Author: John D. (Page 106 of 202)

International Inari

May 27, 2014 / John D. / 5 Comments

One of the exciting developments that Green Shinto is able to participate in is the spread of Shinto overseas. Such is the age we live in that this is happening step by step before our very eyes, as it were, and recent months have seen the establishment of an International Association for Inari Faith with a Facebook page, together with what is probably the first ‘private’ maintenance by a non-Japanese overseas of a wakemitama (divided spirit) of Inari Okami. In the interview below, the person behind all this, Gary Cox, explains the nature and purpose of the new association.

Gary Cox at the entrance to Japan's premier place of Inari worship, Fushimi Inari Taisha in the south of Kyoto

1) When and why was the International Association for Inari Faith set up?

I have always felt deeply drawn to the ancient, natural spirituality in Shinto, ever since I first learned of it. I had always been drawn, especially, to Inari Ōkami, as well as to foxes and snakes ever since I was little, which happen to be Inari’s shinshi (messengers of the kami). But after about ten years of study in various religions, I came to realize that Shinto, especially Inari shinkō (Inari faith), really were my personal calling among all others. And so last year I was able to be entrusted with a wakemitama (divided spirit) of Inari Ōkami from Fushimi Inari Taisha, which I now enshrine at my home in California.

And around that same time, I began meeting many other people, online and off, who were also close devotees of Inari Ōkami. I wanted to form an organization where we could come together, sharing and learning from each other. There was also not a great deal of English materials available on Inari (especially online) — so this was something I wanted to try and address as well.

So, with the assistance of a number of friends, but especially my close friend Olivia Furukawa as well as Morgan Rose, the association was founded as a Facebook group on April 1, 2014. We hope to provide greater access, resources, and a strong community for individuals interested in Inari Ōkami.

2) What does the Association consist of exactly, and what are its activities?

Currently, the association exists only as a Facebook group, though we will be forming a website and incorporating as a California non-profit organization later this year. The Facebook group, at present, consists of devotees and interested people from North and South America, Europe, Australia, Africa, and Asia, including kannushi (priests) from Japan and the United States.

Right now our biggest focus has been providing reliable English-language information and resources. So far we have published two Inari norito (Shinto prayers) both in their original form, as well as in romaji and English forms (to understand meaning) that we commissioned. The norito which we have published in this form are the Inari Norito (Inari Prayer) and Inari Ōkami Himon (Secret Incantation of Inari Ōkami). Inari Daimyōjin no Harai is also in the process of being translated. We are also publishing short articles explaining the basics of Inari theology, symbols, shrines, and other matters.

The kamidana (house altar) containing the wakemitama that Gary maintains, with white fox guardians to either side

3) What are some other immediate goals of the Association?

I am hoping we can facilitate more group discussions online, and possibly, if there are enough local people, have some offline activities in the San Francisco Bay Area, or any other areas where there might be enough interested people.

In addition to more discussions and social activities, and continued publication of materials and articles, we are also looking at ways to make Inari ofuda (talisman) more accessible to people who want one for worship. Right now, there is virtually no way to order one from a reputable source from outside Japan. They are of course quite easy to obtain inside Japan… so this is a gap that we are hoping to bridge.

4) What is the relationship of the Association with Fushimi Inari Taisha (or indeed with other shrines)?

Aside from my indirect association as being on the shrine’s rolls as a goshintai custodian, we currently have no direct official status with Fushimi Inari Taisha. There do exist many kō, or lay worship groups, that are affiliated with Fushimi Inari Taisha; however, the feeling among our members is that it would be best for this group to remain open and not under the jurisdiction of a single shrine and its interpretations or rules.

The ema at Fushimi Inari Taisha, on which visitors draw fox faces on one side and their prayer requests on the other

We are quite close to Tsubaki Grand Shrine of America. Rev. Koichi Barrish, the Negi of that shrine, is a mentor, a member of the group, and a number of the group members– such as myself— are also Sukei-kai members of Tsubaki Grand Shrine of America. The enshrined kami of Tsubaki America are Sarutahiko Ōkami and Ame no Uzume no Mikoto, as well as Uga no Mitama no Ōkami. These kami have a very close relationship to Inari Ōkami.

