May 22, 2010
Notes

不許葷酒入門 • No Smelly Vegetables or Alcohol Beyond This Point

Apparently you will sometimes see stone markers (石碑) at temples with the following phrase engraved: 不許葷酒入門 (ふきょくんしゅにゅうもん). Literally, it means “No Onions or Alcohol on Temple Grounds”.

葷 refers to smelly vegetables, particularly of the onion family. There are five traditional ones in particular, the go-kun (五葷) — garlic, onions, leeks, rakkyo, and nobiru, although the list seems to vary a bit by source — that are apparently forbidden in temples by some Buddhist sects. Why? Because eating them gives you bad breath, and strong odors were thought to excite the senses and interfere with the mind. Alcohol was banned in the same temples for its effect on the mind. *Photo credit: Kamakiri

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A brief blog dedicated to kanji wherever they may be found — and unusual characters in particular. To contact the author, Paul Davidson, write to paul@ideogramme.ca. Tag cloud: If you view this site in IE, the Japanese fonts probably look like crap. I recommend a modern browser like Firefox or Safari. Subscribe via RSS.