A couple of images from my Japanese photography collection (sort by Japan) have recently been featured in the Travelers Universe Magazine, an apple only online magazine with the mission of showcasing exceptional travel photography from around the globe on a free, easy to use app.
Travelers Universe Magazine
Travelers Universe is written by seasoned travelers and local experts alike, with the contribution of inspiring photographers like myself. To download the magazine and have a look for your self here is an itunes link to the Travelers Universe app.
The images Travelers Universe Magazine used were a couple of shots I took while living and travelling around Japan. This is a shrine hidden away behind Himeji castle, Himeji, Japan shot during the spring. The stereotypical sakura trees were grown so that the main building of the shrine was is encased by the pink flowers. The castle complex consists of 83 separate buildings, with the castle itself regarded as one of the finest surviving examples of Japanese castle architecture from the fuedal period.
The shrine in the image, known as Himeji Shrine was founded in 1879, and moved to it’s present location behind the castle in 1925. The shrine is a place of worship of the founder of the Sakai family, the last lords of Himeji castle. Since 1961, successive lords of Himeji castle from the Sakai family have been worshipped here to protect the castle.
The second image Travelers Universe featured was a scene of little buddhas, or Jizo Bosatsu (Jizo for short). They are a common sight around Japan. This particular image was taken in a garden in Kamakura, south of Tokyo. A place famous for it’s Daibutsu, or ‘big buddha’.
One of the most beloved of all Japanese divinities, Jizō works to ease the suffering and shorten the sentence of those serving time in hell and to answer the prayers of the living for health, success, children, and all manner of petitions. In modern Japan, Jizō is a a friend to all, never frightening, even to children, and his/her many manifestations that include,as in this image a cartoon-like appearance. Particularly in Japan the Jizo is seen as a guardian of missing or deceased children.
You might also like
