Author: John D. (Page 108 of 202)

Michizane’s house

May 4, 2014 / John D. / 0 Comments

The small Sugawara-in shrine next to the Former Imperial Palace in Kyoto

Shinto is very much an ancestral as well as an animist religion. Many of the leading figures in Japanese history are honoured as part of the national consciousness, and one of the most salient is the statesman, Sugawara no Michizane (845-903). Deified as Tenjin, he’s now one of the three leading kami in terms of numbers of shrines (together with Hachiman and Inari).

Shrine poster of Sugawara no Michizane, whose spirit is the resident kami

The two most famous shrines associated with Michizane are the Kitano Tenmangu in Kyoto and the Dazaifu Tenmangu, where he was exiled. In recent years the location of the house where he was born has been turned into a flourishing shrine too. It stands on the western side of Gosho, the Former Imperial Palace.

I’ve often passed the location, and during the past decade I’ve witnessed its growth from an obscure item of interest, barely noticed by passers-by, into what now looks like something of a tourist attraction. There’s even a lengthy explanation in English, which says that not only was Michizane born at the once expansive estate named Sugawara-in, but his father, grandfather and great-grandfather too.

By the ninth century the villa had been transformed into the Kankiko-ji temple, which was later moved elsewhere. A shrine was built on the remaining structure to honour Michizane as a patron of learning, together with his father and grandfather. The kami are referred to rather endearingly in English as ‘Sir Michizane Sugawara, Sir Koreyoshi Sugawara, and Sir Kiyokimi Sugawara’.

The shrine is the first in a pilgrimage of 25 shrines dedicated to Michizane, and the well used for his first bath and his beloved stone lantern still remain as cherished objects.

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Access. The Sugawara-in Tenmangu Jinja is a five-minute walk north from the Marutamachi station on the Karasuma subway line. Phone or fax 075 211-4769.

The Ox water-basin. No Tenjin shrine would be complete without an ox statue, since the animal is the deity's familiar through a legend concerning the ox-cart bearing him at his funeral.

As the patron of learning and poetry, Tenjin is always popular at exam times and for those wishing to achieve succes in scholarship or poetry

May festivities

May 4, 2014 / John D. / 1 Comment

Martial arts at Shimogamo Shrine with wooden swords

May brings a flurry of festivities in the Shinto calendar, and Kyoto kicks off the month with several colourful events, including the Aoi Festival preliminaries (the grand parade takes place on the 15th). This year the sunshine was in expansive mood for the first weekend of what is surely in weather terms the grandest month of the year. Plenty of reason to celebrate!!

Yesterday saw the end of the Inari Festival, with the return of the mikoshi to the main shrine (see here). Meanwhile, at Shimogamo Shrine there was the Yabsusame horse archery, a preliminary Aoi Festival event. Archers shot at three 50-centimeter-square targets set at 100-meter intervals, and according to Kyodo press agency about 22,000 visitors watched the event – which explains why I wasn’t able to get anywhere near it!

Today at Kamigamo Jinja there was purification of this year’s Saio representative, in preparation for the coming Aoi Matsuri. The event is held alternate years at Kamigamo and its sister shrine, Shimogamo. (For a description of last year’s event, see here.)

Fujimori Shrine in the south of the city holds its annual festival at the beginning of May, climaxing tomorrow on the 5th with a display of acrobatic horse riding techniques used in medieval battles. Also tomorrow Shimogamo will hold the Busha Shinji ritual to ward off evil spirits for the Aoi Festival by shooting arrows into the air. And coming up soon is the Kanko Festival on May 10 at Matsunoo Taisha, with six mikoshi returning back to the shrine after doing their ’round of happiness’ (kanko).

Meanwhile, today Shimogamo Shrine held a display of martial arts, put on for the entertainment of the kami in similar manner to the origins of sumo. it was a marvellous sunny occasion, with a whole variety of weapons and techniques to be seen, some well-known and some barely practised these days except by a handful of dedicated types.

The outer compound of the Shimogamo Shrine with the stage facing towards the kami. In the foreground naginata (long spear) practitioners await their turn to perform.

