A child squatting in front of the gate of Myoho-ji Temple was observing the ground intently

Parent and child crouching in front of the gate of Myohoji Temple — Parent and child crouching in front of the gate of Myoho-ji Temple

I loved it as a child, but now that I am older, I no longer observe above the surface of the earth or turn over a stone to look at the back. I no longer have time to curl up with a beetle or watch a parade of ants; instead, I read books and observe the cityscape.

Although I no longer stare at the ground, the insect-crawling ground is still popular with children. I saw a young child staring at the ground in front of the gate of Myoho-ji Temple in Horinouchi, Tokyo. The mother was squatting beside him, and the parent and child stared at the ground in harmony.

Myoho-ji Temple, built in the early 1600s, is a temple that has been worshipped since the Edo period (1603-1868) because its statue of Nichiren's patriarch is believed to be beneficial in warding off bad luck. Not a little boy at the gate, observing insects at the gate will not bring you any benefit. It would be nice if he could sit up for a moment and pay a visit to the ancestral hall to ward off bad luck, but the child was so engrossed in the ground that there was not the slightest indication that he was going to pay his respects. I was not so busy looking at the huge ema (votive picture tablet), the iron gate, and the design of the lanterns that I did not visit the Soshido Hall.

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