“The ancients knew that creating shadows meant producing humidity, preventing drying, and encouraging rot. This goes beyond the right to sunlight; it is an inviolable rule known by any carpenter who cares about the life of a building.” — 西岡常一 
The Izumo Taisha, the Grand Shrine of Izumo, and Mt. Yakumo in the background, as mentioned in the text. In the old days the trees would have been smaller, but moderns like forest shrines, so here we are.
The 1300 years old design of the "cloud brackets" at Houryu-ji, mimicking the shape of the clouds that can often be seen over nearby mountains.