Swordsmen strike a pose

Respect! Honouring the kami

‘May queen’ (Saio-dai)

May 4, 2014 / John D. / 1 Comment

In Kyoto, May means the Aoi Festival. (July is Gion Matsuri; October is the Jidai Matsuri.)

The Aoi festivities, which last the whole month, are overseen by a special ‘Saoi-dai’ who is chosen to represent the imperial princess who was once attached to the Shimogamo and Kamigamo Shrines. It’s supposed to be a great honour, and the representative is usually chosen only from amongst the city’s best families. Last year Green Shinto was lucky to carry an interview by Rachelle Soto with the woman chosen for 2012. This year we carry a report from the Kyoto Shimbun.

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Risako Ota, who has been chosen as the 59th Saio-dai (April 14th, Kyoto Heian Hotel, Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto City)

The Aoi Festival on May 15 is one of Kyoto’s three main festivals, and Risako Ota, a sophomore at Kobe University, has been chosen as its 59th Saio-dai, or heroine. The “Aoi-Matsuri Gyoretsu Hozonkai,” or Aoi Festival procession conservation group, announced this on April 14.

Ota is the eldest daughter of Toru Ota, the fourth generation owner of the Japanese confectionery “Oimatsu.” At university, she is studying Art History and belongs to the drama society. Her special skills are Imayou singing and handicrafts, and her hobbies are history and art appreciation. Her elder brother, Yuma, played the role of “Chigo,” or sacred child, on the Naginata Hoko float at the Gion Festival 15 years ago.

Dressed in a cherry-blossom pattern kimono, Ota expressed her aspirations at a press conference in a Kamigyo Ward hotel. “I am honored to take part in this fantastic festival, a holy ritual which has been passed down from the days of Emperor Kinmei. I want to do the job splendidly, and am seeking guidance from many different people to this end.”

The Saio-dai is based on Saio, a Heian Period imperial princess who served both the Kamigamo and Shimogamo shrines, and the role was revived in 1956.

(translated by Galileo, Inc.)

Last year's Saio-dai at her purification ritual

Hindu/Shinto identity

May 4, 2014 / John D. / 3 Comments

Paying respects at a shrine may simply involve compliance with convention, but does that make one a Shintoist?

Green Shinto friend Anu has written recently of the difficulties involved in defining Hinduism. The piece can be found on her blog, www.allabouthinduism.info, and comes at a time when Hindu politics are very much in the news through the likely victory in the coming election of the Hindu Nationalist BJP. The similarities with Shinto are striking, so much indeed that with a few modifications to the following article it would virtually be possible to substitute Shinto for Hinduism. It certainly gives food for thought…

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What makes a Hindu ?

I have been pondering over this question for a while. And the truth is I am struggling to come up with a clear definition. It has been equally hard to find an academic definition that works.

Simply speaking, ‘Hindu’ is a term given to and adopted by the people who lived on the other side of the Sindhu River i.e the Indian sub-continent. This is primarily a geographical definition and is both inadequate and largely irrelevant in our times. There are as many non-Hindus in India today as there are Hindus outside India.

People pay respects to the kami in different ways, but can one say they are following Shinto?

One could say a Hindu is a person who follows Hinduism. Which is true to some extent but not entirely and not as simple as it sounds. ‘Following Hinduism’ takes many forms. For under the umbrella of Hinduism there are myriad sects, traditions and schools of thought. Some shockingly different from each other yet co-existing as part of one.

For instance,while a majority of Hindus worship the extensive pantheon of gods, there is a section that worships only the nameless, formless form of God. While some believe in the non-dual aspect of God many others believe there is a fine veil that separates individual consciousness from the cosmic consciousness and the two can never truly merge.

The gods themselves look different and are called by different names across various regions. Same festivals are celebrated in various ways and traditions too have their regional differences. Even the popular mythological tales have their own regional flavour, meshed with local folklore and told in regional languages.

To make matters even more complicated, different Hindus may follow some or neither of these traditions, subscribe to some or none of these beliefs and still hold on to their Hindu Identity. Furthermore, you may be an atheist, not believe in God and still be a Hindu.

