Countries and cultures - Cultures and customs - Nara - Shinto - Sacred animals - Japan
Which animal is traditionally considered a messenger of the Shinto gods in Nara?
Correct!
The free-roaming sika deer of Nara are among Japan's best-known animals. Especially in the spacious Nara Park, visitors encounter the deer among temples, shrines and green areas. The Nara City Tourism Association currently gives around 1,300 wild deer in the area. Their special status goes back to a tradition of Kasuga Taisha Shrine. The Shinto god Takemikazuchi is said to have come to Nara on a white deer. Because of this legend, the local deer were regarded as divine messengers and protected for centuries. Despite their familiarity with people, the animals are still wild. The famous shika senbei, special deer crackers, are sold in Nara for feeding them.
In Nara, sika deer are traditionally regarded as divine messengers of the Shinto gods of Kasuga Taisha.
