Nigatsudo is a beautiful located on the slopes of the mountains beside Todaiji. If you walk up the stairs past the grazing deer, you'll come to the decks overlooking the city. It's a marvelous view. One the deck there are also huge, old metal lanterns. Nigatsudo is formally a part of Todaiji, but the complex is so expansive that it's a site in its own right. Nigatsudo was founded in 752, I think, and a rite to the eleven-faced Boddhisatva (Buddhist saint) called Kannon has been performed there every year, every single year since 760 with no interruptions.
Many people only visit Todaiji, and they never see any of the other sites in this ancient city. Walk towards Nigatsudo, and you'll see shrine complexes falling into disrepair. It makes me feel very sad.
Nigatsudo had these lovely, unique omamori. It almost looks homemade, doesn't it? Nigatsudo is famous for the lanterns, so it certainly suits. This is a metal omamori cast in a mold and painted white with a nice red cord.
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