Statues are a very important part of worship.
Around the cemetery and the Garan (the Sacred Precinct) there
are many statues and figurines marking or decorating tombs
and the outside of temples.
Entire walls or paths are lined with small figurines,
the color of their clothing symbolic. You'll see a lot of red
clothes on statues or figurines which symbolizes a prayer for
a miscarried or aborted fetus.
Many of the figurines and small
statues we saw were arranged in groups or small mounds.
The picture above shows how enormous some of the arrangements
can get!
Many also had little plastic bins in front
of them. Sometimes passerbys drop a coin or two into
them. Quite a few of them had flowers or small signs
(probably prayers).
This is outside of the Okuno-in Temple, the
main temple near the cemetery.
These particular statues you splash with water
and ask for a blessing.
