These houses behind the rice field are public housing built by the local township for low-income families; This is a side of Japan not heard of often, but we have our poor & our homeless also. Here again, the old & the traditional sit aside the modern realities. Yoko Lewis.
This statue stands on the grounds of my village elementary school. My father said it was 'old' even when he was a boy going to that same school. This statue is of Kinjiro Ninomiya, a figure from the Edo period. Here is some information on this person:
Kinjiro Ninomiya was born in 1787 during the Edo dynasty. He was famous as a person who studied and worked very hard. He was also known for his kindness. In his later years he rescued many of the Samurai families & clans from financial difficulties & debts. He is also held in high regard among farmers as a figure who brought stability & quality of life through his endeavors as founder of Shinyou Kumiai First Savings & Trust.
This statue was for us a visible reminder of the values of hard work, study, loyalty & kindness to others. As I looked at this picture it brought back to me just how powerful these historical figures were to our moral development. Even now, my nieces & nephews play under the shadow of this statue today, and are taught about Kinjiro Ninomiya & the values he represents.
In my dictionary,Omikuji is translated, "A Written Oracle;sacred lot...."; Perhaps it might be also understood as a token of prayer for one's good luck, similar to lighting a candle in the Roman Catholic tradition.
Here we see a mother & her 2 sons visiting a local shrine in my village area; It looks like they have finished making a silent prayer, and the mother is putting the omikuji up with the many others; On the paper is the Chinese character un(the first character of unmei, which means, "destiny;fate; good/ill fortune...."; These little papers are provided by the Shrine & come in small bamboo tubes; After you read it, you tie it around the tree in the Shrine garden, or, as in this picture -- and moreso in recent years -- onto a special stand that is provided for supplicants to hang these.
It is a special sight to see some shrines with all the trees on the grounds filled with these white papers, blowing in the wind; There is a rustling sound like no other. For some people this sight & sound adds even more to the sense of the shrine being a sacred place.
This small shrine is unattended. It is located a brief stroll from my house. Note the wooden torii (gates) which lead the way to the small shrine. The color is shuiro an orange-red. This color is traditionally believed to protect from evil spirits. (You may recall so many wedding kimono are in that color).The small wooden box in front of the shrine is for people to put their offerings into when they visit & pray. The rope attached to a large round bell is there for the supplicants also. This bell is rung in Shinto belief before they actually say their prayer; They usually swing the rope, bow & clap hands together twice.
NEW YEAR'S IN RURAL JAPAN
These pictures were taken in the area surrounding my home in Kyushu, Japan around New Years Day.
