The courtyard of the Confucius Temple was deserted with only stone statues

Main hall of Confucius shrine in Nagasaki
Shot at Confucius shrine in Nagasaki city, Nagasaki
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The Confucius Shrine in Nagasaki City is built in the Chinese style, unlike Yushima Seido, and is said to be the only Confucius Temple in Japan built in the authentic Chinese style. The colors of the temple are certainly more vivid than most shrines and temples, not to mention Yushima Seido. As I walked around the shrine grounds, I felt as if I were not in Japan. It was a bit surreal to see only 72 stone statues of sages standing in the deserted precincts of the shrine, imitating the disciples of Confucius.

In Japan, there are not many Confucius Shrines. Considering that the Cheng–Zhu school, one of the major philosophical schools of Confucianism was the official ideology of the Tokugawa Shogunate during the Edo period (1603-1867), it is a bit strange that not many Confucius Shrines were built in Japan. Perhaps it was because Cheng–Zhu school was the preserve of the ruling class and had no relevance to the common people.

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Mar 2007 ARCHITECTURE NAGASAKI

PHOTO DATA

No

815

Shooting Date

Mar 2007

Posted On

March 31, 2007

Modified On

January 8, 2024

Place

Nagasaki City, Nagasaki

Genre

Architectural Photography

Camera

RICOH GR DIGITAL

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