Straw Sandals In Temple

There is an old Buddhist temple near my home in Tokyo. The temple which is surrounded by the dwellings was the destination of this day. Entered the precinct. It was silent and the buildings stood still in the modest precinct. The highlight in this temple is a wooden hall called Shakado, which housed the statue of Gautama Buddha. It is said the wooden hall was built about 600 years ago. And it is the second oldest wooden architecture in Tokyo.

Walking around the deserted precinct, I moved to the gate called Niomon. This gate is also old. And I found several straw sandals were hung on the wall. These sandals were devoted to praying for the health of leg muscles. In these days, no one wears straw sandals on a routine basis. However, the offering keeps the old-fashioned manner. Perhaps, the deities can not understand the meaning when they receive modern shoes.