5) Why is Inari Ōkami, in particular, the focus of your Association rather than other kami?

Well, first, there already exist a relatively great deal of international resources for Shinto more broadly. Now, to any devotee of Inari-sama who worships within a Shinto framework, these are still very important. (For those who revere Inari-sama through the Buddhist framework, there are of course also a tremendous deal of resources for Buddhism more widely).

But these broader resources do not delve much into the specifics of Inari. Whether we are talking about Shinto or Buddhism, the “Inari varieties” of either one do have their own variations and additions in things as wide-ranging from practices and prayers to mythos and architecture. So one reason we formed an organization for this one kami in particular is to specialize, if you will, in the specifics of the Inari shinkō (Inari faith).

It is also worth noting that Inari is often considered to be a composite kami, that is, a kami consisting of or having the essences of multiple other kami. For instance, earlier I noted that the enshrined kami of Tsubaki Grand Shrine of America had a close relationship with Inari Ōkami… this is because Sarutahiko Ōkami and Ame no Uzume no Mikoto, along with Uga Mitama no Kami, are all considered to be part of Inari Ōkami (in fact they were the original three deities enshrined on Inari mountain in Kyoto, now the site of Fushimi Inari Taisha which is the head shrine to Inari-sama).

Three mirrors in a subshrine on Inari Hill representing the three original components of Inari Okami

There are other kami that are identified with Inari-sama as well. So while our organization is, in one manner of speaking, devoted to one particular kami, we are in another way devoted to a whole spectrum of Shinto kami that, through their close relationship with one another, are considered to fall under the umbrella of Inari Ōkami.

6) Looking ahead fifty years or so, how do you imagine the Inari faith may have developed outside Japan?

It is our hope that Inari faith may continue to grow and become more recognized around the world. Just as Shinto as a whole is growing steadily internationally, it would be great to see Inari Ōkami sparking interest in individuals even outside of Japan.

It is important to remember, though, that Inari faith is only a part of Shinto. Granted, it is, to many of us personally, a very important part, a part that we devote our hearts to. But I believe it’s important that Shinto as a whole, not just Inari faith, develop around the world together. In this way, the whole, rich and diverse spirituality of Shinto, and the balance of Daishizen (Great Nature) as a whole, can be preserved and shared all over.

So it would be wonderful to see a proliferation of international Inari shrines in 50 years’ time. But truthfully, I think the wider hope should be to see Shinto shrines of all kinds, with healthy communities of believers (shinja), helping each other to develop their faith and to Iive in harmony with nature.

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Gary Cox can be contacted by email at this address; gary[at mark]inarifaith.org

The Facebook page for the Association is at https://www.facebook.com/groups/inarifaith/?fref=ts
(A website will be constructed soon at the following link: http://inarifaith.org)

Inari Hill, behind Inari Fushimi Taisha, is a teeming mass of torii, statues and rock shrines, testimony to the thriving folk faith of generations of believers

The famous torii tunnel at Fushimi beckons the visitor ever further and deeper into the mysterious hinterland

Chidorigafuchi

May 27, 2014 / John D. / 0 Comments

Prime Minister Abe pays respects at the Chidorigafuchi war cemetery (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

No big outcry and no controversy, yet yesterday prime minister Abe paid respects to Japan’s war dead in WW2. Why did it not capture the headlines? Simply because unlike Yasukuni, the Chidorigafuchi war memorial does not glorify Japan’s military role in the war, has not secretly enshrined Class-A war criminals, and is not a rallying point for right-wing extremists and natinionalists. Nor does it have a museum which distorts history by portraying Japanese as victims, omitting all mention of atrocities and war crimes, and claiming Japan acted as ‘liberator’ in WW2. In short, Chidorigafuchi is a cemetery like that of Arlington in the US and countless others around the world where relatives and descendants can pay respects to those who gave their lives in wartime fighting for their country.

