It is said that the architecture of the Shimonoseki Akama Shrine gate was selected according to… a dream. The gate is located close to the place where, 830 years ago, took place one of the most important battles in the history of Japan, the battle of Dan-no-ura.
Then, because the Heike (Taira) clan was defeated, the Empress Nii-no-Ama drowned herself, together with her grandson Emperor Antoku, who was still a child. Legend says that the mother of the Emperor, Kenreimon-in (who also tried to kill herself but was saved), dreamed about the two living in Ryūgū-jō, the underwater palace of Ryūjin, the dragon god of the sea from the classical Japanese folktale, Urashima-Tarō. Therefore, the gate of the shrine was built in the architectural style inspired by Ryūgū-jō…
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Yesterday’s Japan Photo:Scenic Beauty, Kyoto Tofuku-ji Southern Zen Garden |
