https://templeandshrine.blog/2026/10/29/hatsumode/https://templeandshrine.blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/kadomatsukamakura-jan2011.jpgPair of kadomatsu, KamakuraA pair of kadomatsu in front of a gate in Kamakura on January 2, 2011. Photo: "<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kadomatsukamakura-jan2011.jpg">Kadomatsukamakura-jan2011</a>" by Nesnad, <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/">CC BY 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons.https://templeandshrine.blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/hama-yahama-yumikatori-cityjapan.jpgHamaya and hamayumi New Year decorationA hamaya arrow and a hamayumi bow displayed as New Year decorations in Katori, Chiba Prefecture. Photo: "<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hama-ya,Hama-yumi,katori-city,Japan.jpg">Hama-ya,Hama-yumi,katori-city,Japan</a>" by katorisi, <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons.https://templeandshrine.blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/omikuji_at_the_zeniarai_benzaiten_shrine.jpgOmikuji tied up at Zeniarai Benzaiten, KamakuraOmikuji fortune slips tied up at Zeniarai Benzaiten Shrine in Kamakura. Photo: "<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Omikuji_at_the_Zeniarai_Benzaiten_Shrine.jpg">Omikuji at the Zeniarai Benzaiten Shrine</a>" by Ethan Doyle White, <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons.https://templeandshrine.blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/japan_chion-in_temple_19-20_new_year_front.jpgJoya no kane at Chion-in, New Year's Eve 2019A team of monks rings the great bell of Chion-in in Kyoto for Joya no kane on New Year's Eve, 2019. Photo: "<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Japan_Chion-in_Temple_19-20_New_year_%28front%29.jpg">Japan Chion-in Temple 19-20 New year (front)</a>" by Leung Ming Ho (Michael) (MHLeung), <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons.https://templeandshrine.blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/hatsumoude_new_years_visits_to_a_shrine.jpgHatsumode at Meiji Jingu, January 1, 2012New Year visitors at Meiji Jingu in Tokyo in the small hours of January 1, 2012. Photo: "<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hatsumoude,_New_Year%27s_visits_to_a_shrine.jpg">Hatsumoude, New Year's visits to a shrine</a>" by Yoshikazu Takada, <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">CC BY 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons.2026-10-28T15:27:27+00:00monthlyhttps://templeandshrine.blog/2026/10/29/hokkaido-jingu/https://templeandshrine.blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/way_to_hokkaido_shrine_at_cherry_blossom_time_205574261.jpegApproach to Hokkaido Jingu in cherry blossom timeCherry blossoms along the way to Hokkaido Jingu on May 3, 2016. Photo: "<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Way_To_Hokkaido_Shrine_At_Cherry_Blossom_Time_%28205574261%29.jpeg">Way To Hokkaido Shrine At Cherry Blossom Time (205574261)</a>" by Nicolas Fischer, <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/">CC BY 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons.https://templeandshrine.blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/shima_yoshitake.jpgShima Yoshitake, photograph c. 1868Shima Yoshitake in court dress, photographed around 1868. This is a portrait of the man himself, not the bronze statue at the shrine. Photo: "<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shima_Yoshitake.jpg">Shima Yoshitake</a>", unknown photographer, Hokkaido University Library (Northern Studies Collection), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.https://templeandshrine.blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/hokkaido_jingu_torii_with_snow.jpgSecond torii in snow, Hokkaido JinguThe second torii on the approach to Hokkaido Jingu after a February snowfall. Photo: "<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hokkaido_Jingu_Torii_with_snow.jpg">Hokkaido