Nara park

Last Monday, we walked along the approach to Kasuga Shrine, which winds through Nara Park (in Nara, Japan). This week, we pass through the massive wooden gates: To the right of the heiden, a garden contains a number of smaller (but still important) shrines:   Kasuga Shrine honors four of Japan’s most important Shinto kami: Takemikazuchi-no-mikoto, Futsunushi-no-mikoto, Amenokoyane-no-mikoto, and Himegami. The deities are enshrined within a part of the shrine not normally open to visitors; only the emperor of Japan and the kannushi, or high priest, of Kasuga Shrine are allowed to enter the sacred space. Kasuga Taisha (“Shrine”) is a lovely example of the way Shinto