Saturday, April 20
Our tour today began with a long-ish bus ride (about one hour) to Nara, southeast of Osaka. Nara was the imperial capital prior to Kyoto, which was established as the capital in 710 AD. Nara is also the name of the prefecture (like a US state). The big attraction is actually quite big, the Great Buddha, which is the largest Buddha in Japan. The Great Buddha dates back to 756 AD. It resides in a Buddhist temple in the middle of the lovely Nara Park. Since it is Saturday, there are many people here. Before we went to the temple, though, we had a unique activity: feeding the tame deer, who live in the park. Even when we arrived at the bus parking lot, we could see deer milling about, oblivious to the crowds. They were not especially attractive with matted fur and horns beginning to grow, and they were certainly not afraid of us! We then walked down a lovely pathway lined with concrete lanterns that have paper covers. There were also lovely cedar and cypress trees. The lanterns are donated by people or corporations to bring about goodwill or fortune. There are about 1,200 in the park. The papers have the names of the donors with their written specific wishes. They are lit two times per year: on February 1 to celebrate spring and on August 15, a Buddhist festival.
At the end of the walk we entered a large meadow. The deer are allowed to wander here unmolested since they are considered in the Shinto religion to be messengers of God. In the old days, you could get the death penalty for killing a deer. If you woke up one morning and found a dead deer on you property, you would discreetly move it to your neighbor’s land, AKA “passing the buck.” For our activity we were met by a costumed man with a brass instrument resembling a French horn. He blew the horn and the deer came, at least one hundred maybe two hundred. We were then given packages of deer cookies to hand feed the deer. Well these deer were too aggressive! They were on us before we could unwrap the cookies. Roy just threw his on the ground to get the deer away from him. At least they understood the hands up “all gone” signal. This was too funny. Humberto actually got his legs bitten by a greedy deer!
Rob joined in the fun and also fed the deer some acorns.
Then it was time to visit the Todaiji Temple and the Great Buddha! Todaiji means Great Eastern Temple. At the entrance gate there were two statues with mean faces who are guardians. One has an open mouth as if saying the first letter in the Japanese alphabet “ah.” The other has a closed mouth as if saying “mm,” the last letter of the alphabet. The statues were made in only seventy days and are national treasures. We also passed a lantern from the 8th century (original). We saw fishtails on the roof of the temple that are a talisman against fire. You only see the tail because the fish are “in the building” or “in water.”
The temple was built in 1707, smaller than previous versions on this site, which had burned. It is the largest wooden building in Japan. The hall is 187 feet across, 165 deep and 160 tall. The main Buddha has two hand positions: hand up means "Don’t be afraid," hand down means "I will save you." There is one other Great Buddha in Japan located in Kamakura. There are four types of Buddhas in the temple: Nyorai, Bosatsu or Bodhisattva, Myoo, and Tenbu. There is also a pillar with a hole the size of the Great Buddha’s nostril that you try to pass through to attain enlightenment in the next life. The Great Buddha is 49 feet tall, his head is 17 feet, his eye is 3.3 feet, and his ear is 8 feet.
Todaiji was established in the 8th century by the 45th emperor, Shomu. Note the current emperor is number 125. (As a note: the current emperor's era is Heisei, which means “peace” and “make success/fortune.” The next era will be called Reiwa, which means “good/auspicious” and “peace/harmony.”) Buddhism was introduced to Japan in the 6th century. At Todaiji there is an imperial crest at the gate, which is a sixteen petal chrysanthemum.
We walked through the temple and admired all of the Buddhas then exited to see the wooden “touching” Buddha. You rub him and then rub the body part that you have that needs help. Roy applied this technique to his knees. We then walked a bit to admire a modern pagoda built for Expo '70. Then we returned to the bus after passing through the shopping arcade, where we bought two bamboo bookmarks and Todaiji nail clippers. We really enjoyed the beautiful temple, Buddha and the surrounding grounds. After boarding the bus, Mimi treated us to green tea Kitkat bars.
