Otori Taisha Shrine on New Year's Day 大鳥神社 初詣
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Otori Taisha (officially named "Otori Jinja") shrine is dedicated to Yamato Takeru (日本武尊), a very famous, legendary warrior prince. This is the headquarters shrine of all Otori shrines (大鳥神社) in Japan. Short walk from Otori Station (鳳駅) on the JR Hanwa Line that connects to Tennoji on the Osaka Loop Line.
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The shrine is in the small forest named "Chigusa-no-mori." Not very many people were here so I thought it would be quick and easy to see this shrine. But I was wrong.
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About Otori Taisha in English, Korean, and Chinese.
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Entrance to Otori Taisha on New Year's Day 2019.
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Suddenly the path to the shrine got crowded and later this line of people stopped movng. The first torii to Otori Taisha.
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The path to the shrine is quite narrow. It took a while to get to the shrine as we inched along.
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Much of the time we stood still. Didn't move much.
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Barrels of sake offered to the shrine.
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Standing still too often.
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If you've never been to this shrine, it's impossible to tell how far or how near you are. The path makes a few turns.
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This is a statue of Yamato Takeru (日本武尊) at Otori Taisha. He went around Japan and defeated his enemies until he finally met his demise on Mt. Ibuki in Shiga Prefecture where sought to kill an evil god. This god disguised himself as a white boar (another version says it was a serpent) who sprayed a poisonous mist that sickened Yamato Takeru.
He eventually died and when his body was cremated and buried in Kameyama in Mie Prefecture, his spirit rose from the ashes as a great white bird. This bird landed in a few places before finally landing here in Sakai, Osaka, where this Otori Shrine was built. "Otori" means "Big Bird" (not like Sesame Street, but more like a great swan or firebird).
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I've noticed piles of trash at large Osaka shrines.
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Wash basin, but hardly anyone used it. People didn't want to lose their place in line.
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Getting closer the shrine on the left.
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And closer...
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Otori Taisha shrine's Haiden worship hall on New Year's Day 2019, Sakai, Osaka. 拝殿
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Otori Taisha shrine's Haiden worship hall on New Year's Day 2019, Sakai, Osaka. 拝殿
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Otori Taisha shrine's Haiden worship hall on New Year's Day 2019, Sakai, Osaka. 拝殿
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Offertor pit at Haiden worship hall on New Year's Day 2019.
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No wonder it took so long to get to the shrine. The praying area is quite narrow.
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Patient people.
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Back of the Haiden hall.
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Especially popular was the omikuji.
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Next to Otori Taisha's Haiden hall was this jumbo ema prayer tablet for the Year of the Boar 2019. A white boar steadily walking up a hill toward its goal symbolized by the rising sun.
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This is Otori Taisha's regular-size ema prayer tablet for the Year of the Boar 2019.
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Otori Taisha's ema prayer tablet for the white bird.
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New Year's arrows.
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Omikuji
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You can walk around Otori Taisha's main shrine. Otori Taisha's architecture is called Otori-zukuri.
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Otori Taisha shrine suffered major damage from Typhoon No. 21 in Sept.2018. Part of the roof on the main shrine was damaged.
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The shrine suffered major damage from Typhoon No. 21 last Sept. Trees were damaged.
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Secondary shrine for Amaterasu Sun Goddess and Sugawara Michizane. 大鳥美波比神社
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Tree roots.
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Torii for the back exit.
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Stay away from brick walls if the earth starts to shake.
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Otori Danjiri Matsuri is held in Oct. Similar to the one in Kishiwada.
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Manhole in Sakai, Osaka.
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Otori shopping arcade.
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Otori shopping arcade, but the shops were closed on New Year's Day.
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JR Otori Station. 鳳駅
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JR Hanwa Line at JR Otori Station. 鳳駅
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Inside JR Hanwa Line train.
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