The Many Lanterns and Overwhelming Sumptuousness of the Kitano Tenmangu Shrine

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Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — 1/1250 sec, f/3.5, ISO 200 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Paying Respects

at the sumptuous Kitano Tenmangu Shrine (北野天満宮)

Kyoto Japan
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The Kitano Tenmangu Shrine (北野天満宮) in northern Kyoto is perhaps
best known for its huge
plum-blossom orchard, but in looking over the photos I've yet to
publish from a visit a year ago, I realize that there's so much more to
show. So today we'll shift concentration away from the blossoms, and
continue with the non-blossom theme that yesterday's post ended
with.

All the photos on this post are from a visit a year ago yesterday.

The shrine has many buildings, but the main building is difficult to miss in its sumptuousness. As is common at shrines, there's
a big thick rope with a large crotal bell (“jingle bell”) at the top....
shaking the rope prior to your prayer rattles the bell, perhaps awakening the gods to your petition....

Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/4000 sec, f/2.5, ISO 200 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Shrine Rope

without context, it's difficult to get a sense of its scale
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Here's a shot with enough context to feel the rope's size...

Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/1600 sec, f/2.5, ISO 200 —
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Shaking the Rope

to rattle the bell at its top








Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/2.5, ISO 200 —
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The Bell

perhaps the size of a laundry basket








Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/400 sec, f/2.5, ISO 200 —
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Bull Carving









Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/125 sec, f/8, ISO 360 —
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“Rafters”

above the bell

Continuing the view as we move up...

Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/400 sec, f/5.6, ISO 220 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Overwhelming Detail and Color
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It was quite crowded the day I was there, so I had to wait a while to get the shot that leads this post.
While waiting, it was enjoyable to watch the folks queue to make their prayers.

I'd brought along a little-used Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 that I'd bought broken for a
low price and had repaired by Nikon, but it's never felt right. Sometimes
the “not right” lends a nice sense of dreamy ambiance, and for me that's the case
with some of the following...

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 — 1/6400 sec, f/1.2, ISO 200 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Queue
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This shot looks as if it's had a ton of “negative clarity” added in Lightroom (like this
or this or
this), but here the effect is all from the lens. You can tell from the lanterns that I hit focus
reasonably well, so this weird ghosting is probably because the lens is defective.

The effect gets quite pronounced if you miss focus, as I did to an almost comical effect in this next shot, but for some reason I really like it:

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 — 1/6400 sec, f/1.2, ISO 200 —
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Disfocused Effect








Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/400 sec, f/11, ISO 640 —
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Moments Earlier

with a non-broken lens

Yet, sometime, the 50mm f/1.2 can take a pretty good picture. I haven't figured out why this one doesn't have that “creamy imperfection” sense to it...

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 — 1/3200 sec, f/1.2, ISO 200 —
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Fairly Normal Looking

Anyway, turning to the left and looking past the queue, there's a sort of covered (but currently unutilized) area used
for market stalls and such...

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — 1/4000 sec, f/1.4, ISO 200 —
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Boring from the Side

However, from inside...

Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/400 sec, f/2.5, ISO 1400 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Another Set of Lanterns
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Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — 1/800 sec, f/1.4, ISO 200 —
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Unused at the Moment








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/10, ISO 8000 —
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Exposed To Show the Wood
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And you can see above that down the center is yet another set of lanterns. Here's the bottom of one:

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — 1/160 sec, f/5, ISO 8000 —
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Bottom of a Lantern

dated 1879, sponsored by “Shimada Bank” and others

It's perhaps interesting to note that the lantern predates electricity
in Japan, and as such was likely actually used to provide light. It's also interesting to note that it predates the ability of non-Japanese to visit
anywhere near Kyoto. I mention this because the lantern was
sponsored in part by the “Shimada Money-Exchange Shop” (presumably part of
Shimada Bank, which got top billing).

This was a time where foreigners weren't allowed anywhere near Kyoto under pain of death, and only 11 years after
Japan “opened up to the outside” and Japanese themselves were allowed to leave Japan, so I think it's a telling indication
of the rapid change Japan underwent during this time that a money-exchange shop could do well enough to sponsor a shrine,
especially in an area where foreigners were not even potential customers.

As far as I can tell, Shimada Bank has been lost to the dust of time, but its gift remains all these generations later.

Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/400 sec, f/5.6, ISO 2200 —
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Duck Carving








Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/500 sec, f/2.5, ISO 200 —
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Yet More Lanterns

For some serious lanterns, visit the small east entrance. Here's a wigglegram
showing the view from outside looking in:

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Animatable — slowly sweep mouse from side to side to view effect
写真の上をマウスで左右にゆっくり動かすといろいろな影響を見えます。
East-Entrance Wigglegram

Kitano Tenmangu Shrine (北野天満宮)

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div#dENq2CB8dB8dwcA img { width:690px; height:459px; visibility:hidden; position:absolute; top:0; left:0; border: solid 10px #311}


















Animatable — slowly sweep mouse from side to side to view effect
写真の上をマウスで左右にゆっくり動かすといろいろな影響を見えます。
From the Inside
1)return true;var x=Math.floor((e.clientX||e.pageX)/BW);if(X==0)X=x;else if(x!=X){var which=x>X?i+(x-X):i-(X-x);if(which>=I.length)which=I.length==2?0:I.length-1;else if(which

Revisiting the main building where people were waiting in line to pray,
not many people seem to know it, but you can actually go inside. Here's the
view from its veranda looking out to the line of folks waiting to
pray...

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — 1/3200 sec, f/1.4, ISO 200 —
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Front Porch

with multiple sets of lanterns








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — 1/125 sec, f/4, ISO 6400 —
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Parallel View, Inside

The bulk of the building is closed to visitors. In a small landing leading from the back, a monk's sandals await his return...

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 — 1/160 sec, f/1.2, ISO 1800 —
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Monk's Sandals

Back outside the main building, I just love the detail of roofs made with many layers of thin ceder shingles...

Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/500 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Roof Detail

Here's a wigglegram look at the main building from the side, as one approaches from the east entrance we saw earlier.

div#dFNq2CQ8dQ8dncA img { width:690px; height:459px; visibility:hidden; position:absolute; top:0; left:0; border: solid 10px #311}
















Animatable — slowly sweep mouse from side to side to view effect
写真の上をマウスで左右にゆっくり動かすといろいろな影響を見えます。
Main Building From The Side
1)return true;var x=Math.floor((e.clientX||e.pageX)/BW);if(X==0)X=x;else if(x!=X){var which=x>X?i+(x-X):i-(X-x);if(which>=I.length)which=I.length==2?0:I.length-1;else if(which

And finally, because this is the Kitano Tenmangu Shrine, an obligatory plum-blossom shot:

Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/800 sec, f/2.5, ISO 200 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Bountiful Harvest

Honeybee in honeybee heaven
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I first posted about this shrine six years ago. I hope both
my photography and storytelling has improved a bit since.