(posted; Japanese culture page)
Early this month, I found a Dusky thrush on the Japanese style tiled roof. And what is more, the roof has Shachi-hoko "鯱鉾" on both sides. I checked about the detail of the ornament. What a place to perch ♪
*About Shachi-hoko " 鯱鉾*
Shachihoko has the head of a tiger and the body of a carp. The two Chinese character has meanings of "killer whale･Halberd". I checked about the reason of the use of these characters. This animal was believed to cause the rain to fall, so temples and castles were often adorned with this roof ornaments in order to protect them from fire. And for the "Halberd" part, it seems they were used for the shinto ritual as time goes by. The two pictures below are from picture page of the famous shachi-hoko of the Nagoya-castle in Aichi-pref.
The other day, we attended the service at the family temple; the service is performed in perpetuity by a Buddhist temple for the repose of a departed soul. Temples and the old houses also have them. (sorry, it was a cloudy day)
*Dusky Thrushes from my pictures"
First two were taken from the tree in front of my house.
Under the cherry tree a week ago, about 10 of them flew away soon :-)
*Field Mustard in the garden from nearby house"
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| Thank you so much for your sweet visits and comments; Hope you'll have a wonderful weekend. Visiting you soon! |
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Good morning Miyako, my goodness your post is beautiful and filled with such goodness and spring time joys! Enjoy your weekend, take care, Karen.
ReplyDeleteI find Shachi-hoko to be cute :-) Very interesting to read about them. I did not know they were believed to cause rain. Never visited Nagoya castle but I think I saw it from bullet train once before.
ReplyDeleteLove the photos of birdies and field mustard. Looks like spring is around there :-) Happy April, Miyako san!
Another beautiful post full of amazing pictures and info about temples, Chinese characters and roof decorations. Discovering through Mosaic Monday so many things that I'll never see for myself.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
Your posts are always so interesting Miyako! Shachi-hoko ornaments are really beautiful and I find it great that they are preserved in the middle of modern architecture. Your birds and wild mustard mosaic were so lovely to see. I wish you my dear Miyako a lovely week <3
ReplyDeleteSuch a pretty post.... the lovely thrush and beautiful field mustard. The castle is amazing. Have a lovely week!
ReplyDeleteWhat beautiful birds and lovely scenes. Enjoy your week sweet lady. Hugs, Diane
ReplyDeletePretty birds and what a great splash of yellow!
ReplyDeleteMiyako, The bird pictures are great. I loved the large green trees on either side of the path at the temple. Sylvia D.
ReplyDeleteBright yellow to lift up the spirits!
ReplyDeleteI like the temple roofs!
ReplyDeleteSo beautiful
ReplyDeleteBeautiful spring color and a pretty little bird. It was lucky for us that he perched where he did on that roof -- because it caused you to share that interesting research and information.
ReplyDeleteHow beautiful all of your photos are! Lovely to see the temples, the thrushes, and the pretty flowers. xo Karen
ReplyDeleteWow, you have beautiful spring flowers here! And the fish tail on top of the roof is cute and interesting, in the way you explained it:) Many thanks Miyako for sharing this with ALL SEASONS. Have a beautiful week!
ReplyDeleteGreat shots, lovely blossoms.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed your research on the temple. Interesting that the thrush perched right on that rooftop while you were there. Liked the mustard blossoms reminded me of sunshine. Enjoy the rest of the week, Miyako.
ReplyDeleteGreat capture of the little bird and the yellow flower is really bright and pretty!
ReplyDeleteMiyako, I enjoy seeing your architecture. You live in such a beautiful country. Thank you for linking up today and I hope to see you back next week!
ReplyDeleteHello Miyako, I love the ornaments on the roof and the beautiful temple. The Field Mustard is pretty. The Ducky Thrush is a lovely bird, awesome sighting and photos. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Happy Saturday, have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteHappy Day, Miyako ~ It is amazing where that Thrush chose to perch ~ Wonderful photography and post ~ all very creative ~ thanks,
ReplyDeleteWishing you a Happy Day ~ ^_^
A very lovely, delicate and peaceful post love my visits~
ReplyDeleteGood afternoon Miyako from a finally sunny New York. I love the temples that you have. They are so ornate and interesting to look at. Love this cute bird too...Michelle
ReplyDeleteBeautiful flowers, great roofing composition, and TERRIFIC find of the thrush! Wow...I'm sure I would have missed that perched on the roof.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing this all with us birders this week at I'd Rather B Birdin'.
It was so interesting to see and read about the Shachi-hoko, the thrush bird is really cute and I love the cheery yellow mustard blooms.
ReplyDeleteThey are finding such pretty places to perch! Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteThank you Dear Miyako, for explaining about the house ornamentations. I have often wondered about them, I didn't realise such were to protect against fire. I guess different ones cover many other protections too.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful birds in your trees, and the mustard is a gorgeous bright colour.
Cheerio for now, it's always a delight to see your posts, I am a bit slower these days :D)
Beautiful images! I barely noticed the bird in the first shot for the gorgeous ornate roof. Thanks so much for joining Friday's Hunt. Hope your week is going well!
ReplyDelete