Chapter 016 Gongshui Shrine
It has always been difficult for remote places to attract outside attention, and the locals certainly do not want too many people to enter the shrine and destroy the sanctity of the shrine.
"My grandma comes here every year to make knots for the shrine. In my spare time, I, Kasan, will also help make some diabolos and buy them in the town and city. The income earned is used to maintain the expenses of the shrine.
"
The location of the shrine is on a mountain behind Ikkyuji Temple.
Standing under the stone stairs, looking up at the red torii gate with its face peeking out under the night sky, Taki took out his cell phone and turned on the light to look ahead.
The two of them climbed up the shrine for nearly twenty minutes.
When he reached the end of the shrine, Takiichi saw the brightly colored large torii gate at first sight, and he had an inexplicable desire to kneel down and worship.
Under the moonlight, several Chinese characters hanging above the main entrance of the shrine were deeply imprinted in Takiichi's pupils. At that moment, his breathing was completely disrupted.
After rubbing his eyes to confirm that he was not dreaming, Takiichi's expression became weirder than ever before. "Why is this here? It shouldn't be."
Like, so similar.
Takiichi did not expect that the shrine he visited was not only carved in the same mold as the Hiji Shrine in Nagata Town, Chiyoda District, Tokyo.
And because of the big characters on the plaque, an anime movie suddenly flashed in his mind.
Could it be that because of my own butterfly effect, places appeared that shouldn't exist?
Taki stared blankly at the scene in front of him.
"What's the name here?"
While in a trance, Longyi was awakened by a moth in front of his eyes, lowered his head and looked at little sister Wubai and said.
"Is this here? It's called Miyamizu Shrine..." Miss Maibai thought that Takiichi didn't know Chinese characters, so she explained.
Miyamizu Shrine...
Taki pursed his lips, suddenly speechless.
However, it was getting too late now, and the scenery inside and outside the shrine was not the best time for him who wanted to have some fun.
Suddenly I regretted that I wasted an entire afternoon. If I knew there was such a place in this small town, Takiichi would come over to play.
Miyamizu Shrine is where Maibai’s little sister’s grandmother lives.
In modern society, people only pay attention to the sacrificial activities held by shrines in various places at specific times and festivals.
This is also a tradition that people have proudly preserved from ancient society to modern society.
To fear the gods is sometimes not to be superstitious, but to be superstitious in order to entrust the good wishes in the heart to the gods.
Although the main hall of Miyamizu Shrine looks a little dilapidated, it is still extremely solemn. The golden decoration on the eaves shines with a strange white light under the moonlight.
When Takiichi entered the room inside the shrine, he only saw an old man with silver hair wearing a black kimono and reading glasses, operating a traditional loom under the light.
Her speed was very slow, and her wrinkled old hands were covered with a thick layer of calluses.
"Ta da...ta da..."
The familiar voice seemed to remind Takichi of his grandmother, the old man who also had a loving look on his face.
"Grandma, I'm here~~"
Apart from her uncle who works at Ikkyuji Temple, this old man is the only one who is the closest relative in the eyes of the little girl.
Just the way she couldn't wait to take off her shoes and run over showed that she was more dependent on her grandmother than her parents who never mentioned it.
"Mashiro, you kid, you came here so late, are you doing it for the meteor shower?"
The old man stopped what he was doing and calmly held little sister Wubai in his arms. A warm smile appeared on his wrinkled old face.
"I miss you grandma~~"
The little girl acted coquettishly in the old man's arms, rubbing her little face from time to time, so intimate.
Takiichi quietly put away the wooden shoes that little sister Wubai had scattered around, then walked in and knelt down to the side obediently. This subtle move also attracted the old man's attention.
"Oh? A guest is coming? Is he Mashiro's friend?"
Facing the old man's gaze, Taki straightened his body, put his hands on both sides of his thighs, and lowered his head slightly as his body leaned forward.
"My name is Hirai Takichi. You can just call me Takichi. I'm visiting at night. Please forgive me if I disturb you."
In the brightly lit shrine, the figures of an old man and two young men were shrouded in light, and there was a hint of haziness and shadow around them.
Several supports in the house are filled with made diabolo, some large and some small, wrapped with red silk threads.
There are many wooden boxes on the ground, containing unused silk threads of various colors. Behind the house is a courtyard.
The sound of running water and the sound of machines clashing like thoughts. The value of these artificial products will always be higher than those of assembly line products in factories.
"Wow~~"
Taki held the cup and respectfully allowed the old man to pour him a cup of tea.
On the small table next to him, there was a hot water bottle served by the old man.
What makes little sister Wubai feel a little sad is that there are no juices or sodas that she likes to drink here, but strong tea that is extremely bitter.
It was a bit dark green in color. The little girl took one look at it and as if she saw poison, she pinched her nose and drank it.
"The Eta Aquariid meteor shower, which has been visible with the naked eye a week ago, will finally approach perigee at 8:20 tonight, and you will be able to see the most dazzling meteor shower by then.
Experts determine that the peak period of this meteor shower will be around 8:40, and the number of meteors per hour will reach 120 during the peak period."
On the small TV in the room, the evening news broadcast by Kyoto Prefecture's local TV station was specially changed to broadcast a temporary program to report on the meteor shower.
Takiyi sat obediently on the side, staring at the time scrolling in the lower right corner of the TV.
The hands followed the technique taught by the old man, bit by bit, wrapping the red silk thread around the empty bucket in his hand.
"It's awesome, Takiichi did it so well for the first time."
"Thank you for your praise. When I was young, my family was in relatively poor conditions, so I occasionally helped the adults with some tasks."
Facing the old man's compliment, Hirai Takiichi raised the corner of his mouth slightly.
And when he finished the first one, little sister Wubai was still tying the knot awkwardly.
"Grandma, when will I be able to do what my grandma does like me?"
She was actually being compared with an outsider, and a man at that. Although Takiichi and her had long been as close as brother and sister, the little girl still pouted unhappily.
Especially during the period after she came in, her grandmother seemed to treat Hirai Takiichi as her own grandson.
Sure enough, other people's children are all good.
Not to mention all the nice compliments, the increasingly proficient hand speed made the little girl deeply doubt whether Takiichi had done such a job before.
"Mashiro, you are still too young. You have to learn from Takiichi and listen to the sound of silk thread."
The old man put down the loom in his hand and held it again with a different gesture. The way the silk thread was wound seemed particularly regular.
Takiyi watched quietly, and through her thick reading glasses, she could vaguely see the deep-set eye sockets underneath.
"As long as you keep winding the thread like Takiichi, you will have feelings for it."
Chapter completed!