In today’s world, we give near-religious reverence to things like Kanye West’s Twitter and Kanye West’s Instagram. But when was the last time we really praised a good ’ol pair of boobs for all their life-sustaining glory?
Jison-in, a Japanese Buddhist temple in the small town of Kudoyam, has the right idea. Nestled at the base of the sacred Mount Koya, Jison-in looks at first glance like any other temple. But look around a little and you’ll notice thousands of representations of female breasts arranged around the temple as offerings.
Just like real human boobs, the artificial offerings come in all shapes and sizes. There are big foam-filled pairs with beads for nipples and small plastic ones hanging on racks. There are wooden carvings of breasts, paintings of breasts and delicate plaster recreations of breasts. They’re all different and they’re all beautiful.
According to the temple’s head priest, Annen, all this busty brouhaha started years ago when a doctor came to Jison-in to pray for a patient with breast cancer. The doctor asked the temple staff to place a symbol of breasts as an offering. As word of the unusual offering spread, the temple became known as a place to pray for women’s health issues of all sorts.
“The breasts represent birth, so people use them to pray for safe pregnancies, protection from cancer and even a healthy breast milk supply,” Annen told CNN.
As the only such specialized temple in Japan, Jison-in receives visitors from all over the country and all over the world. Coming from out of town and forgot to bring an offering? Don’t worry — you can purchase a pair onsite before saying a blessing for the boobies. ?
All images courtesy of CNN.
