A Humble Offering

The simplest of gifts are sometimes the most meaningful and sincere. I spotted this carefully arranged offering of chestnuts placed before a statue at the gate of a very old Buddhist temple in the mountains of central Japan. The offering is before a statue of one of the temple guardians. These figures are called Nio which means Benevolent Kings and their images are thought to represent the cycles of life and death. Their fierce appearance is thought to intimidate and ward away evil forces. The gate where the statues are posted is called the Nio-gate.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Japan
• Japanese
• Buddhist
• Buddhism
• temple
• Nio
• Guardian

[Quindal]

wards off all the evil forces except the ones that it needs to be behind the fence from xD

[softypapa]

@Quindal What a great observation! I'm sure your comment will come to mind whenever I pass this gate in the future. Thanks for sharing!  Have a great weekend! ~Kurt :-)

[shadowsteve]

thats cool, do you see a lot of statues like this in Japan?

[softypapa]

Hello shadowsteve, Actually I do indeed often encounter statues and other old objects along the roads and trails where I like to explore. Even in the high mountains I will often find small shrines at the windy summits and beside waterfalls. These encounters are always a nice chance to sit and reflect. -Kurt :-)

[shadowsteve]

cool, i think theyre nice too - i dont see anything like this where i live, its a shame really because id do exactly what you do and use such a time to relax and reflect but where i live theres nothing like that. i think its good how Japanese history is preserved because otherwise it would just be like anywhere else in the world - its distinguishable. thanks.

[softypapa]

Hello shadowsteve, I think that one of the reasons we see so many statues and old road-side artifacts here is because we are only a few blocks away from the old Tokaido highway (53 stages). As a result there have people living and walking this way for many centuries. Thanks for sharing your observations and thoughts. It's really nice to hear what you have to say and learn about your area. -Kurt :-)

[Saturnstales]

love the way you panned up to slowly reveal the terrifying Nio, kinda adds to the atmosphere

[softypapa]

Hello reymiland, It was my pleasure. Thanks for joining me. -Kurt :-)

[softypapa]

Hello tomwash1, I love this idea! -Kurt :-)

[softypapa]

Hello TheJapanChannelDcom, I love seeing the variety of interesting items (cans of beer and coffee are the best!) which folks leave. Very interesting indeed! Thanks for sharing this observation! -Kurt :-)