Nara Shika Deer

About the Shika Deer

Nara is an ancient capital of Japan, famous for the over 1,000 sacred shika deer that roam freely through its parks and temple grounds. Regarded as divine messengers of the Shinto gods since the 8th century, the deer of Nara Park are designated as national natural treasures. Visitors from around the world come to bow to these gentle creatures, who politely bow back, creating one of Japan's most beloved and enchanting cultural encounters.

Sika deer have roamed Nara Park for centuries, and their standing there traces back to Kasuga Taisha, the shrine established in 768 for the Fujiwara clan's tutelary deities. Tradition holds that the god Takemikazuchi travelled from Kashima in Ibaraki riding a white deer, a founding account that is legendary rather than documented history. From it grew the belief that the local deer were divine messengers, and pre-modern records indicate harming them was punished severely. The animals lost formal sacred status after 1945 but were designated a national natural monument in 1957, and roughly 1,000 to 1,400 now live around the park and Todai-ji. Visitors feed them rice-bran crackers, and the deer appear on city emblems, souvenirs and tourism material.