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Santa Claus link?

June 11, 2014 / John D. / 0 Comments

The deer statue at Kyoto's Yoshida Shrine, with a message from the kami - relative to the gift-bearing reindeer of Santa Claus?

When one thinks of deer in Japan, one thinks naturally of Nara Park and the connection of the animal with the Fujiwara clan, for whom it was a sacred animal. One of the clan’s founding kami, Takemikazuchi no mikoto, arrived there in 768 from Kashima (Ibaraki Prefecture) riding a white deer, and from that point the animal was considered sacred.

A deer enjoys the sanctuary of Kasuga Taisha in Nara

During some recent reading I happened upon the reindeer Tungus clan of Manchuria. They not only herded the animals, but rode them and milked them. Interestingly, the Northern Tungus sacrificed deer to their gods (sometimes substituting horses), and in their folklore a large white deer was thought to carry clansmen to the ‘other river world’. It was under their influence that reindeer herding spread west with the Samoyeds to the people of the Urals and on to the Lapps.

It is of course from Lapland that the shamanic figure of Father Christmas comes, flying in mystic fashion across the skies with his sled and reindeer. The animal would have once aided shamanic flight into a different dimension of reality, and in later centuries this became co-opted by Christian teaching to provide a message of warmth in the bleak midwinter. The birth of the new year was symbolised in the birth of the baby Jesus, and pagan celebrations to overcome the cold were made into a time of gift-giving for a saviour figure.

Now here’s an intriguing thought: could aspects of the Tungus deer cult have travelled with migration into the Korean peninsula, playing a part in the Fujiwara clan mythology? It would certainly fit in with the wider picture of continental culture moving down the peninsula and into Japan. Both Yayoi and Yamato culture most likely derived from Korea.

It’s a strange thought, but perhaps the deer that nestles at the Fujiwara shrine of Yoshida Jinja, near to where I’m writing these words, is connected to the flying reindeer that sped across the skies in my childhood imagination. Shamanic in origin, the power animal has become associated with religions on opposite sides of the world. In one case the creature pulls a sled, and in the other it serves as vehicle for the kami – deer spirits that speak to the shamanic roots of religion everywhere.

Could this docile deer in Nara Park be related in mythological terms to Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer?

Japan’s foreign priest

June 11, 2014 / John D. / 1 Comment

Shinto priest, Florian Wiltschko (source unknown)

Green Shinto has carried an article on Japan’s first full-time foreign priest before. Now the young Austrian, Florian Wiltschko, has featured in a Japan Times article. Clarification should be made here that, contrary to the news report, he is not the first foreigner to qualify and work as a Shinto priest in Japan (see here and here for predecessors). He is, however, the first foreigner to go through the officially licensed Jinja Honcho qualification process and get a full-time job at a Jinja Honcho shrine.

Reference to the ‘blue-eyed priest’ brings to mind the ‘blue-eyed samurai’ Will Adams, who was also a pioneering figure and fluent in Japanese. But whereas Will Adams was the only ever Western samurai, the expectations are that Wiltschko will be followed by others. Nonetheless his dedication, determination and fluency in Japanese are an indication that his trailblazing will be no easy act to follow.

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Florian Wiltschko, priest at Konno Hachimangu in Shibuya, downtown Tokyo (Photo Mami Maruko)

Blue-eyed Austrian finds calling at shrine
27-year-old Florian Wiltschko is Japan’s first foreign Shinto priest
BY MAMI MARUKO Japan Times JUN 10, 2014

Walking through the torii, or gateway, to the quiet and serene Konnoh Hachimangu Shrine in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward — minutes away from the hustle and bustle of Shibuya’s main “scramble crossing” — and being welcomed by a blond and blue-eyed Shinto priest seems almost surreal.

But once Florian Wiltschko starts talking, it is easy to forget that he is an Austrian, and that he started his career at the shrine two years ago. “It was a calling,” says Wiltschko, a “gonnegi,” or priest, in a clear-toned voice.

