Points ahoy.

East and West are reversed (as they are in mahjongg, too, for some reason). If north is on top, then west should be on the left, but it’s on the right. Whatever the reason being, I wonder if it’s the same reason as in mahjongg.

Damn, you get the points. I should have worded that “10 points to anyone who can explain why it’s like that in the photo…”

I won’t answer just yet should someone else want to take a crack at it.

Well, if the ‘compass’ was anchored in the ground at the right orientation, (North in the North etc). Then as I walked around the dial it would put the East and West directions in the right orientation as I moved around the circle. (So when I was standing to the East, North would be to my left and south to my right.. etc etc…) I’m just guessing that this is the reason why they are lined up like this… I came across this by realizing North was upside down… not backwards. (At first I thought you had flipped the image like a stamp)

I’ve never played Mahjongg let alone tried to spell it!

Very interesting post. I’m sure if I learned more about the origination of the Kanji it would make learning them easier!

I wonder why South and East are symmetrical but North and West are not.

Argh… I just realized my thinking is flawed and I’m all screwed up…. My idea is totally wrong! Ugh… I should really proof read these BEFORE I post them….. not AFTER! Where’s the dang ‘Delete Post’ option?!!!!

hahahaha…

But if I was standing South… With the dial to my North….. and turned it so I could read “North” then the the dial would be in the right orientation… ……….I think……….

Bob-o-boy I laughed. And doubly because I thought you were on to it with the “anchored in the ground…” comment.

The photo is of the bottom end of a weather vane, it’s in the 1000 Tatami hall at Itsukushima/Miyajima. So just to be clear, it’s anchored in the ceiling. Maybe that will help you understand why it is as it is. A simple little experiment, which I did myself, is to draw a compass, orient yourself to North, then put it over your head & read it. You’ll have to spin 180° to re-align yourself to north again. Tad-da… east & west are flipped.

Anyone been to Miyajima in Hiroshima?

Thanks guys.

Ah. Yes, that makes sense, it being in the ceiling. Still doesn’t explain why East and West are reversed in Mahjongg, though. If you’re the dealer, the East player, North should be to your right, but it’s to your left in mahjongg. A mystery.

Anyway.

Yes, I went to Miyajima once, back in 2003. Gorgeous shrine, cute deer. And, quite the experience. I got stuck on the island overnight when a typhoon blew in and the boats back to the “mainland” as it were were cut off. It seemed a bit ridiculous, given that it was merely drizzling. But, the locals were extremely kind, and let me (and a bunch of other similarly lost/stuck travelers) stay in their homes overnight – on futons on the tatami; very nice, traditional houses with shoji fusuma delineating the rooms and all that. Got to see the shrine at night, the torii in the extra high water caused by the typhoon… and I get to say that I’ve stayed overnight on Itsukushima, and have a story to tell :) Glad it all worked out so well in the end…

Hoping to go back again, though, some time, because while there are tons and tons of other places to go and things to see, I think I might appreciate the place on a second visit, now that my Japanese language skills are much improved, along with my knowledge of history and arts… It would be great to see a Noh performance at the shrine some day too.

Thanks for telling the story Toranosuke.

At the time, It probably wouldn’t have been so pleasant though. Especially before finding a place to stay the night. And even then, being in a strangers home & sleeping in unfamiliar surroundings, it couldn’t have been so comfortable. But, as you say, now you have a story to tell.

If my memory serves me correctly, Miyajima is an absolute magnet for typhoons & other disasters. Fascinating.