Kanazawa, part 2: Shrine of Fortune

~Hi everyone, I hope that you all had a good weekend. My vacation is over :-( , but I'm happy that I was able to do so much in the past week. Today is part 2 of my trip to Kanazawa, where I visit a famous shrine and the reconstructed castle.

After the Ninja Temple, my next stop was the huge Oyama Shrine, a shinto shrine dedicated to Lord Toshiie Maeda, who built Kanazawa in to one of the most powerful domains in Japan during the 16th century. This is one of the more interesting shrines that I've seen in Japan so far, because it contains a mixture of Japanese, Chinese, and European architecture. It was built in 1599 by Lord Maeda's successor, but it used to be closer to the ocean; it was moved to its present location in 1873.

^The front of the Oyama Shrine. Remember, every shrine has a ceremonial gate, called a "Torii". They all have the same basic design, but most are painted vermillon. Some torii, such as the one above, have scrolls on the top with writing, and some shrines have multiple torii. The original purpose of them is to serve as a perch for birds to rest on, because birds are considered messengers of the gods.

^The secondary gate of the shrine, from the back. This gate was designed by a Dutch architect in 1875, and would look right at home in Amsterdam. This gate was my favorite part of the Oyama Shrine, because of the very top part:

^Stained-glass windows, very beautiful with the sunlight streaming through them. Legend has it that this tower was once used as a lighthouse, although I don't see how this is possible, since it's nowhere near the ocean and was built after the shrine was moved. Maybe it was a "One if by land, two if by sea" kind of lighthouse?

^The shrine itself. If you go down to my 'Chinese Garden' post, you'll note the architectural similarities with the buildings there. This was easily the largest shrine I've seen so far. In the main entrance, you could get a piece of paper with a fortune on it called an 'omikuji'; mine had a lot of Japanese writing on it, but I was able to decipher the kanji for 'middle blessing'. Works for me.

^A fiercesome beast guarding the shrine! Ph34r m3!

^A statue of whom I can only assume is Lord Toshiie Maeda. Like most riders in modern Japan, he dosen't wear a helmet.

^Me, trying (and failing) to strike a cool pose on a bridge near the shrine.

^Another "interesting" statue. I think the guy on the bottom has wings(?).

~Since I've been skimping on it lately, here is some REAL Japanglish for you:

^Actually, I believe that this sign, which is for a clothing store, is logically incorrect. It should read, "Good Concept, But No Sense".

~Next time, on David Does Japan: Kanazawa Castle and gardens. Hopefully that will be something to look forward to as we all go Back To The Grind this week. Oyasumi!