Tengu on Mt. Takao
Apr 28th, 2009 | By Shane Sakata | Category: Photo Gallery, Temples & Shrines, Tokyo and VicinityTengu, the Japanese god of mischief and patron saint of the martial arts, is ever present on Mt. Takao.
On a beautiful sunny day this past weekend I made the trip to Takao Quasi-National Park. After taking the cable car up Mt. Takao I took the 30 minute walk up stairs, down valleys, and up even more steps through the sacred forest that weaves its way up the mountain, stopping to admire the various temples and shrines along the route.
At the very top lies Takaosan Yakuoin Yukiji Temple where I snapped this statue of Tengu glistening in the sunlight with the ornate red temple in the background. You can almost imagine this mythical creature flying off to create mischief although legend has it that Tengu can move from place to place without using their wings in an instant!
This and other great images of Japan can be found in The Nihon Sun Japan Photo Gallery.
Image Credit: Personal Collection
Join JapanSoc Today!
The #1 social bookmarking site for Japan-related blogs, news and people.
Great picture. No doubt worth the walk. I might have to try and visit this location in GW
Thanks and good luck if you go during Golden Week! A friend of mine said that it gets really crowded and there is often a line back to the station for the cable car up the mountain.
[…] yen coins glint in the sun as they dangle from twisted red cords in front of a jinja (shrine) on Mt. Takao. The mountain is a great place to combine a love of nature with some cultural sightseeing and […]