• About
  • Featured
  • Home
 
Muza-chan's Gate to Japan
12 years of travel throughout Japan
Discover Japan through the eyes of a seasoned traveler
  • A Japan photo per day
  • Travel in Japan
  • Customs & traditions
  • Japanese food
  • Japanese history
  •  Anime & otaku
  • Did you know?

The First Shinto Water Pavilion

Sat, October 15, 2011, by Muza-chan

At the entrance of the Shinto shrines, you will often see a small pavilion, four pillars and a roof covering a running water basin. It is called temizuya 「手水舎」 (from 手 te - hands and 水 mizu - water) and it is the place where the shrine’s visitors rinse their hands and mouth in a symbolic purification, before visiting the shrine.

In the old times, the purification was made by washing directly in a spring or river flowing close to the shrine. It is considered that the first temizuya was built at the Toshougu Shrine from Nikko, and the basin (in the photo) was donated by the Nabeshima clan in 1618.

Click on photo for higher resolution:
Temizuya, Toshougu Shrine, Nikko
Temizuya, Toshougu Shrine, Nikko
If you want to license my photos for commercial use, please contact me

EXIF Info:

Nikon D300
Lens: 18-70mm F/3.5-4.5G
Focal Length: 18mm
Aperture: F/6.3
Shutter Speed: 1/400s
ISO Sensitivity: ISO 320
Japanese Gardens Attractions, Yuishinzan Hill from Koraku-en
Yesterday’s Japan Photo:

Japanese Gardens Attractions, Yuishinzan Hill from Koraku-en



  •  
     
    • # Sakura, cherry blossoms

    • # Kyoto travel

    • # Travel tips for visiting Japan

    • # Tokyo travel

    •  
    • # Modern Japanese architecture

    • # Japanese gardens

    • # The 12 surviving Japanese castles

    • # Japanese manhole covers

    •  
    • # Castles in Japan

    • # Traditional Japanese house

    • # Trains in Japan

    •  
    • # Night time photos from Japan

    • # Zen gardens

    • # The 12 surviving Japanese castles

  • Traveled areas 2007-2017
  • Creative Commons License
    Photos and text by Muza-chan are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
    If you quote or use photos from this site, you must give appropriate credit and a link to the site:
    "Based on a work at muza-chan.net"
    Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available by contacting us (privacy policy).