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MAY. 27, 2014 -Japan Today

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows at Chidorigafuchi cemetery where the unidentified remains of thousands of Japanese soldiers are interred together in Tokyo, Monday.

TOKYO —
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday attended a ceremony to honor the nation’s war dead at Chidorigafuchi cemetery where the unidentified remains of thousands of Japanese soldiers are interred.

Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery was built 1959 to house the remains of unidentified Japanese who died overseas during World War II.

The Tokyo memorial, maintained by the environment ministry, honors 358,260 dead, mainly soldiers, whose remains have been returned to Japan, but also some civilians who died overseas.

Abe laid a wreath at the cemetery ahead of a formal service of remembrance held at a large hall in Tokyo.

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Japan Today comments

Moderator MAY. 27, 2014
Readers, please note that the prime minister attends this event every year.

Nightshade 2014 MAY. 27, 2014
The article says: “…built 1959 to house the remains of unidentified Japanese who died overseas during World War II.” War ended 1945; cemetery opened 1959. That’s 14 years. Where were the remains before then?

Soulknyt MAY. 27, 2014
To answer your question on why it/s taken 14 years. The answer is that many soldiers remains have been taken from war sites from China, Korea and even other Japanese islands. Sometimes the remains cannot be identified and are instead buried there.
I think its a great move for Japan to remember their dead like this, anyone who complains would have to complain about Arlington, or the other cemeteries around the world.

Upgrayedd MAY. 27, 2014
Chidorigafuchi only honors the unidentified war dead. The identified dead are honored at Yasukuni. One of the criteria of being interred at Yasukuni is that they must know your name.
Personally, I think the government should build or sponsor a secular memorial at Chidorigafuchi which honors both unidentified and identified dead without the racist undertones that come through across the street at Yasukuni.

EthanWilber MAY. 27, 2014
Abe should visit Chidorigafuchi cemetery to give his deep and sincere prayer for peace instead of going to war-criminals riddled Yasukuni Shrine. That would have saved him tons of headaches and stinging criticism including that from long-term allies such as the US and Australia.

Deep Kyoto Walks

May 24, 2014 / John D. / 3 Comments

A new e-book, available on all Kindle devices or through the Kindle app, featuring 16 authors as well as the co-editors

Kyoto is known as a city of Buddhism. Most of the head temples of the major sects are based here, and the most important events in Japanese Buddhist history took place here. Indeed, Mt Hiei is known as ‘the mother of Japanese Buddhism’.

However, it’s also a city of shrines (500 or more), some well-known but many, many more of minor importance yet bearing long and fascinating histories. This is, of course, because the city was long home to the imperial family, whose ancestors were regarded as kami. Shrines dedicated to them, or to those who served them, can be found dotted all around, many dating back a millennium or more.

The alluring entrance of Himukai Daijingu, once a bustling shrine of walkers from the nearby Tokaido pathway to Edo

Some of Kyoto’s wealth of shrines are covered in an exciting new e-book containing personal rambles through the city by 18 different authors. There’s a piece about walking the Kyoto Trail around the city. There’s also an account by myself of walking along the Kamo River, which features Shimogamo Jinja and former priest Kamo no Chomei, author of the wonderful Ten-Foot Square Hut (1212).

Editor Michael Lambe includes Himukai Daijingu on his walk, one of several shrines with competing claims to be the city’s oldest (along with Shimogamo, Kamigamo and Matsuo). Such is the antiquity of the shrines, dating back long before Kyoto was founded in 794, that no one knows for sure which was first.

In Edo times travellers on the Tokaido route stopped off at Himukai, which would have made it a bustling shrine for the route to the shogunate capital was one of the busiest thoroughfares in the world. Those leaving Kyoto would pray for a safe journey, and those arriving would say a prayer of thanks.

Michael takes in the Heian Jingu too, awed by the vastness of the grounds, and it prompts memories of his sister and of how he longed to be in Kyoto because of ‘a kind of peace in the air and a mysterious sense of promise’. He reveals too the unlikely fact that the thickly wooded Yoshida Hill, where the Yoshida Shrine stands, was covered in tea bushes some 100 years ago.

