2 thoughts on “The white horse shrine – Miyajima. Horses offered to this shrine are believed to turn white in color within four or five years of living here!”
My father was an interpreter during the clean up of Japan after the war. He had a Japanese girlfriend called Rose. They visited Miyajima back when the horse was a real horse and indeed it was a white horse. It was kept in a small paddock about where the plastic horse and stable is erected today. Rose told my dad that the horse was a thousand years old. He corrected her saying that this particular horse was not a thousand years old but rather the tradition of keeping a white horse here was, quite possibly a thousand years old. “No” said Rose most emphatically, “This horse, THIS horse is a thousand years old. Horse keep Japan strong. Same horse, thousand years.” She would have absolutely no truck with my dads explanation. God love her .
The Urge To Wander 
My father was an interpreter during the clean up of Japan after the war. He had a Japanese girlfriend called Rose. They visited Miyajima back when the horse was a real horse and indeed it was a white horse. It was kept in a small paddock about where the plastic horse and stable is erected today. Rose told my dad that the horse was a thousand years old. He corrected her saying that this particular horse was not a thousand years old but rather the tradition of keeping a white horse here was, quite possibly a thousand years old. “No” said Rose most emphatically, “This horse, THIS horse is a thousand years old. Horse keep Japan strong. Same horse, thousand years.” She would have absolutely no truck with my dads explanation. God love her .
I envy such absolute faith…God love her indeed! Thank you for this lovely story Luna. And apologies for the much belated response.