Following Shinto practices such as receiving fortune-telling slips does not necessarily make one a believer in the kami

Perhaps, a Hindu is determined by birth. Yes, that is often the case but not always. Increasingly, across the world, there are many who are not born into Hindu households yet adopt some of its tenets and consider themselves Hindus. At the same time there is no concept of conversion in Hinduism. You are a Hindu if you think you are !

With no single founder or authority at its centre, Hinduism has evolved organically over a long period of time. There is no single text laying out the rules of conduct or answers to existential or ethical questions. In fact, in Sanskrit there is no real equivalent of the word ‘religion’ [there was no word for religion in Japanese until modern times].

To give a religious identity to a group of people based on a such a diverse social system leads to stereotypical definitions. For example, Hindus follow the caste system, have several gods, believe in idol worship, are vegetarians, view cows as sacred etc, etc. All of which are true only in part. There are of course some common beliefs like karma or re-incarnation but these beliefs are not confined to Hinduism alone.

In short the Hindu identity is as complex as Hinduism itself and almost impossible to define without falling into stereotypical cliches. I personally think that for a Hindu identity stems as much from a sense of shared heritage and culture (either by birth or by choice) as it does from belonging to a religious group or praying to certain deities. Sometimes even more so.

Fushimi Inari festival

May 3, 2014 / John D. / 0 Comments

The Inari Festival (Inari sai) at Kyoto’s Fushimi Inari Shrine finished today with the return of its five mikoshi from their ‘otabisho‘, or resting place, where they have been since April 20. (The Shinko Festival held that day is when the mikoshi leave the Fushimi shrine).

The return home is known as the Kanko Festival, which consists of welcoming back the festooned trucks carrying the mikoshi, then transferring the ‘goshintai’ (sacred body of the kami) from the mikoshi and back into their respective shrines. Crowds are milling around during the event, though guards are on hand to keep people out of sacred areas.

The weather had been cloudy shortly before the event began at 4 o’clock, but it soon brightened up into one of those glorious May afternoons when you couldn’t imagine a more sparkling occasion. With the parishioners and shrine personnel decked out in their finest apparel, it was a truly joyous occasion and one that combined pageantry with a sense of tradition and spirituality.

Trucks bearing mikoshi containing the spirit-bodies of the five kami of Fushimi Inari parade around the southern part of Kyoto

The trucks bearing the mikoshi enter through the Fushimi Inari torii and are officially welcomed back

Miko prepare water for purification of those returning

Priests parade into the shrine compound and up to the main building

... followed by miko san, some with a pine hairpiece, and some with aoi (hollyhock) leaves

All under the watchful eye of the guardian fox (kitsune)

A screen is erected to shield the 'spirit-body' (goshintai) from the gaze of onlookers

The goshintai is moved under a protective covering from the mikoshi into the shrine's sanctuary

Now the mikoshi has served its purpose....

... it's time for men in white gloves to dismantle the trappings

... and take down the screen...

... Time too for a final goodbye to the rice guardian, bearing the key to the granary in its mouth

Gion festival promotion

April 30, 2014 / John D. / 0 Comments

A yamahoko band playing Gion Festival music, known as Gionbayashi, during the parade of floats.

In what must surely be a first of its kind, the Yomiuri Shimbun carries a report about the promotion of Gion Festival overseas via music concerts in Boston, USA. It’s an unexpected development in the increasing internationalisation of Shinto, and part of a trend to build greater awareness of the religion overseas

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Kyoto’s Gion festival band to hold 1st overseas concert
April 29, 2014 The Yomiuri Shimbun

For the first time in more than 1,000 years, the festive music played on yamahoko floats during Kyoto’s Gion festival will be performed overseas, when five concerts are held in Boston early next month.

Members of the band are looking forward to the performances as they believe the concerts will be a good opportunity for people abroad to learn about Japanese traditional music and sounds, according to the federation of yamahoko float-preserving associations in Kyoto.

