{"id":1912,"date":"2020-08-17T03:50:04","date_gmt":"2020-08-17T03:50:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/maido-bob.osaka\/?p=1912"},"modified":"2020-08-17T03:50:04","modified_gmt":"2020-08-17T03:50:04","slug":"shrines-and-temples","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maido-bob.osaka\/en\/2020\/08\/17\/shrines-and-temples\/","title":{"rendered":"It\u2019s Quiz Time! Do You Know The Difference Between A Shrine And A Temple?"},"content":{"rendered":"

A planned visit to a temple or shrine is likely to be on everyone\u2019s travel itinerary. And rightly so! They are hugely important and exotic-looking symbols of Japanese culture. Most travellers head to Kyoto to see famous temples and shrines, while some venture to nearby Nara to be awed by the Giant Buddha. But don\u2019t forget, Osaka has its own share of temples and shrines too!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

For example, did you know that Japan\u2019s oldest officially administered temple is in Osaka? That would be Shitennoji Temple<\/a>, built by Prince Shotoku in 593. Then there\u2019s the Osaka Tenmangu Shrine honoring Sugawara no Michizane, the god of learning. We also have Imamiya-Ebisu Shrine, where people pray for business prosperity; Katsuoji Temple<\/a>, which brings luck and success; and Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine<\/a> believed to protect seafaring vessels. And that\u2019s just some of the major ones. There are enough shrines and temples in Osaka to fill a guide book!<\/p>\n

\"Katsuoji

Katsuoji Temple<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Sumiyoshi

Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine<\/p><\/div>\n

But, you say, we still haven\u2019t answered the question\u2026 What IS the difference between a shrine and a temple?
\nSimply put, temples are Buddhist institutions and are recognizable by images of Buddha and the presence of pagodas. Shrines, on the other hand, are for Shinto-the polytheistic folk religion native to Japan. You\u2019ll often see the characteristic red torii gates when entering a shrine. Granted, it can be a little confusing when you see torii gates on the grounds of a temple, but this is because there was a period in history when shrines were commonly built adjacent to or on temple property.<\/p>\n

Basic prayer rituals are different too!<\/p>\n

Praying at a shrine:<\/h4>\n

1.Bow before entering the torii gate.
\nPurify your hands and mouth by washing them with water.
\n2.Proceed to the main hall.
\nDrop a donation into the offering box and ring the bell.
\n3.Bow 2 times. Then clap 2 times.
\n4.Finally, bow again.\u3002<\/p>\n

\"How<\/p>\n

Praying at a temple:<\/h4>\n

1.Bow before entering the gate.
\nPurify your hands and mouth by washing them with water.
\n2.Place a donation in the offering box.
\nIf there is a bell, ring it.
\n3.Place your hands together in prayer and bow.<\/p>\n

\"How<\/p>\n

Be it temple or shrine, it should be open to the public during specified hours and also hold ceremonies and festivals throughout the year. Some are very unique like Isshinji Temple, which contains statues made of human bone and features a place to pray off the ill effects of alcohol. Want to feel like you\u2019ve stepped into an Indiana Jones movie set? Try Iwafune Shrine<\/a> in Katano City. And if you\u2019re in town for New Year\u2019s ring in the new year with \u201cJoya no kane\u201d at a temple or go for the \u201cHatsumode\u201d first visit to a shrine.<\/p>\n

\"Nunose

Nunose Shrine<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Iwafune

Iwafune Shrine<\/p><\/div><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A planned visit to a temple or shrine is likely to be on everyone\u2019s travel itinerary. And rightly so! They are hugely important and exotic-looking symbols of Japanese culture. Most travellers head to Kyoto to see famous temples and shrines, while some venture to nearby Nara to be awed by the Giant Buddha. But don\u2019t […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":1905,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[142],"tags":[],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"author_id":"","author_name":"","author_image":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/maido-bob.osaka\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1912"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/maido-bob.osaka\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/maido-bob.osaka\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maido-bob.osaka\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maido-bob.osaka\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1912"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/maido-bob.osaka\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1912\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1975,"href":"https:\/\/maido-bob.osaka\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1912\/revisions\/1975"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maido-bob.osaka\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1905"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/maido-bob.osaka\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1912"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maido-bob.osaka\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1912"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maido-bob.osaka\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1912"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}