A Fortune Card for You...

That day was our much-awaited trip to a famous Japanese Shrine, called Tsurugaoka-Hachimangu Shrine.  This shrine is in the city of Kamakura, the city famous for a number of Shinto shrines and Buddist temples.   The easiest way to distinguish between the two is that when you enter a shrine, you pass through an arched torii gate. The gate has two vertical pillars with two horizontal crossbeams. 

       We entered the shrine compound through the gate.  A long narrow path leads us to the shrine. The compound was mobbed with a large number of devotees and tourists.  Hachiman was the Shinto god of war and god of archery.  Many things in the compound, like war flags in different colours, two names for ponds in opposite sides of a bridge etc are in commemoration of their history. 

Before entering the shrine, there is a symbolic purification step similar to the custom of washing hands before entering temples in India.  But, the arrangement there was amazing, cold water was flowing out of bamboo pipes.

That day we were fortunate to witness a Japanese wedding in the shrine.

  Following the Japanese devotees, we also deposited our offerings in the main temple, clapped our hands to summon the Gods and stood in prayer bowing our heads for some time.  Outside, the temple, we found many stands, where the devotees tied their prayer wishes. 

In the temple compound, there were many big containers of Sake- Japanese alcoholic beverage made from rice, offered by devotees.

We were wondering about another kind of stands on which many white papers were tied. Our guide explained the custom of ‘fortune cards’ in shrines.  By offering some money, you can get your ‘fortune card’, depending on a token you pick up from a box after shuffling it very well. The fortune card has predictions for your coming year.  But the most touching thing is that, if you get an unlucky prediction, you can leave behind it by tying it in those stands, meaning that the almighty will take care of your bad luck. 

I was observing an old man drawing his fortune card, he read it, and soon his face became pale.  Taking the support of his walking stick he slowly reached the stand and tied his fortune card there, and stood in front of it with closed eyes for some time, an unusual relief was spreading over his face.  Yes, this custom is in confirmation of the beautiful message; 
“ Place our hope in Him, who is there, caring for us always, especially in our troubled times”.

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