Fushimi Inari Taisha, Kyoto, Japan. May 2023.
Fushimi Inari Shrine (伏見稲荷大社, Fushimi Inari Taisha) is the head shrine of Inari, the god of rice, sake, and prosperity and patron of business, merchants, and manufacturers.
It is famous for its thousands of vermilion torii gates, which straddle a network of trails behind its main buildings. The trails lead into the wooded forest of the sacred Mount Inari, which stands at 233 meters and belongs to the shrine grounds.
That old man who paints the calligraphy alone on the wood pillar of one of torii gates captured my eyes. I could guess he must have quite a calligraphy skill although he painted the calligraphy simply on top of carved calligraphic surface there.
I used to write calligraphy when I was a kid, and I still love it a lot in both doing and appreciating it. Most people no longer write calligraphy nor value it in east Asia. Probably Japanese are most active in calligraphy still. Lucky to have very rare and remarkable encounter in Japan.
… The old man and calligraphy