Isonokami-Jingu Temple was our next destination. It is located in Nara prefecture in Tenri City. There we would experience a demonstration of Shinto worship and have the opportunity to learn more about this religion. As we drove there we admired the pretty hillsides with bamboo forests. The bamboo leaves were yellow. Arriving at the temple, we passed under the torii, bowing first. Walking through the gate gives spiritual purification. We were then greeted by the sound of a beating large drum. The drum is played to get god’s attention. We saw many roosters on the grounds; they are also messengers of god. There are roughly fifty here at this temple. The rooster's role is to announce major things like the end of night (which is dark/evil). The rooster also drives way evil. We saw white paper streamers, which also ward off evil. Then we were met by a Shinto priest a named Tone. He told us that the shrine is over 200 years old. It was established by the 10th emperor. There are currently ten priests and two maiden assistants here. As we listened to the priest (translated by Mimi), we could see behind us the blessing of a car (a twenty year old Jeep). We then were taught how to purify ourselves physically by washing hands and mouth with a ladle from a fountain.
Then we removed our shoes and entered the temple to worship. The worship included some singing of our names for blessing us. Then we could ask questions. We learned that there are three sacred items in the temple: the mirror, jewel, and sword. There is also a sacred plant called sakari. There was also a large stockpile of sake because the gods like sake (but who really drinks it?). There are two seminaries for Shinto priests in Japan. Women can be priests but account for less than 10%. This shrine is 930 years old, 100 years older than Notre Dame. Before leaving a lengthy handout with more information was provided.
Lunch was served at a restaurant called Benkei, where we had a private dining room. The entree was chicken in mushroom cream sauce; Rob was served papricka sauce — a "western" style lunch. Very nice place in a town called Yamatokoriyama, Nara prefecture.
Then we drove to the town of Katsuragi (also in Nara prefecture) to the Sumo Pavillion, where we had a Sumo demonstration. The sport of Sumo is related to the Shinto religions. It is the oldest sport in Japan. There are currently 600 wrestlers and two grand champions. One champion is named Yokozuna, and he is paid as much as the prime minister. There are ten levels of rankings, but only the highest rankings get a salary. Sumo wrestlers are trained in a “stable.” The Sumo ring is called dohyo. There is a 1,200 year history in this sport, and it is also practiced in several other countries. Our demonstration began with a short lecture and then a song. The singing is called Sumo Jinku and is a unique tradition for preceding Sumo tournaments. The tradition dates back to the Edo and Meiji periods. These traditional songs are not written down but passed down through oral teaching.
Then exercises were demonstrated, and then we watched two wrestlers compete a few times. Then it was our turn. First Claudia and Sylvia donned full body “sumo suits.” And then Roy and Max had the outfit/belt wrapped on our bodies (really tight), and we were given a chance to wrestle (fake wrestling really). It was all good fun! With videotaped evidence! Unfortunately, Rob’s camera broke in the middle of the demonstration! Oh no! More on that later...
Dinner was at the hotel in a banquet room with an open bar to start. The meal was very good and not too much food. This was also considered to be a "western" meal, and we enjoyed an entree of sea bass. One comment on multi-course meals in Japan — the courses come quickly, one right after another.
At the end of the walk we entered a large meadow. The deer are allowed to wander here unmolested since they are considered in the Shinto religion to be messengers of God. In the old days, you could get the death penalty for killing a deer. If you woke up one morning and found a dead deer on you property, you would discreetly move it to your neighbor’s land, AKA “passing the buck.” For our activity we were met by a costumed man with a brass instrument resembling a French horn. He blew the horn and the deer came, at least one hundred maybe two hundred. We were then given packages of deer cookies to hand feed the deer. Well these deer were too aggressive! They were on us before we could unwrap the cookies. Roy just threw his on the ground to get the deer away from him. At least they understood the hands up “all gone” signal. This was too funny. Humberto actually got his legs bitten by a greedy deer!
Rob joined in the fun and also fed the deer some acorns.
Then it was time to visit the Todaiji Temple and the Great Buddha! Todaiji means Great Eastern Temple. At the entrance gate there were two statues with mean faces who are guardians. One has an open mouth as if saying the first letter in the Japanese alphabet “ah.” The other has a closed mouth as if saying “mm,” the last letter of the alphabet. The statues were made in only seventy days and are national treasures. We also passed a lantern from the 8th century (original). We saw fishtails on the roof of the temple that are a talisman against fire. You only see the tail because the fish are “in the building” or “in water.”
