Kyoto is an extraordinarily busy place. No sooner has the busy shrine-going of New Year finished than the city is immersed in activities for Toka Ebisu (on the tenth day of the year). Ebisu is one of the most popular … Read the rest
Category: Folklore (Page 3 of 6)
Shrines and temples offer contact with Japan’s superb folk spirituality (by Kevin Short)
By Kevin Short / Special to The Japan News
As readers of this column know all too well, I am a great fan and
Japan’s central myth is that Amaterasu, the sun-goddess, retired to a Rock Cave after the upsetting antics of her brother, Susanoo. As a result the world was deprived of her radiant light. Some have interpreted this as a reference to … Read the rest
Recently publications about yōkai are prevalent, but what are they exactly? The answer seems to be rather vague. Here’s Wikipedia’s answer: “a class of supernatural monsters, spirits and demons in Japanese folklore. The word yōkai is made up … Read the rest
What raised Hearn above his contemporaries was the power of his pen. Like most people, I had never heard of Hearn before coming to Japan, and it’s no doubt true to say that because he wrote favourably of the Japanese … Read the rest
My local station (Demachiyanagi in Kyoto) has put up this attractive looking arrangement next to its information rack. What’s that all about your may wonder? Well, thereby hangs a tale of star-crossed lovers…
Seven is a magic number, and double … Read the rest
Fushimi Inari is of such importance that an understanding of its role is essential for anyone interested in Japanese religion and culture. Unusually amongst the major shrines, its kami is not an ancestor or relative of the emperor. It’s rather … Read the rest