#classic negative

This photograph I captured while sitting on a hill where i read poetry.

Titled : Reaching Across Time.

no winter lasts forever, no spring skips its turn

Dragon and Koto Player (Oujji Shrine near Honzei fishing port, Shizuoka Pref., Japan)

Wooden carving of a dragon and a person playing a koto (Japanese stringed instrument). I have seen hundreds of shrines over the decades, but this was the first time I saw a koto player next to a dragon.

Although the symbolism varies from shrine to shrine, dragons are often a symbol of happiness and are often associated with water. Accordingly, dragon heads are often used to disperse water at the temizuya near the entrance of shrines where you wash your hands and rinse your mouth before praying or worshiping at the worship hall of the shrine.

According to the Kokugakuin University website, dragons in some folk religions were worshiped as a sea deity by fishermen who believe the dragon was responsible for safe ocean passage and abundant catches on the sea.

I wish I could have visited with a local person near this shrine to learn more about this particular shrine and why a person is playing a koto next to the dragon.