Went with Hiroko to Suitengu Shrine. "Suitengu" is written with the characters for 'water' and 'heavens'; it is the shrine of the ocean. Water is also associated with birth, as the baby sits in a big bag of juice. Dogs are said to have easy births, so a couple of times a month, on properly auspicious "dog" days, all the pregnant women in their 5th month come here to get blessed for a safe and healthy birth, and to get a blessed obi -- a belt you wrap around your stomach to ensure a safe and healthy birth. Seems back in the day, they used to monthly change the rope hanging from the bell you ring when praying at the shrine. Pregnant women who took a bit of that rope and wrapped it around their stomachs supposedly had an easy birth, and so the rumor spread, and now you can buy, in one convenient set for only 3000 yen!
A nafuda to place in your home shrine
An obi
A quick and efficient blessing in the coolness of the inner shrine
As you can see the place was packed; you could never tell that Japan has a declining birth rate!
suitengu
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