The Sacred Deer of 奈良(なら) On our way to the shrine, many deer appeared in the morning darkness. This is a sign from the gods and a good omen. People say that when one encounters deer, he or she should get out of the carriage and bow to them. — From ぎょくよ by クじょ＊かねざね
The area surrounding 奈良(なら), especially the かすが hills, is home to しか, a special kind of deer native only to this area. They are quite tame, and often come right up to people to nudge, jostle, and bite しかのえさ. Some have even learned how to respond to people’s bows of greeting.
These しかare considered sacred to many, because of an ancient legend These しかare considered sacred to many, because of an ancient legend. It is said that one of the four gods of the かすがShrine,たけのみかずちーのーみこと, appeared to the people riding a 白い(しろい)しか. From that point on, all しか were considered sacred, and fiercely protected.
Because of their protected status, the deer are extremely abundant in all parks and public places, such as temples throughout the 奈良 area. There are even special ‘deer crackers’ しかせんべいthat can be purch ased to feed the しか in こうえん.
But don’t become too comfortable with the deer—they will bite if you don’t give them their しかせんべい！ しかはこわくてはいやいですね！
エクストラ： http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nara_Park http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nara,_Nara#Deer_in_Nara http://www.hgeo.h.kyoto-u.ac.jp/soramitsu/NaraDeer.html