Wiltschko, 27, is the first foreigner in Japan to become a Shinto priest. “Walking this path (of Shintoism) has not been so easy, but there are many more days when I feel unparalleled joy in having chosen this job, and being able to continue this job,” he says in fluent Japanese.

Although Wiltschko put a lot of time, energy and study into becoming a priest, he says he didn’t intend to become one at first but the idea came quite naturally to him. Born and raised in Linz, the third biggest town in Austria, Wiltschko had no connection to Japan at all before paying his first visit to the country in 2002, at age 15, when he accompanied his father, a geography teacher, on a sightseeing tour.

During his first visit, he bought a Shinto altar because he thought it was an interesting object, and installed it in his home back in Austria. That altar, he says, was the beginning of his connection to Shintoism. “I would pray every day at the altar, and that made me feel closer to Shintoism,” he recalled.

Taking more interest in Japan and reading many books about its history, culture and literature, he returned to visit several more times, and gradually became more intrigued with the world of Shintoism. After graduating from high school in his hometown, he served in the army for nine months, and then came to Japan to serve an apprenticeship at a shrine in Aichi Prefecture.

"While it may not be much to look at now, Konno Hachimangu shrine was once the site of the household that’s believed to give the area its name: the Shibuya family." (Caption and photo by Time Out Tokyo)

He then went back to Austria to study Japanology at the University of Vienna, where he read a lot of books on the country, including Kojiki (“Records of Ancient Matters”), which he read in its original form, in Japanese. He later returned to Japan to study Shintoism at Kokugakuin University in Tokyo. “I chose this route, because I heard this was the fastest way to take up Shintoism as a career,” Wiltschko says.

Immediately after graduating, he began working at Konnoh Hachimangu Shrine, which is run by the family of a former classmate of his at Kokugakuin. He says his parents have always been supportive, never judging or questioning his choice to become a Shinto priest.

As their only child, he imagines that his parents must have been worried that he lived so far away. But having seen their son work contentedly as a priest, he says they are now happy for him. “I try to visit Austria from time to time, but whenever I plan something, my parents come to visit me in Japan instead,” he says, laughing, adding that during his parents’ last visit, they saw the place where he was living and working at the shrine and they seemed to be relieved that he had found such a nice environment, surrounded by kind colleagues.

Wiltschko wakes up at 5:30 a.m. along with his fellow priests and does chores around the shrine, such as cleaning the rooms and the grounds, and preparing breakfast to offer at the altar. During the day, he offers different kinds of “matsuri,” or festivals, at the shrine.

Sweeping the shrine and grounds is part of a priest's duties, as are making the daily offerings to the kami

“Humans can live peacefully, because “hachiman sama” (deity) is always beside us. One of my biggest roles as a Shinto priest is to protect this place, so that people who visit the shrine can feel close to this land’s deity. We make every effort to keep the place clean, bright, and refreshing,” he says.

That is why the young priest laments the fact that some Japanese don’t care to worship and give a prayer to the guardian deity when they visit the shrine. “Some people just stop by at the shrine to have tobacco or a bento (boxed lunch), which is very sad,” he says, adding that he would like the Japanese to regain their common sense and conscience to protect and live in harmony with nature, which is deeply embedded in its culture.

Noting the shrine’s long history — 923 years — he says that it might be “an ideal environment, where the traditional spirit of Japan can still be encountered. “I feel grateful to be here. I do have an iPhone, but I can feel and go back to nature whenever I clean up the place,” he says.

Wiltschko is often asked why he doesn’t attain Japanese citizenship because of his devoted attitude toward his career and fluent Japanese, he says. But he doesn’t place any importance on nationality, and thus changing nationality doesn’t mean anything to him.

Although his colleagues jokingly tell him “today your eyes are blue as usual,” he says he normally doesn’t have any consciousness that he’s Austrian, especially in an environment where “no one talks about nationality.” He says he will continue to be a Shinto priest for the rest of his life.

“I look forward to finding out what I can do with my career in the future. Perhaps I can nurture or educate the next generation through my career and activities at the shrine,” he says. “I don’t have any grandiose vision, like I want to change Japanese society or the shrine or something,” Wiltschko says. “But I just want to devote myself to my career, enjoy the process of developing as a human being, and see where I end up.”

