https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIry8Dz43SI
Hotly recommended youtube video of a NHK World programme about shrine fittings and decorations. It may not seem exciting, but for anyone with a sense of craftsmanship, it’s quite riveting. The documentary is part of an excellent series called Core Kyoto with which a couple of personal friends are involved.
The programme not only highlights overlooked aspects of shrine decoration, but shows the painstaking craftsmanship that goes into them. As with other Japanese goods, the attention to detail and the aesthetic effects are stunning. More than this, though, the video highlights the deeply spiritual quality inherent in the crafting of the various items.
Amongst the ritual ornamentation covered in the programme are the bell rope (suzu no o) and the use of hemp; metal fittings; the planing of cypress wood; the use of handbells; the long tassels that adorn mikoshi; and the sacred mirror.
The programme is 28 minutes long (though it mistakenly says 42). Put aside some time, slow down and watch with due appreciation for the centuries of time and the hours of dedicated labour involved. You won’t regret it, and it may change the way you look at shrines. And possibly at Shinto too….
This was wonderful! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you, Eric… I am glad to hear that someone else appreciated the programme as much as I did myself…
What a great program, especially for those of us for whom reading about these items in the native Japanese can be difficult!
Yes, quite agree, Mike. For those interested in Kyoto, the whole series of ‘Core Kyoto’ is absolutely to be recommended.