Jingu Torii with snow</a>" by bryan..., <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons.2026-10-28T15:22:54+00:00monthlyhttps://templeandshrine.blog/2026/10/29/kotohira-gu/https://templeandshrine.blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/stage_and_seating_of_konpira_grand_theatre.jpgStage and seating, Kanamaru-zaInside Kanamaru-za: the stage, the paper lanterns and the pit divided into square wooden boxes for the audience. Photo: "<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stage_and_seating_of_Konpira_Grand_Theatre.jpg">Stage and seating of Konpira Grand Theatre</a>" by Photos of Japan, <a href="https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/">CC0 1.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons.https://templeandshrine.blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/jp-kagawa-sanuki-plain-from-kotohira-gu.jpgSanuki plain from Kotohira-guThe Sanuki plain from the terrace beside the main hall, with the cone of Sanuki Fuji (Mount Iino) on the horizon. Photo: "<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:JP-Kagawa-Sanuki-Plain-From-Kotohira-g%C5%AB.jpg">JP-Kagawa-Sanuki-Plain-From-Kotohira-gū</a>" by Kanchi1979, <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons.https://templeandshrine.blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/asahi-sha_kotohira_gu_2010-09-29.jpgAsahi-sha, Kotohira-gu (2010)The Asahi-sha, completed in 1845, photographed in September 2010, before the restoration that began in 2024. Photo: "<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asahi-sha,_Kotohira_Gu_2010-09-29.jpg">Asahi-sha, Kotohira Gu 2010-09-29</a>" by Maarten Heerlien, <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">CC BY 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons.https://templeandshrine.blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/the_famous_scenes_of_the_sixty_states_56_sanuki.jpgHiroshige, Sanuki Province: Distant View of Mount Zozu (1855)Travelers on the road toward Mount Zozu, the mountain of Konpira, in Utagawa Hiroshige's woodblock print <em>Sanuki Province: Distant View of Mount Zozu</em> (1855), from his series Famous Places in the Sixty-odd Provinces. Image: "<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Famous_Scenes_of_the_Sixty_States_56_Sanuki.jpg">The Famous Scenes of the Sixty States 56 Sanuki</a>" by Utagawa Hiroshige, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.https://templeandshrine.blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/konpira_shrine_kagawa_prefecture_november_2019_04.jpgStone stairway on the approach, Kotohira-guSunlight breaks through the trees above one of the stone stairways on the approach to Kotohira-gu. Photo: "<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Konpira_Shrine,_Kagawa_Prefecture;_November_2019_%2804%29.jpg">Konpira Shrine, Kagawa Prefecture; November 2019 (04)</a>" by Sei F, <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons.2026-10-28T15:11:20+00:00monthlyhttps://templeandshrine.blog/2026/10/04/chusonji/https://templeandshrine.blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/tsukimizaka_slope_03.jpgAutumn maples on Tsukimizaka, Chuson-jiMaples turn orange and red among the old cedars of the Tsukimizaka approach in early November. Photo: "<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tsukimizaka_Slope_03.jpg">Tsukimizaka Slope 03</a>" by Higa4, <a href="https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/">CC0 1.