Yasaka Shrine in Gion, like a giant ship with lanterns

Bridget Scott takes in the Sagi no Mori Shrine, where she shelters from the rain on a wooden stage and overhears a priest chanting a dedication to a young couple. Here she feels that ‘the soul of ancient Japan whispers to me’.

In an account of how he first came to Kyoto, Pico Iyer imagines Yasaka Jinja as a giant ship with lanterns, noting that you can see women from the ‘water world’ at prayer and that at New Year mothers carry auspicious flames back to their homes. He comments too on the typical Kyoto juxtaposition of sacredness and peace beside noisy junction and busy shopping street.

The front of Toyokuni Shrine, along which runs a stone wall of giant rocks, impresses Jennifer Louise Teeter with its size and neat arrangement. She notes that the shrine’s ema (votive plaques) are shaped like gourds and that one bears a wish to be ‘as handsome as the characters in my favorite video game.’ But why gourd-shaped ema? It seems that Toyotomi Hideyoshi, to whom the shrine is dedicated, was known as Lord of the Gourds, and samurai under his command used them as emblems on the battle-field. In the shrine’s treasury, along with elaborate golden screens, are other items emblazoned with the gourd motif, and the shrine’s office even sells a gourd-shaped mobile strap.

Benzaiten, muse for artists, also has a commercial interest

John Ashburne heads for the Nishiki Tenmangu, suitably enough for the shrine stands at the end of the food market and John specialises in writing about food. On the way he drops in to offer a prayer at Kandajin Shrine, built in 845, a quiet local shrine boasting ‘exquisite statues’ and ‘gorgeous shimenawa rope’. There’s also a municipally recognized Gingko Bilboa tree, the ancestors of which date back 270 million years. Being of culinary mind, he praises the nut for its essential role in the chawanmushi savoury custard. He informs us too that remarkably the tree type was one of the few living things to survive Hiroshima.

The small Hanjo Jinja, he notes, ‘like many of Kyoto’s sacred sites has a colourful history’. It was once syncretic and Buddhist, it honours Benzaiten, and it may have been originally built on a site known as ‘The Hill of Assembled Women.’

Benzaiten is usually associated with the arts but looks after commercial enterprises too, so John buys an ofuda with the shrine’s name in handwritten kanji for his wife’s café. At his end-goal of Nishiki Tenmangu, he also buys a fortune slip which tells him not to get lost in wild fancies. Food for thought, one might say…

Sanborn Brown gives a detailed account of the pilgrimage up Mt Atago on July 31, part of the annual Sennichi Tsuyasai festival when thousands climb the steep mountain at nighttime. He arrives back down from the top at 3.45 am to find that others are just about to set off. (The 8km round trip takes about four hours.) Distances up the mountain are measured by Jizo statues in red bibs and by forty placards set up by the fire department. Atago is Kyoto’s highest mountain, slightly taller than Mt Hiei at 924 meters.

At the top there used to be a Buddhist-Shinto complex, but after the separation of Buddhism from Shinto following 1868 the temple was converted to create Atago Shrine (the head of 1500 shrines nationwide). It is dedicated to Izanami and her child Kagutsuchi, god of fire (whose birth caused the death of Izanami). The shrine’s festival, created in the 1860s, therefore centres around protection from fire – a vital matter for a city of wooden houses.

Shrines are but one small part of Kyoto’s attraction, but as the Deep Kyoto Walks anthology shows there are few walks in the city that are not enriched by the presence of a small shrine, whether guarding the spirit of place, keeping a sense of history, or providing a focus for communal identity. Invariably they are surrounded by a patch of nature, or host to a sacred tree, protecting the rus in urbe that makes living here so pleasant. Together with the festivals they put on, shrines are a vital element in the lush brocade of Japanese culture. Truly, they are guardians of the national soul.