Iki, Island of Shrines

June 7, 2014 / John D. / 0 Comments

Monkey magic: Saruiwa (Monkey Rock) is a jagged offshore rock resembling a monkey that the gods used
to “peg” Iki Island in place. (Photo Edan Corkill)

I stopped off once briefly at Iki while island hopping my way from Korea to Japan. There are ferries that go direct between Busan and Fukuoka (Hakata Port), but there are also ferries that stop at Tsushima, close to Korea, then at Iki, closer to Japan.

I didn’t stay long on Iki because I was in a hurry to get on with my journey into the Kyushu mythology of the Kojiki. However, an article in the Japan Times yesterday suggested that I should have. It has one of the largest concentrations of shrines in Japan. Because of its strategic position, it was an important place for stopping off for trade and diplomatic missions between Japan and the continent. And it’s mentioned in the mythology as one of the eight original islands of Japan.

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Iki Island: the stones and stories that keep paradise from floating away
BY EDAN CORKILL

Despite its picturesque, rocky coastline, Iki’s geography is characterized by gently rolling hills — the highest peak reaches just 212 meters.

Architect Kisho Kurokawa took advantage of this landscape when designing the Iki City Ikikoku Museum, which appears to be dug into one such hill. Opened in 2010 (Kurokawa died in 2007, before it was completed), the building is located in Iki’s southeastern corner, about 20 minutes drive south of Ashibe Port. With grass laid over even the top of some of the structure, it would almost be invisible, but for a lighthouse-like observation tower that juts out from the top and, on a clear day, offers views over most of the island.

The museum was built to house Iki’s many prehistoric artifacts. Because of its location between the Chinese mainland and Japan, Iki has long been a stop-off point for traders, and a vibrant human community has existed there for at least 4,000 years.

One of the museum’s key attractions is a series of highly detailed scale models of an Iki village during the Yayoi Period (200 B.C. to A.D. 250). Some of the models are several meters long, and they detail such activities as fishing, trading, playing, hunting and fortunetelling. Many of the characters move at the push of a button and, extraordinarily, all of their faces have been modeled on the faces of contemporary Iki residents.

The museum also houses many artifacts from the slightly later Kofun Period (250-552), which were unearthed at large burial mounds (called kofun) that dot the Iki landscape. These include impressive ornaments for saddles, bridles and stirrups, and also decorative sword handles.

Once you’ve poured over the kofun’s former contents at the museum, you can also stop by the kofun themselves and, in some cases, actually crawl inside.

Kakegi Kofun, which is located in central Iki, appears to be an almost perfect dome — resembling a grass-covered igloo. Entering from a low stone-framed doorway at one side, visitors can move through three separate vaults, each constructed from giant stone slabs. While there is nothing left inside, it is possible to see the stone “coffin” where the body of an ancient Iki citizen — evidently one of nobility or wealth, considering the grandeur of his burial arrangements — once lay.

The primal pair, Izanagii and Izanami, gave birth to eight islands (eight as a number meaning 'a lot' in ancient times). Seven of the islands are strung around the south-west of Honshu, which was the eighth, and were significant as being on sailing routes for the Yamato clan.

Iki has many other attractions of a spiritual nature. In fact the island has a particularly important place in Japan’s Shinto religion. According to the nation’s creation myth, the god-couple of Izanagi no Mikoto and Izanami no Mikoto had eight children, each of whom became the eight “major” islands of the archipelago and, sure enough, Iki was one of them. In fact, as the story goes, little Iki is the older sibling even to Honshu, which is of course now home to Tokyo and more than 100 million people. (For the record, Awaji came first, then Shikoku, Oki, Kyushu, Iki, Tsushima, Sado and Honshu.)

Now the island has one of the greatest concentrations of Shinto shrines (jinja), with 150 in total registered and many more unregistered.

