The midsummer season of purification is upon us, and Kyoto today will see several ceremonies involving the chinowa purification circle made of grass. The photo above features a chinowa erected at the entrance to a Japanese restaurant in the heart … Read the rest
Category: Japanese culture (Page 11 of 19)
Green Shinto has posted recently on the financial woes of certain shrines in Kyoto. The terrible state of Shimogoryo Jinja was noted. The decision of Shimogamo Jinja to build an apartment block next to the sacred woods of Tadasu … Read the rest
The sixth-century Hata no Kawakatsu was one of the key figures of his time. He was an influential ally of the devout Buddhist Prince Shōtoku, credited with the spread of the new religion in Japan. As a member of the … Read the rest
In an article on the nippon.com website, religious scholar Yamaori Tetsuo puts forward his concept of a tripartite Shinto in historical terms. First was ancient Shinto, characterised by animist beliefs in a period with which many of us … Read the rest
Shinto and Japaneseness are closely intertwined. Indeed, scholars such as Ian Reader have described Shinto precisely as a religion of Japaneseness. Not only are Shinto values fundamental to the culture, but it’s often difficult to separate the two. For … Read the rest
In an interesting article on the net, religious scholar Shimada Hiromi examines the religious boom which has been evident among young Japanese in recent years. Personally I attribute much of this to the increase in nationalist sentiment, as a … Read the rest
Green Shinto is delighted to present a learned article by Australian academic, Jann Williams, who has been exploring the use of elements in Japan. In the article below, she looks in particular at why Shinto uses certain colours for … Read the rest