Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Red hats.

mit3477

Red hats on statues are fairly common throughout Japan, and often accompanied by red bibs.

mit3478

It is said that the red caps on Jizo statues represent the amniotic sac, but the most common explanation for them is that red is the color that drives away disease and sickness.

mit3487

Making the hats and bibs for the statues is in a sense an act of prayer.

mit3514

All of these photos were taken at Mitakidera, a temple in the hills just outside downtown Hiroshima. It is my favorite site to visit in Hiroshima.

mit3557

In a rock nook behind the spring above the temple even the snake representing the kami of water is hatted.

5 comments:

  1. Very nice pictures. I used to see red hats on japanese eligious staues in Japan, but not like those ones.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Adorable. It is a warm act of devotion and good will.

    ReplyDelete
  3. lovely...I love the red hats on ancient sculptures

    ReplyDelete
  4. So much fun. This blog is so beautiful.

    ReplyDelete