The Hosonoden is an open-air pavilion in Kamigamo Shrine's outer courtyard, shown here on May 5th, the evening of the shrine's most secretive ritual, the miare-sai. The two sand cones in the foreground represent both the sacred mountain, Koyama, and the yin/yang pairing of male and female energies that creates all life. (This photo has been edited by Jay Nelson for dramatic effect.)
All photos and text © Copyright John K. Nelson, 1999