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons.https://templeandshrine.blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/230728_motsuji_hiraizumi_iwate_pref_japan03s3.jpgOizumi-ga-ike pond, Motsu-ji Pure Land gardenOizumi-ga-ike, the pond at the heart of Motsu-ji's Pure Land garden, with a low peninsula and rocks set in the water to suggest a seacoast. Photo: "<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:230728_Motsuji_Hiraizumi_Iwate_pref_Japan03s3.jpg">230728 Motsuji Hiraizumi Iwate pref Japan03s3</a>" by 663highland, <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons.https://templeandshrine.blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/basho_memorial_-_chusonji_hiraizumi_iwate_-_dsc04985.jpgStatue of Matsuo Basho, Chuson-jiThe statue of Matsuo Basho on the grounds of Chuson-ji, near the Old Outer Hall. Photo: "<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Basho_memorial_-_Chusonji,_Hiraizumi,_Iwate_-_DSC04985.jpg">Basho memorial - Chusonji, Hiraizumi, Iwate - DSC04985</a>" by Daderot, <a href="https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/">CC0 1.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons.https://templeandshrine.blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/interior_of_konjikido_chusonji_62.jpgKonjikido altar, photograph published 1915One of the Konjikido's altars, with a seated Amida at the center and attendant figures on either side, in a photograph published in 1915, long before the 1962–1968 restoration. Photography inside the hall is not allowed today. Photo: "<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Interior_of_Konjikido,_Chusonji_%2862%29.jpg">Interior of Konjikido, Chusonji (62)</a>" by Imperial Japanese Commission to the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, from <em>Japanese Temples and their Treasures</em> (1915), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.https://templeandshrine.blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/konjikido_shelter_hall_-_chusonji_hiraizumi_iwate_-_dsc04951.jpgKonjikido outer hall, Chuson-jiThe modern outer hall at Chuson-ji, which shelters the gold-covered Konjikido inside, seen from the foot of its steps. Photo: "<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Konjikido_shelter_hall_-_Chusonji,_Hiraizumi,_Iwate_-_DSC04951.jpg">Konjikido shelter hall - Chusonji, Hiraizumi, Iwate - DSC04951</a>" by Daderot, <a href="https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/">CC0 1.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons.2026-10-03T17:02:53+00:00monthlyhttps://templeandshrine.blog/2026/09/14/buddhist-statues/2026-10-02T13:07:54+00:00monthlyhttps://templeandshrine.blog/2026/08/17/shrine-vs-temple/2026-10-02T13:05:43+00:00monthlyhttps://templeandshrine.blog/2026/08/17/how-to-visit-a-shrine/2026-10-02T13:03:49+00:00monthlyhttps://templeandshrine.blog/2026/10/02/how-to-read-a-japanese-shrine/https://templeandshrine.blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/kushida_shrine_shimenawa_haiden_20231123.jpgKushida Shrine the shimenawa of the haidenA thick straw shimenawa hung with white zigzag shide stretches across the front of the haiden (worship hall) at Kushida Shrine in Fukuoka. Photo: "<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kushida_Shrine_the_shimenawa_of_the_haiden_1-41_Kami-kawabatamachi_Hakata-ku_Fukuoka_20231123.jpg">Kushida Shrine the shimenawa of the haiden</a>" by Hirho, <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons.https://templeandshrine.blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/a-un-pair.jpgA-un-pairAn a-un pair of komainu in Kamakura: one guardian has its mouth open for "a," the other has it closed for "un." Photo: "<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A-un-pair.jpg">A-un-pair</a>" by Urashimataro, <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons.https://templeandshrine.blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/chozuya_dragon.jpgChozuya dragonA dragon-shaped spout pours water into the basin of a temizuya at a shrine in Nara, with ladles laid across it for visitors. Photo: "<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ch%C5%8Dzuya_dragon.jpg">Chōzuya dragon</a>" by Flittergreeze, <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons.https://templeandshrine.blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/heian_shrine_torii_gate.jpgHeian Shrine Torii GateA myojin torii: the vermilion great torii of Heian Jingu in Kyoto. Note how the top beam curves upward at the ends. Photo: "<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Heian_Shrine_Torii_Gate.JPG">Heian Shrine Torii Gate</a>" by Hirayuki1886, <a href="https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/">CC0 1.