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Deep Kyoto Walks contains a variety of walks in and around (literally all around) the city. Some delve into the past, some are concerned with the present, and some are highly personal. It is available on amazon at the following link… http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KFM2J0C#sthash.1rnDlgoq.dpuf

Free Kindle apps for any kind of computer and i-pads etc can be downloaded to read the book here.

In a series of rambles that express each writer’s intimate relationship with the city, the authors take readers to more than just the famous shrines and temples, but to the backstreets of memory where personal history and that of the city intersect. Join Pico Iyer, Judith Clancy, Chris Rowthorn, John Dougill, Robert Yellin, John Ashburne and others as they explore markets and mountains, bars and gardens, palaces and pagodas and see Kyoto afresh through the eyes of those who call it “home”.

Included are:

· 17 illustrations

· A specially commissioned woodblock print by Richard Steiner

· 12 detailed maps

· Links to all locations on Google Maps

· Cover Art by internationally acclaimed artist Sarah Brayer

Walks through a magical city, touched by the gods. In shamanic cultures rainbows were seen as a bridge to heaven.

In 'Kamogamo Musing' John Dougill contemplates the ancient history of the river, including its 'power spot' of Shimogamo Shrine nestled in the junction between two rivers which flow down from the northern hills on their inexorable way to the Pacific Sea.

Mountain Day

May 24, 2014 / John D. / 1 Comment

Mt Miwa casts a protective eye over the settlement below it. The mountain is a 'goshintai' (sacred body) for Omiwa Jinja and worshipped directly.

On the afternoon of 25 April, the Lower House of Parliament in Japan passed an amendment to the nation’s Holiday Act to include a new public holiday Mountain Day (Yama no Hi). It was yesterday approved too in the Upper House, making it Japan’s 16th civic holiday. That’s far more than most countries, though Japanese tend not to take annual holidays, or just a week or less. (June is now the only month without a bank holiday.)

It’s rather wonderful to have a whole holiday dedicated to mountains, and testimony of the significant role they play in the cultural identity of the nation. According to the amendment, Mountain Day is intended “to give opportunities to get close to mountains and to appreciate the benefits of mountains.” They have of course played a formative part in Shinto, and mountain worship in various forms continues to play a significant role.

Mt Fuji, now a World Heritage Site, lies at the heart of the national consciousness

In shamanic cultures, the spirits of the dead became identified with local mountains. Fear of death led ancient people to desire that spirits live on after death. Since bodies were left on mountainsides or behind rocks, the spirits would naturally have been thought to become part of them. Think of burial mounds, for instance. This prompted the notion that the ancestral spirits were in fact spirits of place. Or animist. If rocks and the land could have spirit, then so could trees, waterfalls and mountains.

Clans living beneath mountains looked on the spirit in the mountain as a guardian deity. This spirit was personified and often identified with the leader of the clan. In this way the clan belonged to the land; in fact, through death the clan actually became part of the land. It explains why the clan shrine, or ujigami, remains a home base for many Japanese even now, when modernity has led to mobility.

Mountain spirits literally look after those who live in the valleys below them. It explains why there are so many shrines in Japan built at the foot of the local hill. Mountains are our guardians. Mountains are our friends.

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The following piece is taken from Kansai Scene:

Knocking on hiking heaven’s door Text: Tom Fay • May 1, 2014

In days long past, mountains were revered as sacred and mysterious places, and were only climbed by Shinto and Buddhist priests on their spiritual pilgrimages. It wasn’t until the late 1800s that an Englishman called Walter Weston arrived in Japan, founded the Japanese Alpine Club and changed the perception of those high places forever. Climbing mountains became a form of recreation, and has boomed in popularity ever since.

These days, people of all ages and fitness levels can be found huffing and puffing along the myriad of trails which litter the mountainsides, and although the biggest and most challenging peaks tend to be found in the Japan Alps, you don’t have to travel far to enjoy some beautiful scenery and satisfying treks. Indeed there are countless enjoyable hikes to be had in the Kansai region, most famous of which (and best for beginners) is probably Mount Rokko, with its clearly marked and easy ascent overlooking Kobe. One of the best parts of this particular hike is finishing the day with a nice, hot soak in the hot spring town of Aroma.