One of the most prominent of the registered jinja is Kojima Shrine, which some have dubbed Iki’s Mont Saint-Michel, because it is situated on a small island that is linked to the main island (in the south) by a thin isthmus that disappears at high tide.

Locals say that not only is the small wooden shrine on the dome-shaped island’s peak sacred, but the island itself is sacred, bestowing good fortune in love to those who visit. But woe betide any traveler who decides to take a branch or rock from the island as a souvenir — misfortune will befall them, the locals warn.

A collection of Jizo at Rokkakudo in Kyoto

Also connected to religious beliefs are seven little jizō (stone statues of a Buddhist deity) that are lined up on a semisubmerged stone plinth at Ashibe, in the island’s east. The Harahoge Jizo, as they are known, are curious because of the small holes in their stomachs. Dozens of stories are told as to why these little beings ended up like this — the holes might have been made to place offerings for ama (diving women) who died at sea — but what is certain is that the little statues like their watery home.

Citing conservation concerns, the local government moved them to dry ground a few years ago, only to be flooded with complaints from elderly locals saying that the jizo had visited them in their dreams asking to be returned to the water. The government complied.

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Getting there: Ferries and Jetfoils run daily from Hakata Port in Fukuoka to Iki Island (travel time by ferry is two hours 15 minutes). Iki -> Tsushima: 2 hours by ferry. Daily flights also operate from Nagasaki Airport to Iki Airport.

One way prices:
Hakata -> Iki, 3720yen first class, second 2670yen, ordinary 1870yen
Hakata -> Tsushima, 7160yen first class, second 5240yen, ordinary 3580yen

ARC at Shimogamo

June 5, 2014 / John D. / 1 Comment

ARC's interfaith delegation pay respects at Kyoto's Shimogamo Jinja

Following the historic conference at Ise Jingu, members of ARC (Alliance of Religions and Conservation) were taken on a tour of Shimogamo Shrine in Kyoto, a World Heritage site. The shrine dates back to a time before Kyoto was founded in 794, and in its precincts is a wooded area the size of three baseball grounds which constitutes a remnant of the original primeval forest that once covered the Kyoto basin.

A Shimogamo priest explains the thinking behind Shinto's sacred trees

A young priest from Shimogamo guided the international group (7 different faiths) around the grounds, explaining how Shinto originated as nature worship and only later put up buildings to house the kami. Special trees were thought to be inhabited by kami, he explained, as the group paused beneath a particularly old and grand specimen. Another sacred tree he pointed out had been struck by lightning, thought to be a divine spark from the heavens.

Inside the shrine the priest explained that the outer perimeter was painted vermilion red, a sacred colour that showed power and warded off evil spirits. It also helped protect the wood. The buildings inside are in bare wood, more fragile, and being natural, closer to the kami.

After a demonstration of how to pay respects, the priest led us into a separate compound where we were treated to a display of the junitoe (12-layered ceremonial robes) worn by Heian noblewomen on ceremonial occasions. Twelve was just a figure to suggest many, and the number of layers is not necessarily twelve at all. In fact, the demonstration put on for the group consisted of ten layers, and at one time there had been as many as thirty as courtesans vied with each other to show their status. (It was only possible to wear that many layers in winter, and as they weighed up to as much as fifty kilos there was not much walking around!)

Afterwards the group was invited to pose with the white-faced and multi-layered model, causing a confused melée. Were the kami entertained? I’m sure they must have raised an eyebrow or two at scenes the likes of which they had surely never seen before. Emperor Komei famously came to Shimogamo Jinja in 1863 to pray that foreign barbarians should not be allowed to darken the sacred soil of Japan. The times they are a-changing!

Explaining why the outer precinct is painted vermilion red, an auspicious colour which originated in China

The beginning of the twelve-layered kimono (junitoe) demonstration, with the model in her 'underclothes'

On goes one of the twelve layers. The woman doing the dressing at the front can never stand up on a level with the imperial princess.

The outer layers have higher status denoted by the emblems with which they are decorated.

The stunning final outfit, complete with fan. The ensemble has to be carefully coordinated in colour terms to match the high standards of Heian aesthetics.

