New Photos From Kyoto, Japan!

Earlier this month some good friends and myself visited Kyoto, Japan to photograph the culture and spiritual ceremonies for one of my next book projects, “Act of Faith”. Here, we had the opportunity to photograph Shinto priests and priestesses performing rituals at a sacred Shinto Shrine.

This wasn’t the first time I’ve visited Japan to capture photos for Faith. I was here a few years back to capture the Oto Matsuri purification ceremony. This trip was definitely more harmonious, without the fire and drunken shenanigans!

Shinto is Japan’s native faith, and though Buddhism nearly matches it in terms of practitioners, the way these two religions have managed to not only co-exist, but compliment one and other is just one of the many heartening aspects of world faith that will be highlighted in this upcoming project. Prominent Buddhist figures were assigned Shinto identities, while Shinto Kami, or the divine spirits that inhabit the natural world, strove for Buddhist enlightenment.

I’ve made many trips to Japan over the years, primarily to photograph the Snow macaques, cranes, and other wild life. However, the Japanese culture and reverence for nature has always fascinated me as illustrated in the way I’ve styled my West Seattle home environs as a Japanese Garden. I look forward to seeing this all come together in a celebration of world spirituality, and I highly recommend a visit to Kyoto!