Building Decoration Taiwan Style

I thought it time I should keep up with our travel pics, after all it has been a while, and the next trip is well into the planning stages.

This photo is of one of the buildings in the grounds of Marty's Shrine in Taipai, Taiwan. It shows beautiful building and roof decoration. On the ridges of the roof line we can see little creatures guarding the roof, and on the points are other decorations different to those that we saw in Japan. The roof lines may be similar, but the decorations are very different.

On the building itself, there ore other decorations. They are a little fuzzy, but they look like dragons.

Overall, the effect Looks like a mix of Japanese and Chinese architecture.

Pattern

As an embroiderer and stitcher, pattern has always fascinated me. The thing that I found in Japan was that there was so much pattern in the decorating of the structures. These patterns were found at the base of the gateway to Marty's Shrine

Okinawa Shop Front

A shot now of one of the shops on the tourist strip in Okinawa. I actually think it may have housed a number of businesses including two cafes. Once again we see that Chinese influence in the building decoration.

Another Roof Line

This was one of the roof lines that we found in the main street of Okinawa. It was certainly interesting, with a Chinese influence. It certainly made for interesting viewing up against the modern buildings in the same street. Lots of patterns once again to use as inspiration for my stitching.

Another Shrine Building

Yes, still another shrine building in the grounds of the Fushimi Inari Shrine. Showing off again those beautiful decorations on the line of the roof. If we look closely we can just see the art work on the doors.

Shrine Decoration Pt 4

Another panel of decoration on the Fushimi Inari Shrine. This is very similar to the last one, just shorter and wider. Beautiful!

Shrine Decoration Pt 3

Another decorative panel on a railing of the Fushimi Inari Shrine. This one is similar to the one I showed you a few days back, just narrower and mirrored.

Shrine Decoration Pt 2

Another panel from the Fushimi Inari Shrine. This one was at the base of a post. Inspiration plus!

Shrine Decoration

The gateway into the Fushimi Inari Shrine is full of decoration and inspiration. From a distance it appears to be gold, but I would say that is not the case. My guess would be stamped  brass, but brass would need an awful lot of polishing, especially out in the weather! They are metal of some kind, then carved, moulded, etched, stamped or whatever into these beautiful panels. The panels have then been nailed to the timber structure. I did wonder if the panel had been painted, but I think paint would not give the fine detail that we see here. If we look closely, we can see the nails, six of them. The one at the top and three at the bottom are  different to the two at the sides. I wonder if there is a reason for this? This panel was actually sideways, decorating a railing, so we need to imagine it turned at 90 deg anti clockwise.

The panel itself is still beautiful, and full of inspiration to me as a stitcher.