Japan -- Part IV

One of the weekend days we were in Yokohama, K, the Japanese professor with whom my husband was making the exchange, offered to take us to Kamakura, a coastal town less than one hour south of Tokyo by train.

At the end of the twelfth century the shogun of the time, Minimoto Yoritomo made Kamakura the centre of his government, since it was his home town and it remained the capital of Japan until the fourteenth century when the centre of power moved to Kyoto.

Today Kamakura attracts many visitors since it is filled with a wonderful collection of Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines and historical monuments and in fact, that day, there were many Japanese tourists.

Probably the most famous of the monuments there is the Great Buddha or Daibutsu, a bronze statue standing almost 15 metres high and the second largest statue of Buddha in Japan. Cast in 1252 AD, it remains in its original form, however it was formerly housed inside the large temple hall of the Kotokuin Temple. This hall was washed away by a tsunami at the end of the fifteenth century and since then the Daibutsu has remained in the open air.

Shinto and Buddhism are Japan's two major religions and they coexist harmoniously, actually complimenting each other. Many Japanese weddings are held in the Shinto style while most funerals are celebrated Buddhist style.

Above you see the Hachimangu Shinto Shrine at the top of the steps, with the two scientists posing reluctantly at the bottom

A standing in an interesting courtyard at Kamakura

In the gardens, I found this small covered statue, surrounded by four bronze soldiers


One of the soldiers close up

A scene wandering around the temple grounds, with wonderful fall colour on the Japanese maples

The above photo has a very interesting story to go with it. Jizo is the Buddhist god who is the guardian of the stillborn, miscarried and aborted foetuses in Japan. These little statues of Jizo, called Mizuko Jizo, are placed either in the homes or at the temple to represent that lost child and as you can see they are often fully dressed, or with a little hat, or wear a red bib and some even have little umbrellas to shield them from the rain. Usually the stones have a kaimyo, or name given to a person after death, inscribed on them. The ceremony, Mizuko Kuyo, is a modern one and came about after the Second World War. Japan has one of the highest abortion rates in the world but this ceremony shows that it is not taken lightly and many women visit the Mizuko Jizos and pray before them. You see these little statues all over Japan in temples and even on street corners and I found them very moving.

When next I write about Japan, I'll tell you about the day I spent around and about Tokyo with K's wife.