Japan 23 Shirakawa-go 3

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JAPAN
Short but sweet touching trip
Shirakawa-go
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Shirakawa is a leading area of heavy snowfall in
the world, and due to this climate, gassho-zukuri
homes were created. With the shape of the Hakusan
National Park mountain ranges as a background,
these sites are major tourist attractions. One of
the snowiest places in Japan, 95.7 of Shirakawa
is covered by forests
Shirakawa-go is a traditional village located
near the Shogawa river in Gifu Prefecture. Ogimach
i is the largest village and main attraction of
Shirakawa-go. Declared a UNESCO world heritage
site in 1995, the village is home to several
dozen well preserved gassho-zukuri farmhouses,
some of which are more than 250 years old
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The Shirakawa Hachiman Shrine 
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the Doburoku Matsuri Exhibition Hall (open
April-November)
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The Shirakawa Hachiman Shrine 
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Torii of Shirakawa Hachiman Shrine 
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Shimenawa at Torii Gate leading to Hachiman
Shrine. A shimenawa is a straw rope that marks
the boundary to something sacred and can be found
on torii gates, around sacred trees and stones,
etc
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Shimenawa at Torii Gate leading to Hachiman Shrine
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Found near the entrance, the water of this
fountain is used for purification. Wooden dippers
are available to worshipers
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A chozuya or temizuya is a Shinto purification
fountain for a ceremonial purification rite known
as temizu
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Water-filled basins are used by worshipers for
washing their left hands, right hands, mouth and
finally the handle of the water ladle to purify
themselves before approaching the main shrine
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Ropes called shimenawa decorated with paper
streamers called shide often surround yorishiro
to make their sacredness manifest
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Shimenawa ("enclosing rope") are lengths of laid
rice straw rope used for ritual purification in
the Shinto religion. They can vary in diameter
from a few centimetres to several metres, and are
often seen festooned with shide. A space bound by
shimenawa often indicates a sacred or pure space,
such as that of a Shinto shrine
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Shimenawa are believed to act as a ward against
evil spirits and are often set up at a
ground-breaking ceremony before construction
begins on a new building. They are often found at
Shinto shrines, torii gates, and sacred landmarks.
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Shimenawa are also used around yorishiro (objects
capable of attracting spirits, hence inhabited by
spirits)
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These notably include certain trees, in which
case the inhabiting spirits are called kodama,
and cutting down these trees is thought to bring
misfortune
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In cases of stones, the stones are known as
iwakura
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A variation of the shimenawa is used in sumo
wrestling by yokozuna (grand champions) during
their entrance ceremonies to denote their rank.
This is because the yokozuna is seen as a living
yorishiro (formally shintai), and as such is
inhabited by a spirit
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Omikuji (fortune tags), random fortunes written
on strips of paper at Shinto shrines and Buddhist
temples in Japan
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The omikuji is scrolled up or folded, and
unrolling the piece of paper reveals the fortune
written on it. It includes a general blessing
which can be Great blessing, Middle
blessing, Small blessing, Blessing, Near-blessing
and Curse. People usually tie it up to a tree or
ropes prepared by a shrine after reading it
like the photo
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Shisa are traditionally used to ward off evil
spirits are traditionally used to ward off evil
spirits
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Komainu (a guardian lion-dog figure) strongly
resemble Chinese guardian lions and in fact
originate from Tang dynasty China
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The Shirakawa Hachiman Shrine 
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Ema at Hachiman Shinto Shrine Ema are small
wooden plaques on which Shinto worshippers write
their prayers or wishes Shrine visitors write
their wishes on these wooden plates and then
leave them at the shrine in the hope that their
wishes come true. Most people wish for good
health, success in business, passing entrance
exams, love or wealth. The ema are then left
hanging up at the shrine, where the kami (spirits
or gods) receive them  
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The Shirakawa Hachiman Shrine 
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The Shirakawa Hachiman Shrine 
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The Doburoku Matsuri Exhibition Hall (open
April-November), which is dedicated to the annual
doburoku festival held October 14-15, where sake
in its earliest, milky stage is drunk accompanied
by dancing
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Persimmon (Diospyros Kaki)
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Persimmon (Diospyros Kaki)
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Persimmon (Diospyros Kaki)
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Minkaen open air museum - exhibits farmhouses
and other structures relocated to Ogimachi in
order to save them from destruction
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Minkaen Museum entrance
Minkaen Museum entrance
Jin Homura Art Museum
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Jin Homura (born 1948), prominent painter in Japan
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Jin Homura (born 1948) Museum
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Pictures Sanda Foisoreanu
Nicoleta Leu Internet All 
copyrights  belong to their  respective owners
Presentation Sanda Foisoreanu www.slideshare.ne
t/michaelasanda https//ma-planete.com/michaelasa
nda
2016
Sound Oliver Shanti - Secret of the
golden blossom
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Shirakawa-go