I left my hotel around nine in the morning and walked towards Himeji Castle. I was one of the few pedestrians on the road. The shrine had just opened as I arrived, and a man was just finishing raking the rocks around the honden, or main shrine building. I kept to the sidewalk to avoid messing up the neat lines.
Gokoku means "country-protection." Founded in 1938 as a part of a series of nationwide shrines meant to protect the state, Himeji Gokoku Shrine, and indeed the Gokoku shrine establishment was broken down after the war by the Occupation.
I bought this omamori because it was one of the best sheep omamori I've ever seen. Made of wood, it's very cute and would look nice on any bag or key ring. Unfortunately the miko I purchased it from acted like she was afraid of me. Very strange. I don't bite. It's not the first time I've encountered unease in Japan, even though there's no reason for it.
Himeji Gokoku Shrine can be accessed along the road right in front of Himeji Castle. It's to the right of the main entrance, on the station side.
No comments:
Post a Comment