Every year more and more traditional buildings are torn down and lost forever. Sometimes it feels like traditional Japan is fading away forever...
I think one of the most attractive parts of Japan to foreigners is the mixture of old and new that we see here. That old may be old houses from before the war that are still in that older style, or it might be people wearing traditional clothes, usually kimono or yukata. I think in most cases the old takes the form of religious things, statues of the Buddha or of Jizo dressed in a red cap and red bib, old temple buildings, pagoda, and so on. Perhaps the most common of these religious objects and the one most representative of Japan is the torii gate (鳥居).
It is not uncommon for these things to be rebuilt and replaced every few years—Shinto emphasizes the ideas of cleansing and renewal—but even when they are new, they have this look that makes us think of old Japan—or our fantasies of old Japan, at any rate.
I was playing with that idea when I snapped this photo and applied some effects to bring out that feeling more.
This style of torii gate is called Ryōbu (両部), by the way. There are many styles of torii, though they all fall in one of two families, which are basically a straight style (神明 shinmei) and a curved one (明神 myōjin). Ryōbu would fall within the curved family, as you can see from curved top bar. It is the same style you see at the giant gate floating in the water in front of Miyajima which is usually considered one of the symbols of Japan (and is considered one of the three best places to visit in Japan).
Don't miss the other great photos in the Beautiful Japan photo series!
- The Shogun's Keep
- Gate to the Shogun's Shrine
- The Golden Torii
- Across the Universe
- To Walk With You Under the Cherry Blossoms
- I Once Knew This Place
- Okazaki Tenmangu Shrine
- The White Walls of Zui'nenji
- Curious Kitsune Watches
- Meeting Place of the Kitsune
- What a Blur
- The Watcher at the Shrine
- Giant Torii in Road
- Resting Leaves
- The Family that Drinks Together, Stays Together
- Fire in the Sky
- The Streets of Takayama
- Red Path
Thank you for reading. :)
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I post one photo everyday, as well as some misc posts such as haiku, videos, more Japanese history, and so on. Let me know if there is anything about Japan you would like to know more about or would like to see.
 | David LaSpina is an American photographer lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time. |