Group pose – not the typical everyday scene at a shrine!

Ise renewal

June 4, 2014 / John D. / 1 Comment

One of the newly built structures, a loghouse rice granary, similar in style to the main shrine building

Visiting Ise in the year after the shikinen sengu cycle of renewal is supposed to be particularly auspicious. The timing of the international meeting this week on conservation held by Jingu Honcho and ARC (Alliance of Religions and Conservation) was thus deliberate and part of the congratulatory celebrations of a successful outcome to last year’s rebuilding of the shrine.

Even the white rooster, loyal servant of the Sun Goddess, looks pure and fresh

There have been doubts in postwar years as to the viability of the enormously expensive operation, in which some 10,000 cypress trees are cut down. There have been questions too about the sustainability. In addition, the craftsmen needed to make the thousands of offerings are increasingly hard to find.

However, with the attendance last autumn of prime minister Abe and his cabinet at the cycle’s climax when Amaterasu’s mirror was moved to its new shrine, there has come a renewed focus on the centrality of Ise to the nation. Now there is a feeling that continuation of the ancient tradition is secured.

Walking around the shrine, there is a sense of new beginnings. ‘You will feel refreshed,’ said the head priest, and it certainly felt as if there was a life-giving fragrance in the air. The pristine wood of bridge and shrine was smooth to the touch and a fine example of the perfection of Japanese craftsmanship.

To my surprise, on wandering over the newly restored bridge I found, however, that one of the many subshrines (125 in all) had not yet been rebuilt, for next to it was a covered construction site for the new shrine. How come? As I pondered the matter, a helpful guard came out and told me that the rebuilding started from the central shrine buildings and worked downwards and outwards. In fact, the rebuilding of small shrines will go on until next year. The focus, however, is very much on the removal of the ‘body spirit’ (goshintai) of Amaterasu omikami to her new home. With the rehousing of the Sun Goddess comes renewal of the nation at large.

A newly built bridge to transport one into a refreshing world of nature and renewal...

... yet on the far side is a shrine whose replacement is clearly still under construction, though the shikinen sengu cycle is said to have been completed.

Major breakthrough

June 4, 2014 / John D. / 0 Comments

Representatives of Daoism, Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Confucianism and Sikhism pose at ise Jingu

Historic firsts were recorded at a major event held jointly by Jinja Honcho (Association of Shrines) and the Alliance of Religions and Conservation, based in the UK. The venue was the Jinja Kaikan at Ise Jingu, and part of the proceedings involved a parade representing eight different global faiths to Japan’s premier shrine to pay respects to the Sun Goddess.

Iwahashi san of the International Department of Jingu Honcho, one of the prime movers behind the event

The event formed part of the celebrations for the shikinen sengu process of renewal, which reached its climax last year in a ceremony to move the ‘spirit body’ (goshintai) of the Sun Goddess to her new shrine.

The title of the conference was Tradition for the Future: Culture, Faith and Values for a Sustainable Planet. In addition to plenary speeches, there were discussion groups and a symposium attended by over 700 priests involving speeches by Princess Akiko, the chief priest of Ise Jingu, and the patriarch of Shingon Buddhism.

An impressive assortment of dignitaries attended during the three days of the conference including the president of Jinja Honcho, the head of Ise Jingu, the deputy Minister of the Environment, the governor of Mie Prefecture, the deputy mayor of Ise, the British Ambassador and a representative from the UN (the talks are intended to feed into its Sustainable Development Goals programme currently under consideration).

This was an exceptional gathering in every sense, and with simultaneous translation, welcoming of other faiths, and commitment to international collaboration, it marked a significant step for organisations such as Ise Jingu and Jinja Honcho. It showed quite clearly that conservation is firmly on the agenda for Shinto, and hopefully the talks here will carry over into specific action and lead in time to a change in mindset. Over the coming days Green Shinto will be carrying more detailed reports about this exciting development.

The Main Hall of Jingu Kaikan fills up with international delegates at the front, and behind them some 500 Shinto priests who had come from all parts of the country to hear talks by Princess Akiko, the Deputy Minister of the Environment, and the head of Koyasan, the Chief Patriarch of Shingon Buddhism.

