This spectacular statue inside the
Kanda Myojin shrine in Tokyo is related to a legend about one of the most important Shinto gods (
kami), Ebisu.
The story says that the first child of Izanagi and Izanami, the central kami in the Japanese creation myth, was born without bones. The child was put on a boat and left adrift. After a while, the boat run aground on the Hokkaido island, and the child was saved and raised by an Ainu named Ebisu Saburo. The bones of the child started to grow, and in the end he became the kami Ebisu, known as a protector of small children.
Ebisu child statue, Kanda Myojin Shrine, Tokyo EXIF info:
Nikon D90
Lens: VR 18-55mm F/3.5-5.6G
Focal Length: 26mm
Aperture: F/5.6
Shutter Speed: 1/400s
ISO Sensitivity: ISO 200