On my way out of Yukuhashi, heading towards the coast, I stopped in at a small local shrine whose entrance beckoned me.
Shrines are great stopping places on walks.... a quiet space away from traffic, and often with something to see in terms of statuary, carvings etc.
This one is a Kasuga Shrine, a branch of the famous Kasuga Taisha up in Nara, and therefore enshrining the same gods.
It has obviously been rebuilt quite recently. One thing I am always on the lookout for at shrines are the komainu, as their designs are quite varied. This shrine had quite nice elephant carvings.
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Many thanks as always for the virtual tour through Japan. One small point: it's not an elephant carving, but a mythical Chinese animal called 'baku' which devours bad dreams. It's a composite creature, like the dragon, and has an elephant-shaped head but the rest of it is taken from other animals.
ReplyDeleteYes, quite nice elephant carving!
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