Part of the sacred mountains near Omine

Omine-san (Nara)

This is a popular hike on a pilgrimage route, taking in a number of sacred sites. In fact, the peak of Sanjo-ga-take remains off-limits to women, although there are routes which bypass this. With an early start from Dorogawa Onsen, it is possible to reach two of the highest points in Kansai, Mount Misen and the nearby Mount Hakken (although it is probably best to stay the night in a hut). The trail itself is well marked, following the ridge line after a steep climb, and even if your muscles begin to feel the pain, the spiritual nourishment of hiking along a route still used by pilgrims and mountain priests will surely spur you on. If not, then the promise of a hot bath back at the foot of the mountain might do the trick.

Access: Train to Shimoichikuchi station and then a bus.

A mountain ascetic announcing to the world the deep spiritual wisdom inherent in mountains

Otoyo Shrine (Kyoto) 2

May 20, 2014 / John D. / 0 Comments

One of the magnificent komainu guarding the approach to the shrine

The power animals of shamanism evolved in Shinto into messengers of the kami, able to mediate between the human world and the spiritual. Statues of animals are thus often found at shrines. The kitsune foxes at Inari shrines are well-known. At Hachiman shrines you find dove guardians, at Benten shrines there is inevitably a white snake somewhere, and there’s always an ox statue at Tenmangu shrines. Amaterasu is served by roosters, since they announce her coming at the break of each day.

Rat guardian with his scroll bearing wisdom from the gods

Otoyo Shrine has the richest collection of animal statuary I’ve come across. Though it’s only a small shrine, on the approach there are no fewer than three sets of komainu to guard the shrine and ensure evil spirits don’t enter. Three is of course a favourite number in many spiritual traditions, including shamanism, and it just so happens that the shrine honours three different kami (see Part 1).

Around the main Worship Hall are clustered four smaller subshrines, and each has animal guardians. At the Okuninushi Shrine is Otoyo’s prized item, a pair of guardian rats (described in Part 1). Here is the legend that goes with them…

According to the Kojiki (712), Okuninushi travelled to another world where he met Princess Suseri, daughter of Susanoo. They fell in love with each other at first sight. Then Susanoo set Okuninushi a challenge to test his fortitude by ordering him to sleep in a room filled with snakes, but Princess Suseri gave Okuninushi a snake scarf, said to be one of ten ancient treasures. The scarf helped him to sleep safely in the room. Susanoo then imposed another ordeal on Okuninushi by shooting off an arrow and asking him to go and retrieve it. As Okuninushi was searching for it, Susanoo set fire to the surrounding plain and the flames spread quickly threatening Okuninushi’s life. Suddenly a rat appeared and told him that there was a hole in the ground. While he was hiding in the hole, the fire passed overhead. Then, the rat retrieved the arrow and gave it to him. As a result, Okuninushi passed the challenge Susanoo had set for him and he was able to marry Princess Suseri.

Next to the rat shrine is the Inari Shrine with a fine pair of long-necked fox guardians and a white fox carved into the decorative fringe. (White is a symbol of purity, as it is in Siberian shamanic cultures.) On the other side of the Worship Hall is a snake, recently added to the grounds. Beyond it are two shrines for Kyoto’s twin mountains, Mt Atago in the west (the slightly taller of the two) and Mt Hiei in the east. One is guarded by a kite, or hawk (tonbi), very much a shamanic creature (as in the Steve Miller song, Fly like an eagle). The other is guarded by a monkey, guardian of the Hiei kami, Sanno, recognised by Saicho back in the early ninth century.

The shrine owners are obviously fond of their animal statuary as they have sought to add to it in various ways. There is a conspicuous tanuki statue in the greenery, and there are other animal figures displayed at various places, not always in the best of taste one might add. Furthermore, the shrine uses its rat guardian as a publicity vehicle with a sign facing onto the Philosopher’s Walk on which it features as an attraction, with the shrine taking the opportunity to advertise services for such ceremonies as the ‘jichinsai’ ground-breaking ritual. Curiously though, I didn’t notice pet blessings among the services offered…

The Atago guardian of the west facing....

