"Underwhelmed and Overrated" blog wrote in The Old Messengers Of The Gods:
At one time shika (deer) were among the most revered animals in Japan. they were considered as "messengers to the gods" under the Shinto religion. And as such, they were not allowed to be hunted or eaten. Even today, many of the larger Shinto shrines will keep deer. ....
...I got down to the river a little after them and put it together rather quickly. Someone had killed the deer (there were four carcasses tied down in the river), disemboweled them, spread the organs out amid the rocks along the stream and weighted the carcasses down in the water. But why?
...Although, when I asked the man about eating the deer, he recoiled in horror. Poison not withstanding, based on that man's reaction, as well as those of my friends, I'll assume that whale is good eatin', whereas, deer is right out. ...
....the Japan Times is holding another photo contest. I entered last year's but didn't get any traction with my photos. So instead of the beautiful countryside shots that I turned in then, maybe I'll put in something more edgy this time. Such as the shot below--I'll title it, water with dead shit in it. ....
Image taken from the Underwhelmed and Overrated...Indeed blog.