Participants descending the steps after paying respects at Naiku to the Sun Goddess. At the front is the patriarch of Shingon Buddhism, followed by others in religious garb. It's thought that such a diverse grouping of world faiths may constitute a first for a visit to pay respects in the outer compound at Naiku.

Greening Shinto

June 1, 2014 / John D. / 5 Comments

On the eve of a major international conference devoted to Shinto and conservation, it’s pertinent to consider the implications of this breakthrough event and how vital it is to the future of Japan’s indigenous faith.

‘Greenwashing‘ is when a company or organisation seeks to gain advantage by falsely claiming that it is committed to green policies. It’s become so fashionable that every big environment-destroying multinational has jumped on the bandwagon. Even McDonald’s does it. But recycling paper plates while levelling huge areas of forest to feed corpulent carnivores is hardly likely to save the planet.

'It's good I'm Japanese' says a Jinja Honcho poster identifying with the risiing sun, symbol both of Japan and Amaterasu, the imperial ancestor

Jinja Honcho’s partnership with the prestigious international ARC (Alliance of Religions and Conservation) brings Shinto much kudos, for it becomes one of only 11 religions to hold such status. Even though it is all but restricted to one country, it becomes elevated thereby to global status. Yet though it benefits from the partnership, its record on green affairs raises serious questions.

In their book A New History of Shinto, leading scholars Mark Teeuwen and John Breen point out that while there is much in Jinja Honcho English-language literature about being a nature religion, this is downplayed in its Japanese-language literature. Moreover, its actions often point to other priorities, giving rise to a concern about greenwashing.

It may seem strange to question the commitment of an organisation representing an animist religion, but Shinto isn’t simply animist. It’s a religion of ancestor worship too. At a national level, this is expressed through worship of imperial ancestors, which means that it can become fiercely patriotic and centered around loyalty to the emperor. Expert observers like Lafcadio Hearn and Ponsonby Fane noted this long before WW2. Others, like Ian Reader, describe Shinto as a ‘religion of Japaneseness’ for this very reason.

The marriage of animism and ancestor worship finds supreme outlet at Japan’s premier Shinto shrine, Ise Jingu. Does it derive its primacy from being the seat of the Sun Goddess, Amaterasu ōmikam? Or does it derive its primacy from being the seat of the ancestral founder of the imperial line?

A Jinja Honcho poster showing hands in prayer to a talisman of Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess. Can we expect to see expensive campaigns in future promoting conservation issues?

The short answer is both, for ancestral and animist spirits have been conflated since ancient times. However, ever since the Meiji Restoration in 1868 an ideology has been in place to privilege the emperor and his lineage. That policy continues today in Jinja Honcho’s emperor-centred policy of promoting and funding the imperial shrine through a campaign of selling Ise taima (tailsman). This aims to raise awareness and money for the seat of the imperial ancestor. (At least half of the shrine’s income is said to derive from the sale of taima.)

While it is common to see Jinja Honcho posters promoting patriotism and the importance of Ise, I have never seen a single poster promoting conservation and commitment to green values. In addition, the semi-official publication Jinja Shinpō constantly carries pro-imperial articles and arguments in favour of defending Japanese interests, while at the same time belittling green issues and urging priests to be anti-animal rights (see page 6 of the contents listed here).

Can an organisation be anti-animal rights yet pro-conservation? In a paper for the Club of Rome, Martin Palmer of ARC has written: “The growth in concern about animal welfare is a recognition that other creatures have consciousness and is part of a return to an ethos that we are part of nature not apart from nature.”

Shinto thus stands at a crossroads. Is it part of a universal ethos based on being a part of nature? Or is it a particularist religion based on being apart from others? Is it going to devote its main efforts to boosting the imperial seat at Ise, or is it going to throw its resources behind the cause of conservation?

