New Years at Enoshima
The shrine on Enoshima Island off the Shonan coast attracts thousands of visitors during the new years.
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The main torii to the shrine. The object on the left is shaped like a biwa (lute) the instrument played by the deity Benzaiten. Originally a water spirit in ancient India, pilgrims and Buddhist clerics transmitted the deity across Central Asia and China. In the process the deity transformed into a proprietress of culture. Enoshima is one of the main sites of Benzaiten worship in Japan.
