Meiji Jingu is the shrine to emperor Meiji, credited with modernizing Japan around the start of the 20th century – Japanese Sprit and Western Knowledge. You might recall islands of green visible from the Park Hyatt and one of these is the 175 acre sacred forest surrounding the shrine. Just down the hill from Yoyogi station is the north gate followed by a dense Ginkgo tree-lined walk.
Along here you’ll get a first sight and sound of the 3BNB or Bloody Big Black Nosey Birds, which are probably rooks or ravens or large crows.
Further along the path are some lanterns and what seem to be barrels.
Closer inspection reveals they are indeed barrels – wine barrels! It’s quite a nice story really described in the panel beside them. Emperor Meiji as part of reaching out had acquired a taste for wine and to this day a good relationship exists with Burgundy Wine industry. It’s really quite amazing that just 27 years after the death of a man who so admired western achievements, violence and repugnance would be center stage.
The shrine itself is in the middle of forest, but before you get there, you’ll pass through some large, really large, gates made from Japanese Cypress. Along the walk some plants were on show including some delicate Bonsai. Then more gates or Torri, the font that worshipers wash at and the main courtyard.
I wondered what this guy had done to deserve sitting around on show…
In the square is an area where you can leave a message of hope and wishes.
As I arrived, the ceremonial recital of poems (Waka) was beginning with the Shinto priests headed off to the main shrine – they seem pretty revered, led and followed by numerous security guards. They didn’t like photos being taken here (even with no flash) though I thought it was a little hypocritical as there were several ‘official photographers’ with large flash cameras inside taking snaps.
The shrine seems to be the place to get married too. I came across this family getting ready and having photos taken in an outer courtyard, fairly oblivious to the attention they were getting from a mass of strangers. Precision and perfection were the words of the day – first the bride to be was expertly shaped, followed by her family. The two matriarchs had their gowns held as they sat so that the creases would be in the right places. I loved the lady on the right scowling as her hair was pulled and tweaked into place – either that or the growing audience…
The wedding party was later led off by the monks – the whole process must have taken hours. Having finished, the monks marched back to their living quarters again with security fore and aft.
In the north end of the forest is a more peaceful setting, meadows and small bridges over a narrow lake… and more 3BNB.
Aside from the pleasant outlook, the main reason to be here is the Treasure Museum. It’s not very substantial, but the 500 yen entrance fee (the rest of the shrine is free) goes to maintenance and also gets you into the museum annex on the east side.
The main role of the museum is to show pieces owned by Meiji and Empress Shoken who was something of a philanthropist creating a fund for the Red Cross.
The walls are also lined with the 123 other emperors – you could be forgiven for thinking there are several repeats as multiple emperors maintained the same facial hair and head wear of their forebears. There are also phases when the emperors seem very young when they were painted.
The notable exceptions are the last two in the south-west corner – Taisho (Meiji’s son) who is dressed like a European nobleman and Showa (more commonly known in the west as Hirohito) who looked like he’d be at home in the upper echelons of 1930s New York society.
The annex looks like it has evolving exhibits, currently work by Yokoyama Taikan is on show.
Meiji is definitely worth a look and close to Shinjuku – the web site is pretty good with more info. I’ll end with one of Meiji’s Wakas.
That which expresses
The true and sincere heart
Of an honest man
Most clearly and directly
Is indeed his poetry
