Shakujo, Buddhist monk staff

On Mount Takao, at the Yakuoin Yukiji Temple, in front of the two Tengu statues I noticed a beautiful but unusual metallic decoration representing, at a larger scale, the Buddhist ringed staff called shakujō.

The shakujō was usually made with 4 or 6 rings and was used in prayers, as accompaniment in chanting or simply as a walking stick. However, there are two other quite interesting uses for the shakujō: the monks used to shake the staff so that the ringing noise will scare away the insects from their path, thus avoiding to harm them... And another usage was... as a weapon, against dangerous animals or for self-defense.