Finishing climbing the 229 stone steps, I saw the shrine building of Ashikaga Orihime Shrine ahead of the guardian dog

Shrine Hall and guardian dog of Ashikaga Orihime Shrine
Ashikaga Orihime Shrine
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After climbing the stone stairs leading up from the foot of the mountain, I arrived at a spacious area. The first thing that greets me are the guardian dogs. Beyond the guardian dogs, I was greeted with an expanse of flat land that exceeded my expectations. I had imagined the shrine grounds to be like a cat's forehead clinging to the mountainside, but the actual grounds of Orihime Shrine were spacious, and there was no sense of oppression anywhere.

As I walked further along the approach, feeling the gaze of the guardian dogs, I found the shrine pavilion standing on a slightly elevated platform. Built in 1937, the shrine is said to be modeled after the Byodo-in Phoenix Hall in Uji, Kyoto. However, the vermilion color of the shrine is quite different from my image of the Phoenix Hall. The image of the Phoenix Hall is much duller.

As a result of the re-thatching of the roof and repainting of the pillars between 2012 and 2014, the Phoenix Hall is now a bright vermilion color. Looking at its restored appearance, it is somewhat understandable that Orihime Shrine was modeled after the Phoenix Hall. However, it remains unclear that this is a Shinto shrine while the Phoenix Hall is a Buddhist temple.

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Oct 2021 ARCHITECTURE TOCHIGI

PHOTO DATA

No

12058

Shooting Date

Apr 2021

Posted On

October 13, 2021

Modified On

August 17, 2023

Place

Ashikaga, Tochigi

Genre

Architectural Photography

Camera

SONY ALPHA 7R II

Lens

ZEISS BATIS 2/40 CF

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