Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Hanaguri cow nose ring shrine in Okayama


Hanaguri Cow Shrine (with mound of nose rings in background)

Yesterday I went to the hanaguri (cow nose ring) shrine in Okayama. As a cow lover, I had been wanting to visit this place for a long time. Here, they have collected over 7 million nose rings from cows who have gone to slaughter. It was a bit sad, but a little comforting too to know that the cows had not been forgotten.


Close-up of the pile of nose rings.

Every year on the third Sunday of April, there is a shugendo ceremony to bless the souls of the cows who have given up their lives so humans can have beef, leather, and other bovine fancies.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Cool site! How do you get to it?

Cow Lady said...

please see for more info and address:

http://humorusguidetojapan.wordpress.com/2010/04/03/hanaguri-festival-cow-nose-ring-festival/

 
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