The Sacred Deer of Nara Is More Than Just Cute

Nara’s famously approachable deer are more than a tourist attraction. A twentieth-century shin-hanga print by Kasamatsu Shirō opens a window onto the sacred relationship between the animals and Kasuga Taisha Shrine. Why did deer become messengers of the kami, and how have people cared for them over centuries? Explore the belief, history and customs behind an encounter familiar to visitors today.