The side of the main rōmon gate at Iga Hachiman Shrine, with the rising sun flag in the background.

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This is a closeup of the rōmon (楼門), the tower gate marking entrance to the inner shrine, at Iga Hachiman Shrine (伊賀八幡宮) in Okazaki. The Japanese national flag (日の丸) in the background.

You can see a wider view of the gate here

You'll find many things colored red in Japan, from torii gates, to buildings to small bibs and caps many of the various religious statues wear. Why red?

According to ancient belief, red is said to be the color for expelling demons and illness. This might be connected with early spirit quelling rituals centered around the fire god. The red paint on many religious buildings marks them as places safe from evil—both the spirit kind and the disease kind.

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Copyright © David LaSpina 2018, but almost free to use due to the generous Creative Commons BY-NC-SA license. Spiffy! More details here.

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Don't miss the other great photos in the Beautiful Japan photo series!

Recent Photos

• 81 — Relaxing by the Castle Wall
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	David LaSpina is an American photographer lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time. More?

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