I visited Kanda Shrine during a break. I was studying at Meiji University, and I dragged a friend (who we'll call L) along on a shrine-hunting expedition. L was a real sport. She put up with me wandering around and dwadling in the gift shop even though we were going to be late to class.
Kanda Shrine was founded during the eighth century, destroyed in fires, rebuilt, and then destroyed in the 1923 Kanto Earthquake. After the earthquake it was rebuilt with concrete, which meant that it actually survived the Tokyo firebombs of World War II. Kanda Shrine is home to various festivals, but is also famous for being a drama filming spot.
L and I made it back to class barely in the nick of time. Late, but... I think it was okay. Haha.
This omamori is made of blue and clear plastic and is in the shape of a happi, a Japanese festival jacket. Nice, huh? Kanda Shrine had a huge selection of omamori! If we hadn't had class, I probably could have spent a lot more time there.
For the record, I also visited Yushima Seido, a Confucian Temple nearby. It was very dirty, unkept, and not selling omamori. If they had sold omamori, I would have purchased one. I believe Yushima Seido was founded during the Tokugawa Shogunate, destroyed in either the Kanto Earthquake or WWII, and then rebuilt afterwards in a similar style.
On a more positive note, it is supposedly a popular location for praying students during exam time, and it is home to the largest Confucius statue in the world. (Err... Missed that.) I didn't miss that it was a major Confucian school before the 1870s however!
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