Wine Photograph - The Gods Must Be Thirsty by Jean Hall

The Gods Must Be Thirsty is a photograph by Jean Hall which was uploaded on May 4th, 2015.

The Gods Must Be Thirsty

Casks of sake were traditionally presented to Japanese shrines and temples to thank the gods for a bountiful harvest. They are made from cedar and... more

by Jean Hall

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Title

The Gods Must Be Thirsty

Artist

Jean Hall

Medium

Photograph - Digitally Manipulated Photography

Description

Casks of sake were traditionally presented to Japanese shrines and temples to thank the gods for a bountiful harvest. They are made from cedar and covered with woven straw sheets called komo, which are decorated with lovely pictures and lettered with special fonts reserved just for sake barrels. Here at the Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto, Japan, plastic has also been used to help protect them from sun and damp.

Sake is actually the generic term for alcohol. The proper term for rice wine -- which is 10% to 20% alcohol and can be drunk hot or cold -- is nihonshu.

To ensure good fortune at weddings, store openings, and sports and election events -- and also at the beginning of each new year -- casks like these are often cracked open with wooden mallets in a special ceremony called kagami wari or kagami biraki, which means "opening the lid" or "breaking open the mirror."

Uploaded

May 4th, 2015