Near where I live in Kyoto, an attractive shrine along the grounds of Gosho (Former Imperial Palace) has engaged in a major piece of environmental destruction by cutting down trees immediately in front of its torii and clearing the ground to build a large, expensive apartment block (see photos below). This has no doubt been done to ensure the financial security of the shrine in a secular age.

'Let's pray at Ise' says this Jinja Honcho sponsored slogan, part of a concerted campaign to direct shrine visitors thoughout Japan to focus on the seat of the imperial ancestor.

But if Jinja Honcho was seriously concerned with conservation, surely it would be helping shrines like Nashinoki Jinja protect rather than destroy their green surrounds. Unfortunately this appears not to rank on Jinja Honcho’s list of priorities, however, because the whole set-up is directed towards taking money from small local shrines and funnelling it towards promoting the imperial cause. Small shrines suffer at the expense of the Ise taima campaign.

Why has there been no Shinto voicing of support for conservation and green issues? Why has Jinja Honcho not been a leading spokesman against the wide-scale destruction of the environment carried out by successive Japanese governments?

According to the horrific portrait of environmental damage in Alex Kerr’s Dogs and Demons, Japan uses more than four times as much concrete as the whole of the US – yes, the whole of the US (Japan is less than the size of California)!! All but one of the major rivers have been dammed, 60% of the coastline covered in blocks, and huge public works (not always necessary) litter the countryside.

One reason why Jinja Honcho has not spoken out is because of its close alliance to the political party responsible for all this: the LDP (Liberal Democratic Party). The right-wing, construction-friendly orientation of the party means placing profit before conservation, and political interests above the interests of nature. Because of its nationalist orientation, official Shinto has thus largely ignored conservation concerns.

The woods at Shimogamo Jinja in Kyoto offer a shining example of the work that Shinto shrines can do with their sacred groves

An example of the bias is given in A New History of Shinto (page 209), in which it is revealed that the first ever editorial in Jinja Shinpo concerning the environment only appeared in 2008 (why so late?). The editorial focussed on a need to protect shrine groves, not for ecological reasons but because they were able to foster in children a love of community and thus a patriotic love of Japan. Moreover, the woods were declared to be a means of restoring a sense of pure Japanese ethics and undoing 60 years of malign Western influence. What would ARC think of that?

One sees then that the collaboration between Jinja Honcho and ARC has enormous consequences, which could in time lead to a serious reevaluation of values. That is what makes this conference so exciting. Will the Association of Shrines continue looking to the past, reaffirming the structures of the Meiji Restoration and struggling with the legacy of WW2? Or will it look forward into the twenty-first century by committing itself to a genuine policy of conservation based on universal and animist values?

This blog has noted on several previous occasions that there are significant signs of green awareness by shrines and shrine priests. The Shasou Gakkai is a prime example, documented in a list of five green developments by Aike Rots here. In addition, in a most welcome recent development Jinja Honcho made a pledge to purchase timber for its shrines only from sustainably managed forests.

Shimogamo Shrine next to where I live has a shining example of conservation in its Tadasu no mori primal woodland. Moreover, Kifune Shrine just north of Kyoto says this in its shrine literature: ‘It is a shame that Japanese people seem to have lost their appreciation and respect for nature. Isn’t it time for the people of Japan to reclaim this special ‘Japanese spirit’ that was previously exhibited long ago? It is the hope of Kifune Shrine people all over the world will become aware of this ‘Japanese spirit’ and once again become involved in protecting our precious environment.’ (interesting attempt to combine particularism with universalism there!)

The time is thus ripe for a new Restoration. A Restoration of genuine animism, in which the Earth is treated as sacred and not as a commodity. Green Shinto has no doubt about where it stands. How about Jinja Honcho? This is what I hope to investigate over the coming two days.

Nashinoki Jinja in Kyoto is dedicated to heroes of the Sonno Joi movement (Respect the Emperor, Expel the Barbarians). It looks like a perfect match of ancestral spirits with animism...

... but it's sold off the wooded area directly in front of the torii, which has been cleared and concreted over to construct an exclusive apartment block. Can Shinto change to be a religion of conservation?

A religion of conservation, or (notice the flag) a religion of Japaneseness?