 |
| (Click on image to enlarge) |
Watercolour and crayon
©2015 Charlene Brown
This is not the famous main gate at theNikko Shrine in the mountains near Tokyo.
It’s the torii gate before you reach the
main part of the Nikko shrine. Torii gates are found on the approach or
entrance to all Shinto shrines, marking the transition from the physical to the
spiritual world. They are usually either unpainted or painted vermillion – and I
think I prefer the unpainted ones, like this one at Nikko.
Having said that, I found upon my return
from Japan that I took more photos of the thousands of vermillion
torii gates at the Fushimi Inari-taisha in Kyoto than just about any other place! And one of the many sketches
I started during my trip (and will paint some day soon) includes a couple of bright red torii gates in a
village on Lake Ashi.
