Father

Happy Father's Day - Los Angeles Travel Photographer

If you ask 100 people how a Rakan (Note 1) should look like, you get as many different answers. Thatโ€™s what gave rise to 1,200 of Rakan statues that Otagi Nenbutsu-ji, the temple at the outskirt of Kyoto, Japan is well-known for.

In the 1980s, under the guidance of chief of temple Kocho Nishimura (Note 2), 1,200 everyday people, who made a pilgrimage to the temple, learned carving to bring out the unique and personal figures that were hiding in the stone, each Rakan statue possessing a particular personality with a distinctly pre-enlightened identity.

Many-Faces-of-Rakan-Otagi-Nenbutsu-Ji-Kyoto-Japan-Copyright-Jean-Huang-Photography

Many-Faces-of-Rakan-Otagi-Nenbutsu-Ji-Kyoto-Japan-Copyright-Jean-Huang-Photography

While walking around studying the characters covered in moss, I discovered a face completely cover with hands. Yeah, love can make you blind, I guess.

Fathers-Eyes-Covered-by-Daughter-Otagi-Nenbutsu-Ji-Kyoto-Japan-Copyright-Jean-Huang-Photography

Fathers-Eyes-Covered-by-Daughter-Otagi-Nenbutsu-Ji-Kyoto-Japan-Copyright-Jean-Huang-Photography

As many faces/personalities in the world, I suspect there are varying shapes and forms of fatherhood. Since Iโ€™m only one daughter to one man, Iโ€™d leave the scientific study to the ones with access to vast amount of data.

What I wanted to say is, enjoy the Fatherโ€™s Day, knowing that youโ€™ve loved, guided and disciplined to the best of your ability.

Father-Giving-Directions-to-Daughter-Otagi-Nenbutsu-Ji-Kyoto-Japan-Copyright-Jean-Huang-Photography

Father-Giving-Directions-to-Daughter-Otagi-Nenbutsu-Ji-Kyoto-Japan-Copyright-Jean-Huang-Photography

Note 1 Rakan are followers (disciples) of Buddha.
Note 2 Nishimura was a Buddhist statue sculptor and restorer that later becaume a Buddhist monk. He was the chief of the temple at the time of the rakan creations.

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