Five-colored Buddhist flags fluttered in front of the main hall of Gokoku-ji Temple
Just as the colors of the LGBT rainbow flag have their meanings, the colors of the Buddhist flag also have meanings. It is interesting to note that it was not established by the Buddha, nor by some high priest, but by an international conference. The official "International Buddhist Flag" was adopted at the First World Buddhist Congress in Sri Lanka in 1950 and was adopted in Japan at the Second Japanese Buddhist Congress in 1954, where it remains to this day.
The International Buddhist Flag consists of six colors: blue, yellow, red, white, orange, and the color of radiance, which is the color of the five colors in order. Blue represents the color of the Buddha's hair, yellow the color of his body, red the color of his blood, white the color of his teeth, and orange the color of his robe. The color of the light is said to be the light that Buddha emitted from his mouth or face when he entered nirvana, illuminating the whole of the three thousand great worlds.
When I arrived at Gokoku-ji Temple in Otsuka, Buddhist flags were fluttering in the precincts, as if a Buddhist memorial service was being held. But upon closer inspection, I found that they were not six-color flags, but five-color flags. I wondered if such a five-color flag or banner was classified as a five-color banner rather than a Buddhist flag. I am not sure about that.
| May 2022 IN THE CITY TOKYO | |
| FLAG LANTERN OTSUKA TEMPLE |
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PHOTO DATA
No
12280
Shooting Date
Mar 2022
Posted On
May 29, 2022
Modified On
September 9, 2024
Place
Otsuka, Tokyo
Genre
Street Photography
Camera
SONY ALPHA 7R II
Lens
ZEISS LOXIA 2/35
