Kumano Shrine in Kawagoe was decorated with many lanterns depicting yatagarasu

A number of white lanterns hanging in the precincts of the shrine were painted with a pitch-black design. At first glance, I thought they were Batman logos, but this is Kawagoe, Japan. Of course, it was not Batman. It was a cute deformed three-legged crow, Yatagarasu. The Kumano Shrine in Kawagoe has lanterns with the yatagarasu character hanging all over the grounds.

Unlike Kita-in Temple, also in Kawagoe, I went to Kumano Shrine in Kawagoe with no particular interest in the shrine, but it was unexpectedly crowded with visitors. Although the shrine was featured in the anime "Tsuki ga Kirei" (The Moon is Beautiful), it was probably because it is a shrine for good luck and matchmaking that it attracted so many people. If you could get rich or find fulfillment in love just by visiting a shrine, no one would have any problems. Such needs must exist throughout the Japanese archipelago.

This kind of feeling seems to exist in all Asian countries that are familiar with polytheism and animism. But what is interesting is that its weight varies from culture to culture. In Japan, more people seem to make wishes related to love than those related to money, while in Chinese culture, many people seem to make wishes related to money. Well, that is just my personal feeling.

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