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The Sacred Deer of 奈良 ( なら )

The Sacred Deer of 奈良 ( なら ). On our way to the shrine, many deer appeared in the morning darkness. This is a sign from the gods and a good omen. People say that when one encounters deer, he or she should get out of the carriage and bow to them. — From ぎょくよ by 　クじょ＊かねざね.

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The Sacred Deer of 奈良 ( なら )

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  1. The Sacred Deer of 奈良(なら) On our way to the shrine, many deer appeared in the morning darkness. This is a sign from the gods and a good omen. People say that when one encounters deer, he or she should get out of the carriage and bow to them. — From ぎょくよ by　クじょ＊かねざね

  2. The area surrounding 奈良(なら), especially the かすがhills,  is home toしか, a special kind of deer native only to this area. They are quite tame, and often come right up to people to nudge, jostle, and bite しかのえさ. Some have even learned how to respond to people’s bows of greeting.

  3. These しかare considered sacred to many, because of an ancient legend. It is said that one of the four gods of the かすがShrine,たけのみかずちーのーみこと, appeared to the people riding a 白い(しろい)しか. From that point on, all しか were considered sacred, and fiercely protected.

  4. Killing one of the しかwas a capital offense until 1637, and was punishable by death. After this, penalties were reduced, but the deer keep their sacred status until after World War II, when they were designated as ‘National Treasures’ and protected under this status.

  5. Because of their protected status, the deer are extremely abundant in all parks and public places, such as temples throughout the 奈良 area. There are even special ‘deer crackers’ しかせんべいthat can be purchased to feed the しか in こうえん.

  6. But don’t become too comfortable with the deer—they will bite if you don’t give them their　しかせんべい！ • しかはこわくてはいやいですね！

  7. エクストラ： • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nara_Park • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nara,_Nara#Deer_in_Nara • http://www.hgeo.h.kyoto-u.ac.jp/soramitsu/NaraDeer.html

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