Shinto Sunrise

Posted by Mike Cash (Kiryu, Japan) on 8 January 2009 in Lifestyle & Culture and Portfolio.

For years I've been driving past this large Torii when going from Tokyo to Yokohama by skirting around Haneda Airport. I've always wondered where the associated shrine is, but have never been able to see it from the truck.

During the New Year holiday I decided to drive down to Tokyo/Yokohama in my car and take some photos of things I never have the time or opportunity to take while at work. I spent the night sleeping in my car at Ooi Wharf and decided to head over to this area at sunrise to shoot some boats moored near here. I was surprised to find several people out photographing the year's last sunrise from this Torii. It turns out there is no shrine. Presumably the sun itself is the "shrine" associated with this gate. In addition to photographers there were a few people ringing the bell and praying in the direction of the rising sun.

I cut the Torii like this because in typical Japanese fashion there is a monstrous road sign and a large transformer box intruding into the scene no matter how one tries to shoot the whole gate. Didn't seem to bother anybody but me, though. Everybody else was just photographing them right along with the Torii and the sunrise.

1973 Pentax Spotmatic ESII
S-M-C Takumar 105/2.8
DNP Centuria 400

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