Both the Emperor Meiji and Empress Shōken wrote a great deal of poetry; some is displayed on the walk to the main shrine.
"Colorful flowers
may well beautifully adorn
the hair of a woman,
but the fragrance of sincerity
is the heart's real elegance"
- Empress Shōken
"Should one desire
to follow a path of learning
even though busy,
we can always find time to study
even in this world of ours."
- Emperor Meiji
The torii to the Main Shrine:
Instructions on ablutions (in case you are ever in the neighborhood):
A stage. Presentations and religious ceremonies are performed here. My school has done a demonstration on a similar stage at the Yasukuni Shrine.
The entrance to the Main Shrine:
Hard to believe that the shrine is located in the environs of Tokyo, the horizons in the photos are lacking the modern man-made structures one would think are prevalent in such an urban area. Once again TB, thanks for sharing your travels.
ReplyDeleteNylon12 - It really is hard for me to believe, especially as I had just spent the last 1.5 weeks surrounded by urban Tokyo. In retrospect, I should have taken a picture leaving as well for perspective.
DeleteYou are so very welcome. It is a pleasure to be able to share them.
Thank you, TB. Yes, it's an enormous pleasure to travel with you!
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome Anon! I will say that knowing I am going to write about my travels in some form makes me a more attentive traveler, which makes traveling all the more interesting.
DeleteI like the poetry. Does the form have a name?
ReplyDeleteInteresting about the ablutions. It instructs to wash the hands and the mouth. I'd say it's the work of our hands and the words of our mouth that need cleansing frequently.
Leigh, these are waka. The syllable structure is 5-7-5-7-7 - sort of like a haiku with a bonus.
DeleteThe hands and mouth are consistent across every shrine. I do know that origin, but your point is a good one.