The temple was built in 1707, smaller than previous versions on this site, which had burned. It is the largest wooden building in Japan. The hall is 187 feet across, 165 deep and 160 tall. The main Buddha has two hand positions: hand up means "Don’t be afraid," hand down means "I will save you." There is one other Great Buddha in Japan located in Kamakura. There are four types of Buddhas in the temple: Nyorai, Bosatsu or Bodhisattva, Myoo, and Tenbu. There is also a pillar with a hole the size of the Great Buddha’s nostril that you try to pass through to attain enlightenment in the next life. The Great Buddha is 49 feet tall, his head is 17 feet, his eye is 3.3 feet, and his ear is 8 feet.
Todaiji was established in the 8th century by the 45th emperor, Shomu. Note the current emperor is number 125. (As a note: the current emperor's era is Heisei, which means “peace” and “make success/fortune.” The next era will be called Reiwa, which means “good/auspicious” and “peace/harmony.”) Buddhism was introduced to Japan in the 6th century. At Todaiji there is an imperial crest at the gate, which is a sixteen petal chrysanthemum.
We walked through the temple and admired all of the Buddhas then exited to see the wooden “touching” Buddha. You rub him and then rub the body part that you have that needs help. Roy applied this technique to his knees. We then walked a bit to admire a modern pagoda built for Expo '70. Then we returned to the bus after passing through the shopping arcade, where we bought two bamboo bookmarks and Todaiji nail clippers. We really enjoyed the beautiful temple, Buddha and the surrounding grounds. After boarding the bus, Mimi treated us to green tea Kitkat bars.
Isonokami-Jingu Temple was our next destination. It is located in Nara prefecture in Tenri City. There we would experience a demonstration of Shinto worship and have the opportunity to learn more about this religion. As we drove there we admired the pretty hillsides with bamboo forests. The bamboo leaves were yellow. Arriving at the temple, we passed under the torii, bowing first. Walking through the gate gives spiritual purification. We were then greeted by the sound of a beating large drum. The drum is played to get god’s attention. We saw many roosters on the grounds; they are also messengers of god. There are roughly fifty here at this temple. The rooster's role is to announce major things like the end of night (which is dark/evil). The rooster also drives way evil. We saw white paper streamers, which also ward off evil. Then we were met by a Shinto priest a named Tone. He told us that the shrine is over 200 years old. It was established by the 10th emperor. There are currently ten priests and two maiden assistants here. As we listened to the priest (translated by Mimi), we could see behind us the blessing of a car (a twenty year old Jeep). We then were taught how to purify ourselves physically by washing hands and mouth with a ladle from a fountain.
Then we removed our shoes and entered the temple to worship. The worship included some singing of our names for blessing us. Then we could ask questions. We learned that there are three sacred items in the temple: the mirror, jewel, and sword. There is also a sacred plant called sakari. There was also a large stockpile of sake because the gods like sake (but who really drinks it?). There are two seminaries for Shinto priests in Japan. Women can be priests but account for less than 10%. This shrine is 930 years old, 100 years older than Notre Dame. Before leaving a lengthy handout with more information was provided.
Lunch was served at a restaurant called Benkei, where we had a private dining room. The entree was chicken in mushroom cream sauce; Rob was served papricka sauce — a "western" style lunch. Very nice place in a town called Yamatokoriyama, Nara prefecture.
Then we drove to the town of Katsuragi (also in Nara prefecture) to the Sumo Pavillion, where we had a Sumo demonstration. The sport of Sumo is related to the Shinto religions. It is the oldest sport in Japan. There are currently 600 wrestlers and two grand champions. One champion is named Yokozuna, and he is paid as much as the prime minister. There are ten levels of rankings, but only the highest rankings get a salary. Sumo wrestlers are trained in a “stable.” The Sumo ring is called dohyo. There is a 1,200 year history in this sport, and it is also practiced in several other countries. Our demonstration began with a short lecture and then a song. The singing is called Sumo Jinku and is a unique tradition for preceding Sumo tournaments. The tradition dates back to the Edo and Meiji periods. These traditional songs are not written down but passed down through oral teaching.
Then exercises were demonstrated, and then we watched two wrestlers compete a few times. Then it was our turn. First Claudia and Sylvia donned full body “sumo suits.” And then Roy and Max had the outfit/belt wrapped on our bodies (really tight), and we were given a chance to wrestle (fake wrestling really). It was all good fun! With videotaped evidence! Unfortunately, Rob’s camera broke in the middle of the demonstration! Oh no! More on that later...
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