Japan Adventure

Individual ginko leaves on the stone walkway. This is the shape for the topknot that that sumo "stars" wear when they perform. November Sumo tournament starts today in Japan, and I will probably miss opening day.


Walking through first gate at the bottom of the looong stairway that goes up to Daishoin Temple.


Starting up the stairway. Lots of banners out today.


Little boy playing with the twirling section below the handrail. As you walks up the stone stairs, you spin these, for good fortune. Look at the interesting design at the start of each handrail. Research tells me this: An interesting Buddhist ritual can be performed when walking up the temple's steps. In the middle of the stairs is a row of spinning metal wheels that are inscribed with sutra (Buddhist scriptures). Turning the inscriptions as one walks up is believed to have the same effect as reading them. So, without any knowledge of Japanese, you can benefit from the blessings that the reading of sutra is believed to entail.


Closer view of the twirling parts. Each is inscribed with characters.