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Description
You should know by now that I absolutely am floored by the fine carved and painted details on shrines and temples here. I find them remarkably beautiful - the colors used, the artistry for carving, and all of the little details just crammed into something that is almost an afterthought when compared to the grandeur of the main shrine and temple complexes. And you find them in the most surprising places - little spaces that you usually don't notice amid the whole piece, but you know someone who was working on the shrine said to themselves "ya know, I could put something here... and over there.. and how about there?"

Or at least those are the stories I make up in my head.

This piece is not little or hidden - it is the focal point of the main gate to Fushimi-Inari! Still, my story holds, because there are little things just tucked away everywhere in shrine complexes. One day, I'm going to get to spend a ton of time photographing them --- then you'll all be so sick of stuff like this that you'll unfollow me!

::::: 伏見稲荷大社に関する情報 :::::
Fushimi Inari Taisha is the head shrine of Inari, located in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto. The shrine sits at the base of a mountain also named Inari.

The earliest structures were built in 711 on the mountainside, but the shrine was relcoated in 816. The main shrine structure was built in 1499. At the bottom of the hill are the main gate and the main shrine. Behind those is the inner shrine, reached by a path lined with thousands of torii.

Kitsune (foxes) are regarded as the messengers of Inari, and often found in Inari shrines. They are usually found in pairs - one mail, and one female. They hold a symbolic item in their mouths or beneath a front paw - most often a jewel, a key, a sheaf of rice, a scroll, or a fox cub.

::::: 新年の休暇 :::::
Over our new years break, we were able to get to finally go on our first real trip in Japan. Of course we went to Kyoto - it is the only place I really cared to see, and I cannot wait for any chance to return. It is beautiful, and so ridiculously full of inspiration to me it's almost overwhelming. It was a whirlwind tour, however, and we hit every major temple and shrine we could. We started right off the Shinkansen and hopped another train to Fushimi, to visit the Fushimi-Inari shrine (the one with the hundred of red tori gates lining the path to the main temple). Since it was a major holiday (new years) it was packed and then some, but still amazing none the less, even with the crush of people.

After that, we hit places such as Toji Temple, the Imperial Palace (which was sadly closed over the holiday), Kiyomizudera, Kinkakuji, and a ton of other temples and shrines that we just wandered into. While all of them were very busy because of the holiday, it was such a wonderful experience that I hope we get to see again (maybe not in the middle of winter next time!). We didn't get to spot any geisha or maiko, but Kyoto was wonderful regardless. We finished up our trip with a visit to Osaka before our flight back to Fukuoka, and got to see Osaka Castle!

Tumblr : Instagram : Flickr

Fushimi-Inari Taisha 「伏見稲荷大社」 : January 2, 2014
Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Japan
伏見区　　京都　　　日本

Description
You should know by now that I absolutely am floored by the fine carved and painted details on shrines and temples here. I find them remarkably beautiful - the colors used, the artistry for carving, and all of the little details just crammed into something that is almost an afterthought when compared to the grandeur of the main shrine and temple complexes. And you find them in the most surprising places - little spaces that you usually don't notice amid the whole piece, but you know someone who was working on the shrine said to themselves "ya know, I could put something here... and over there.. and how about there?"

Or at least those are the stories I make up in my head.

This piece is not little or hidden - it is the focal point of the main gate to Fushimi-Inari! Still, my story holds, because there are little things just tucked away everywhere in shrine complexes. One day, I'm going to get to spend a ton of time photographing them --- then you'll all be so sick of stuff like this that you'll unfollow me!

::::: 伏見稲荷大社に関する情報 :::::
Fushimi Inari Taisha is the head shrine of Inari, located in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto. The shrine sits at the base of a mountain also named Inari.

The earliest structures were built in 711 on the mountainside, but the shrine was relcoated in 816. The main shrine structure was built in 1499. At the bottom of the hill are the main gate and the main shrine. Behind those is the inner shrine, reached by a path lined with thousands of torii.

Kitsune (foxes) are regarded as the messengers of Inari, and often found in Inari shrines. They are usually found in pairs - one mail, and one female. They hold a symbolic item in their mouths or beneath a front paw - most often a jewel, a key, a sheaf of rice, a scroll, or a fox cub.

::::: 新年の休暇 :::::
Over our new years break, we were able to get to finally go on our first real trip in Japan. Of course we went to Kyoto - it is the only place I really cared to see, and I cannot wait for any chance to return. It is beautiful, and so ridiculously full of inspiration to me it's almost overwhelming. It was a whirlwind tour, however, and we hit every major temple and shrine we could. We started right off the Shinkansen and hopped another train to Fushimi, to visit the Fushimi-Inari shrine (the one with the hundred of red tori gates lining the path to the main temple). Since it was a major holiday (new years) it was packed and then some, but still amazing none the less, even with the crush of people.

After that, we hit places such as Toji Temple, the Imperial Palace (which was sadly closed over the holiday), Kiyomizudera, Kinkakuji, and a ton of other temples and shrines that we just wandered into. While all of them were very busy because of the holiday, it was such a wonderful experience that I hope we get to see again (maybe not in the middle of winter next time!). We didn't get to spot any geisha or maiko, but Kyoto was wonderful regardless. We finished up our trip with a visit to Osaka before our flight back to Fukuoka, and got to see Osaka Castle!

Tumblr : Instagram : Flickr

Fushimi-Inari Taisha 「伏見稲荷大社」 : January 2, 2014
Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Japan
伏見区　　京都　　　日本