Let's
now begin a quick tour of the Inner Shrine, starting at the famed Uji Bridge.
Here again we find the torii gates, marking one's entrance to the
sacred precincts. The word torii means "bird-perch," and serves
to remind us of the famous scene in the myths in which the assembled gods
sought to lure the sun goddess, Amaterasu, from the cave in which she had
hidden. One effort involved gathering birds with long-lasting songs from
throughout Japan, to make a great symphony that would appeal to their goddess.
Thus the torii, which stands at the entrance to every Shinto shrine
in Japan, symbolizes a call to the god to come forth and to grant the worshiper
his prayers.