In Nara Park, near the Todaiji Temple which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, there are at least 1,500 free-roaming deer that are thought to be messengers of Shinto deities.
The Nara National Museum has recently shared a photo of a summer gathering of the deer, called a "deer pool". The deer gather on the north side of the museum in the evening, then move to the Kasuga Taisha Shrine when the sun goes down. Are the dieties telling them to move?
Many people are wondering what is going on with this mysterious gathering. The museum is calling for students to make this the theme of their summer independent studies. What do you think?
I don't know what's causing it but it's beautiful!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful gathering there, maybe they follow the sunshine? The obviously feel very safe there.
ReplyDeleteThat's incredible and so beautiful.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the deers are lonely due to the lack of tourism? How interesting!
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