Temples and shrines
By Laura Lulli
14 September 2008
Water, to purify yourself before you enter the shrine.
Incense, which smoke heals and protects and is an offer to the gods.
Ema, the wooden prayers, which come in different shapes and colours at every temple and shrine.
The white Omikuji tied outside so that the bad luck would leave the person who has asked for the oracle and the shide hanging from the shrines to bring positive energy.
And red, the colour that covers everything, from the banners, to the sake barrels left as an ex-voto offers, to the caps and vests of the statues, to the very structuture of each temple and shrine.
Everything has its place in the balance of faith.
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