... the monkey guardian of the east

White fox bearing a scroll on the Inari subshrine

A tanuki has sneaked into the shrine grounds

... and on a stone lantern is a deer, which in shamanic style once bore the Kasuga kami to Nara

Rats, roosters and monkeys - familiar Shinto animals, but hardly in traditional form

Otoyo Shrine (Kyoto) 1

May 19, 2014 / John D. / 0 Comments

The Otoyo Worship Hall side view shows a classic nagare-zukuri shape with its elongated front roof. (A protective shelter has been added above.) The verdant surrounds give the small grounds a sense of natural abundance.

It’s not well-known, yet it was founded in 887, it’s got a pair of guardian rats, and its ‘sacred body’ is the 15th hill of Kyoto’s 36 Eastern Hill range. It lies off the Philosopher’s Walk, and while most of the tourists walk blithely past, they’re passing up an interesting gem of a shrine which packs an awful lot into a small space.

Otoyo Shrine was built for the recovery of Emperor Uda, and it is said that Sukanahikona appeared in a vision to say that the Tsubakigamine hill should be worshipped in order to speed his recovery. Sukanahikona is an intriguing kami, tiny enough to slip through the fingers of his father, and reputed to have invented medicine and worked with Okuninushi no mikoto in settling the land of Izumo. Later Sugawara no Michizene was added to the shrine’s deified kami, as well as Emperor Ojin. It’s a most unusual trinity, and the small shrine has some most unusual features.

The guardian rat at the shrine of Okuninushi no mikoto

The most striking item, and one that has won wider attention in recent years, is a pair of ‘koma-nezumi’, or guardian rats. They stand in front of a subshrine dedicated to Okuninushi no mikoto, who according to legend was rescued from a field-fire by rats. Now they are considered the kami’s go-between. One of the rats holds a scroll signifying scholarship and learning, while the other embraces a ball signifying abundance and thereby health. The shrine’s leaflet says that the rat’s posture suggests the vitality of a mother nourishing a child.

Amongst other guardian animals to be found at the shrine are a most unusual pairing of hawk and monkey, which stand before the Atago and Hiyoshi subshrines. The Atago deity, known as the fire kami (hi no kami), is believed to protect against fire disasters and is associated with the hawk, while Mt Hiei and the Hiyoshi shrine on it are associated with the monkey. Together the two mountain-spirits guard the West and East sides of Kyoto.

The guardian snake, newly added to the shrine's grounds

One new item that has appeared since my last visit a few years ago is a snake figure. The noticeboard next to it says ‘koma-mi’, which can be taken to mean a guardian snake. Presumably this is in reference to an ordeal which Okuninushi underwent after he fell in love with Princess Suseri, daughter of Susanoo no mikoto. To test the younger man’s resolve, Susanoo arranged for Okuninushi to spend the night in a room of snakes, which he survived thanks to the gift of a protective scarf. In heroic fashion, by confronting death Okuninushi was reborn with a stronger self – much as the snake dies and is reborn by sloughing off its skin.

It’s interesting to note that this ancient symbol of animism is here treated as a spiritual ally. Which is precisely why it got demonised by Christianity, because it served the pagans so well as a sacred symbol.

Because the shrine has Tsubakigamine (Camelia Peak) as its ‘sacred body’ (goshintai), it holds the camelia to be its sacred flower. In addition, it has a splendid cedar which is the shrine’s sacred tree. The small grounds are also filled with a variety of other plants and flowers, most of which are named and labelled, making this a true treasure for plant lovers.

Oddly, there are small Disney-style figures here and there, modern day cutifications of the spirit-animals of ancient times. It’s all in rather bad taste, but apparently to the liking of the office lady, for propped up in front of her office, next to the ema on sale, was a Mickey Mouse. I asked jokingly if it was an object of worship, but was told not. It does make one wonder though about the curious relationship humans have to animals, able to idealise and adore them on the one hand while slaughtering them on the other.

