The Bishamon Temple

 Someone had shoveled all the snow off the roof of one of the temple compound buildings.

 This is one of the two guardians of the temple. The stand inside special spaces on each side of the main gate. Most temples have such warrior kings as guardians and some of them are true works of art. This one was interesting because it was wearing a straw skirt-like object. This is very similar two what the sumo wrestlers wear when they are fighting, in shape only, of course, because the sumo costume is made from starched silk.

 Near the temple, there is a Shinto shrine. It is the building in the background in this picture. I did not enter it's grounds but plan to if I ever return to Yurasa.

 The long roofed passage leads to a fountain and to the entrance to the main temple on the right and a smaller shrine on the left. I assume that the reason for the roof is to allow access through the deep snow.

 Because of the depth of the winter snows, over two meters while I was there, the various statues and structures are protect with poles, in the same manner that gardeners protect their trees.

 This is the main temple building. The vertical wooden supports are apparently put up in the fall to help support the roof when heavy snow adds to its weight. Also, notice the air conditioners, an indication that this area is hot in the summer.

 This little shrine is dedicated to Shotoku Taishi, the founder of the Japanese state. He lived about 1500 years ago and modernized Japan by bringing in ideas from China.

At the end of the roofed passage there is a large statue of Bishamon atop a fountain. In front there is a large pool with cups for drinking the water and a bucket for washing your hands. The round objects on either side are candle holders. This must be very impressive at night and lit only by candle light. There is a very good article about Bishamon, or Bishamonten as he is also known, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vai%C5%9Brava%E1%B9%87a. Bishamon is a very strange deity because he is like a patron saint of warriors, but basically Buddhism is pacifistic. In Japan, however, Buddhism was adopted and modified by the warrior, samurai, class so that it supported the militaristic culture.