street, you can buy special protection to prevent your premature death.  I recommend this hedge as well.  The Mafia sells special protection to protect against physical harm.  If Italians were more superstitious, they would have an easier time selling protection and nobody would need their arm broken.

We enjoyed visiting all of the temples and learning what each meant to the people.