The 30th anniversary celebration of Shinto in Europe
Green Shinto friend, the Amsterdam priest Paul de Leeuw, was in Kyoto recently and attended the Aoi Matsuri at Shimogamo Shrine. Paul is in all probability the first racially non-Japanese priest ever, and in 2011 celebrated 30 years of practising Shinto in Europe. The photos on this page are taken from a limited edition published in conjunction with the event. Our congratulations to him.
Paul de Leeuw with the altar he maintains in Amsterdam
Paul first became aware of Shinto while training with the Peter Brook theatre group. One of the members was Yoshi Oida, author of The Invisible Actor (1997) which makes use of Shinto for acting techniques.
Through introductions Paul came to meet and train with the head of Yamakage Shinto at the Kireigu shrine near Nagoya. After being trained as a priest, Paul set up a ‘dojo’ in Amsterdam which housed a small shrine.
Though there was no precedent and no demand, Paul managed to carve out a unique career as a Shinto priest in Amsterdam by teaching, performing private rites such as weddings, and carrying out ceremonies for Japanese companies across Europe, such as to safeguard safety and jichinsai (ground-breaking for new buildings).
Over the years Paul has worked for such companies as Kikkoman, Yakult, Delamine,and IPS Alpha in the Czech Republic. He gives weekly lessons in spiritual exercises at his dojo in Amsterdam, and performs the New Year ritual at the Hatsumode party hosted by Hotel Okura in Amsterdam.
For previous reports about the Dutch Shinzen Foundation, see here or here or here. For the homepage of the Foundation, see here. We wish Paul every success for the next thirty years!
Looking back 30 years to the early days of Shinto in Europe
30th anniversary celebration in City Hall Amstelveen
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