The Naginata float takes its name from what looks like a long sword (naginata) soaring upwards above it

The band belongs to the naginata-hoko (Japanese long halberd) float, which leads the procession of floats every year. The band, known for creating the light sounds of “Kon-chiki-chin,” with a kane (bell-like Japanese gong), a flute and a drum, plays traditional music during the yamahoko parade and the Yoiyama festival, to be held on the eve of the main event.

They start practicing at the meeting places of neighborhood associations after “Kippu-iri,” held July 1-5, a ritual held before all other events related to the festival.

According to the sources, the decision to hold the concerts was made after the Japan Society of Boston, a local friendship group, approached naginata-hoko player Masataka Hata, 60, president of incense manufacturer Shoeido Incense Co. “We’d love to have a chance to experience Kyoto culture,” members of the society said.

Nineteen members of the band will visit the United States for one week starting on May 4 and give concerts at five venues, including a local public high school and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The band will perform alongside video footage of Hoko-tate, the building of floats, and a yamahoko parade.

“We hope this concert tour will encourage people overseas to come to the Gion festival,” said Tatsuya Ishiwa, 62, the leader of the band.

Musicians perched high up on one of the Gion floats, known as yamahoko

Inari website

April 30, 2014 / John D. / 4 Comments

One of the countless small Inari shrines to be found around the Japanese countryisde

The spread of Inari belief in the West has taken an important step forward with the launch of an exciting new website dedicated to the deity. It can be found at the following address: http://www.inarishrine.com/

A statue of Inari as a young fertile female

The site is still under construction, but already has some impressive features. Written by a Welsh devotee of Inari who goes by the name of Spiritfox, the site’s webpages include descriptions of Inari, information about the fox-messenger, sites dedicated to Inari outside of Japan, and a useful list of further reading.

On the webpage for Articles/Resources, there is a wealth of links to look into, some of which seem fascinating indeed. As well as the pages on Inari, there are blogs, fox-lore articles, Inari Shrine listings in Japan and a piece on combining paganism with Inari worship. The page also includes a section on Konkokyo, a Shinto sect with international branches in Korea, the US and South America. This owes itself to the spiritual background of Spiritfox (and something which Green Shinto hopes to look into in a future posting).

Still under construction are the Links page and, intriguingly, an Online Shrine page. It will be worth checking back on these again in future, but for the meantime let’s leave this venture with the site’s introduction to its central kami and its raison d’etre…

Inari (稲荷大神) is a Japanese kami from the Shinto faith of Japan. Inari has over 32,000 registered shrines and temples dedicated to her, one third of all Shinto shrines in Japan. It is said that this does not include the home shrines, roadside shrines and other small shrines in and outside of Japan which would bring the number to way over 100,000.

Fox messengers of Inari

Inari is associated with many other deities in both Shinto and Buddhism; mainly food deities. Inari is mainly associated with various manifestations of the Hindu deity Dakini or Dakiniten (荼枳尼天), who is associated with Daikoku-ten (大黒天), the Hindu God of Five Cereals. In Japan, Daikoku-ten is one of Japan’s Seven Lucky Gods and the luck-bringing protector of the Earth, farming and farmers, business and general good luck. Daikoku imagery in Japan is also identified with the mythical Shinto figure O-kuninushi-no-Mikoto (大国主命, translated as ‘Prince Plenty’ or ‘Prince Ruddy Plenty’), another deity of rice.

The entrance to an Inari shrine is usually marked by one or more red torii and some statues of kitsune (Spirit/magical foxes), which are often adorned with red yodarekake (votive bibs) by worshippers out of respect. This red colour has come to be associated with Inari because of the prevalence of its use among Inari shrines and their torii.

The main shrine is the Fushimi Inari shrine in Fushimi, Kyoto, where the paths up to this shrine hill are marked in this fashion. The kitsune statues are at times taken for a form of Inari, and they typically come in pairs, representing a male and a female. These fox statues hold a symbolic item in their mouths or beneath a front paw – most often a jewel and a key, but a sheaf of rice, a scroll, or a fox cub are also common.

Inari is also worshiped in Buddhism, though she is represented as female or androgynous and referred to as Dakiniten. In this form she is a Bodhisattva and rides upon a flying white fox.

Inari shrines in Japan are characterised by their red torii