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(Otoyo Shrine lies off the Philosopher’s Walk along the base of Higashiyama (Eastern Hills) of Kyoto. For Part 2 of this article, please click here.)

Is Mickey Mouse, here seen at the shrine office along with the ema for sale, forcing his way into the traditional pantheon?

The Okuninushi Shrine with its guardian rat figures

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Sukunahikona no mikoto
A kami who assisted Ōnamuchi in the “forming of the land.” According to Kojiki, Sukunahikona was a tiny kami who fell from between the fingers of its parent. He first appears riding on the waves in a boat made from the pod of the flowering vine and wearing the skin of a small bird. In almost all versions of the story, the kami appears as one half of a pair with Ōnamuchi, and the two kami cooperate toward the development of the land and the invention of medicines.

One magnificent sacred tree, reaching up to the heavens and rooted in the underworld

Ema prayer boards, with this year's Chinese zodiac animal of a horse (black instead of the sacred white one offered at shrines). Above are the 'miyamairi ofuda' for newborn babies.

Last glorious flowering of this year's camelia. The shrine's 'sacred flower' is the tsubaki (camelia) because the sacred hill is Tsubakigamine (Camelia Peak)

The Worship Hall facing onto the object of worship, Mt Tsubakigamine, is filled with donations of saké, a purifying alcohol which acts a lubricating agent between the world of humans and that of the kami

The guardian hawk at the Atago subshrine

The approach to the shrine has three different sets of komainu, as well as some striking stone lanterns with unusual designs, such as these with mountains and waves.

Shinto Essay Competition

May 19, 2014 / John D. / 0 Comments

ISSA Shinto Essay Competition, 2014
Sponsored by International Shinto Studies Association

Topics:
1) The Main Features of Edo-period Confucian Interpretations of Shinto
2) The Visual Culture of Shinto: Material Forms and Representations of the Kami in History
3) The Significance of Death in Shinto

A previous prize-winner, Dr. Aike Rots, whose essay on shrine forests was featured in an earlier Green Shinto posting

Regulations
The competition is open to university students (undergraduates, graduates) and researchers. Applicants should submit an essay of up to 5000 words (including footnotes and bibliography) on one of the above topics.
Essays will be judged on their originality and the clarity of their argument. Essays should be e-mailed as Word file attachments in 12-point type, double-spaced, on A-4 format to info@shinto.org. All entries must be received before July 31, 2014. Applicants must attach a brief biography (including nationality, current postal and email addresses) on a separate sheet.

Important Advice
1. We strongly recommend that non-native speakers of English have their essays checked by a native speaker.
2. It is vital for all applicants to cite all sources used. Failure to do may constitute plagiarism, and lead to the disqualification of the submitted essay. Sources can be cited as either footnotes or endnotes. For examples of how to cite sources, the applicant can refer to one of the following: a) The footnotes as used in Japanese Journal for Religious Studies (JJRS articles can be accessed online at: http://nirc.nanzan-u.ac.jp/en/publications/jjrs/listofjournals/) b) The end-notes as used in Breen and Teeuwen, A New History of Shinto, Wiley-Blackwell, 2010.
3. We ask that all applicants append to the essay a bibliography of the sources they have used in the writing of the essay.

Prizes
1st prize: A round-trip tickets and a week’s lodging expenses in Japan (or the equivalent amount of prize money). The 1st prize winner will be awarded at the International Shinto Seminar on November 22, 2014 in Japan.

2nd prize: US $1,000

3rd prize: US $500

Notes
1. Those who have already been awarded prizes in previous years’ competitions are not eligible to participate.
2. All entrants will be notified of competition results, and winners will be publicly announced in October 2014. Winners will receive prize money by PayPal account or bank transfer unless arranged otherwise. All submissions become the property of International Shinto Studies Association.

Inquiries
Please address all e-mail inquiries regarding the Shinto essay competition to info@shinto.org.