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons.https://templeandshrine.blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/ise_ise-jingu_ujibashi_bridge_1.jpgIse Ise-jingu Ujibashi Bridge 1A shinmei torii: the plain wooden gate at the Uji Bridge, the entrance to the Inner Shrine of Ise Jingu. Its top beam is perfectly straight. Photo: "<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ise_Ise-jingu_Ujibashi_Bridge_1.jpg">Ise Ise-jingu Ujibashi Bridge 1</a>" by Zairon, <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons.https://templeandshrine.blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/1_no_torii_mount_kongo1.jpg1 no Torii (Mount Kongo)1The ichi no torii (first torii) of Katsuragi Shrine on Mount Kongo stands over the approach path through the cedar forest. Photo: "<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1_no_Torii_%28Mount_Kongo%291.jpg">1 no Torii (Mount Kongo)1</a>" by KENPEI, <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons.2026-10-02T11:38:25+00:00monthlyhttps://templeandshrine.blog/2026/09/27/zenkoji/2026-09-27T08:30:32+00:00monthlyhttps://templeandshrine.blog/2026/09/27/nikko-toshogu/2026-09-27T08:22:12+00:00monthlyhttps://templeandshrine.blog/2026/09/24/ryoanji/2026-09-24T14:25:10+00:00monthlyhttps://templeandshrine.blog/2026/09/23/horyuji/2026-09-23T08:57:25+00:00monthlyhttps://templeandshrine.blog/2026/09/15/byodoin/2026-09-15T14:49:17+00:00monthlyhttps://templeandshrine.blog/2026/09/15/enryakuji/2026-09-14T15:09:43+00:00monthlyhttps://templeandshrine.blog/2026/09/14/sanjusangendo/2026-09-13T15:23:42+00:00monthlyhttps://templeandshrine.blog/2026/09/12/goshuin/2026-09-12T09:19:15+00:00monthlyhttps://templeandshrine.blog/2026/09/07/omamori-and-ema/2026-09-07T14:49:11+00:00monthlyhttps://templeandshrine.blog/2026/09/07/japanese-buddhist-schools-zen-pure-land-shingon-and-beyond/2026-09-07T14:45:08+00:00monthlyhttps://templeandshrine.blog/2026/09/06/dazaifu-tenmangu/2026-09-06T06:04:18+00:00monthlyhttps://templeandshrine.blog/2026/08/31/what-is-a-kami/2026-08-31T14:16:55+00:00monthlyhttps://templeandshrine.blog/2026/08/31/koyasan/2026-08-31T14:03:19+00:00monthlyhttps://templeandshrine.blog/home/2026-08-29T07:18:39+00:00weekly0.6https://templeandshrine.blog/all-guides/2026-08-29T07:17:48+00:00weekly0.6https://templeandshrine.blog/2026/08/27/kasuga-taisha-naras-shrine-of-sacred-deer-and-3000-lanterns/2026-08-26T15:05:36+00:00monthlyhttps://templeandshrine.blog/2026/08/26/ginkaku-ji/2026-08-26T14:54:13+00:00monthlyhttps://templeandshrine.blog/2026/08/26/izumo-taisha/2026-08-26T14:44:31+00:00monthlyhttps://templeandshrine.blog/2026/08/26/shinbutsu-shugo-when-japans-gods-and-buddhas-were-one/2026-08-26T14:41:22+00:00monthlyhttps://templeandshrine.blog/about/2026-08-18T13:49:46+00:00weekly0.6https://templeandshrine.blog/privacy-policy-2/2026-08-18T13:48:59+00:00weekly0.6https://templeandshrine.blog/2026/08/17/kinkaku-ji/2026-08-17T12:20:32+00:00monthlyhttps://templeandshrine.blog/2026/08/17/meiji-jingu/2026-08-17T12:20:25+00:00monthlyhttps://templeandshrine.blog/2026/08/17/todai-ji/2026-08-17T12:20:18+00:00monthlyhttps://templeandshrine.blog/2026/08/17/itsukushima-shrine/2026-08-17T12:20:03+00:00monthlyhttps://templeandshrine.blog/2026/08/17/kiyomizu-dera/2026-08-17T12:19:56+00:00monthlyhttps://templeandshrine.blog/2026/08/17/senso-ji/2026-08-17T12:19:49+00:00monthlyhttps://templeandshrine.blog/2026/08/17/fushimi-inari/2026-08-17T12:19:43+00:00monthlyhttps://templeandshrine.blog/2026/08/17/ise-jingu/2026-08-17T12:19:36+00:00monthlyhttps://templeandshrine.blog/2026/07/11/hello-world/2026-07-11T07:37:16+00:00monthlyhttps://templeandshrine.blogdaily1.02026-10-28T15:27:27+00:00