Beautiful Places - Shinto Shrines

According to the Japan National Tourism Organization, Shinto is the traditional religion of Japan, and throughout the centuries architectural styles have been developed to assist and honor the religious beliefs of Shinto worshippers.  The Japanese have long valued quality craftmanship and that value is reflected in the details and overall beauty of Shinto shrines.  The actual structures can vary in size, shape, and even number, but usually a number of design features emerge as being somewhat standard.

The tourism organization claims the most recognizable sign of a Shinto shrine is the front gate, known as the torii.  The torii marks the symbolic passage from the common place world to the spiritual world of the shrine.

The island of Itsukushima, better known as  Miyajima, if famous for its "floating" torii gate that marks the Shinto shrine near the shoreline.

Another common element is the komainu, or the lion dogs, that guard the entrance to the shrine:

Designs of the komainu varies greatly, from highly stylized to near-lifelike representations.  Generally speaking, the two lion dogs are portrayed as twins, with one's mouth open and the other closed.  The open-mouthed one is A, the one with the closed mouth is called Un:

Komainu are noble holy animals which are usually employed as guardians of holy areas. They can range in size from a small dog to the size of a lion, and due to their resemblance to both creatures, are often called lion dogs in English. They have thick, curly manes and tails, powerful, muscular bodies, and sharp teeth and claws. Some komainu have large horns like a unicorn on their heads, however many are hornless.
... Komainu are fierce and noble beasts. They act like watchdogs, guarding gates and doorways and preventing the wicked from entering. They live together in male-female pairs, and are always found together. In their pairs, the female usually guards those living inside of the place they guard, while the male guards the structure or place itself. (Yokai.com)

Tradition has it that the dogs originated from Korea (the kom part of komainu refers to the traditional Japanese name for Korea) after first being given to China by India, then China to Korea, and finally Korea to Japan.

Other aspects of the Shinto shrine include the chozuya, a small pavilion near the temple that features a fountain.  Worshippers stop here to ceremonially wash their hands and rinse their mouths before offering prayers to the gods:

The main sanctuary (there are often other buildings for non-worship purposed) is called Shinden, or Honden, are often home to spirits known as kami (the term "spirits" is a very simplistic description of the nature of kami, but will serve for now) and acts as the physical center of Shinto worship.  Shinden designs can vary, and do quite a bit.  Therefore, simply enjoy the attention to detail and workmanship of these beautiful places:

Tomorrow - New designs for learning!