Daily 2021/2022
Read MoreCombined Shinto shrine and Buddhist temple
Small temple with fall leaves in the garden of Jinguji Buddhist temple, sharing the grounds of Kamiichinomiya Oawa Shinto Shrine, Kamiyama, Japan, one of the few shrine-temples combinations still extant.
Some of you may have wondered what a Buddhist symbol, the Tridacna shell, was doing at a Shinto Shrine. The explanation is below.
In the Heian period (794 to 1185) when Buddhism began to diffuse throughout Japan, friction arose between the new beliefs and the ancient Japanese Shinto religion and out of this rose a syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism in which Shinto kami (gods) were considered to be the temporary forms of Buddhist deities. This led to the construction of Shinto shrines within Buddhist temples and vice versa. So Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples, such as this rare example, used to be a single place of worship until Meiji era (1868-1912) when the emperor decided to separate them and Shinto became the official religion of Japan.
Shinto shrineBuddhist templeTridacna shellfallen leavesfall seasonsmall templerock gardenJinguji Buddhist templeKamiichinomiya Oawa shrineKamiyamaShikoku IslandJapan
Terry Allen
on December 20, 2021Many thanks everyone for your nice comments!
jimholmquist
on December 20, 2021Superb shot Terry! I love the composition and the beautiful details.
Rick Willis
on December 20, 2021Interesting Find 😃...
geoghanart
on December 20, 2021Well composed Terry with lovely detail throughout.
Franks-Focus
on December 19, 2021Excellent POV on this unique combination.
Judith Sparhawk
on December 19, 2021Very interesting, the clash of religions over the centuries...when your country has as long a history as that, the changes may take centuries to happen. This shot does show how large that shell is, next to the shrine.
Wayne Wendel
on December 19, 2021Beautiful scene and landscape perfect composition.
Kevin Poynor
on December 19, 2021Lovely composition.
fotoeffects
on December 19, 2021What a beautiful scene! Very interesting info!
John Murphy
on December 19, 2021Lovely shot! Very well captured