A Visit to Kasuga Shrine (part 2)

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

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