Thursday, August 28, 2014

Looking Through the Lens at Gokoku Shrine in Naha Okinawa

The Site and Surrounding Areas

 

 

There is a lot more to see at this attraction than, I ever imagined.

A few times in the past, we visited this Buddhist Temple.

The mission then, was to photograph the torii at the entrance for a Then and Now series.

That didn't require, going inside so, I didn't.

Buddhist shrine, water,wooden ladles

Today, I wanted to get a closer look at things.

When I researched this place for a TripAdvisor review, I learned something about the place.

Commodore Perry and some crackpot missionary, took over the site from the Buddhists.

Inside, I thought I may be able to find more of the temple's history.

This was the first place I stopped.  And, I washed my hands with water from a wooden ladle.

war memorial,one-legged soldier,nurse

Inside the temple grounds, you find war monuments, like this one.

A statue of a nurse helping a one-legged soldier caught my attention.


monument,statue,washstand

Turning, to look back, I took this photo.

It shows another statue and monument, as well as, the place, I washed my hands.


wooden ladles,dragon,washstand,shrine

Passing through a second torii gate, I spotted another washstand.

This one had a dragon spitting water out of its mouth.

fortunes,wooden box, donation

Off to the right side of the temple they have this box.

If you put 100 yen in the slotted part, you can take a fortune paper.

Just reach in the hole on left and take one, after you make a donation.

Gokoku Shrine, Buddhist


Here is the front of Gokoku Shrine.

The place was immaculately clean, had lots of gold and, no people were there.

inside view, Gokoku Shrine

But, I didn't go in, just zoomed and shot this image from the outside.

It's hard to believe some foreign missionary would call these folks heathens.

wooden torri,shisa,shrine

After seeing enough of the temple grounds, we explored out back.

There is a trail, leading uphill, to the left, outside the temple fence.

Here, was a small shrine with a fairly new, wooden torri.


red torii,shrine,hill,Buddhism

Behind Gokoku Shrine, on another hill, I spotted a red torri, leading to a different shrine.

That got me thinking. A cameraman could never run out of things to do, in Naha.


peace pole,marker

They even have one of these peace markers behind the shrine, we were at.

The photo, is to remind me, I better tell the Map It Okinawa dude about the location !






2 comments:

Muza-chan said...

Great photos, Mike :)

RyukyuMike said...

Muza-chan, Arigatto !