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Shrines 3) Main items

February 22, 2014 / John D. / 0 Comments

The splendid romon gate entrance of Imamiya Jinja in Kyoto

This is Part 3 of a series extracted from the Introduction to Shinto Shrines by Joseph Cali and John Dougill. The following is a list of the main physical items that are found at a shrine and its environs.

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Torii: A torii marks a place as sacred. The origins of the torii are obscure, but a type of torii is mentioned in the Kojiki (712) as a bird perch in the story of the Heavenly Rock Cave. The Chinese characters used for torii have this meaning of “bird perch.” There are a number of styles and materials, but whatever the type the torii is the clearest indication of the existence of a jinja.

Typical dragon spout at a shrine water basin

Sando: The path that leads to the main shrine and through the shrine grounds, usually beginning from the first torii.

Temizuya: A water font and basin placed somewhere to the front of the shrine building, used to perform ritual ablution in the form of cleaning the hands and rinsing the mouth. Usually composed of a stone basin, a font—often in the shape of a dragon (a water deity)—dippers to extract the water, and a roof covering the basin.

Romon: This is a two-story, roofed gate in front of the main shrine that acts as a formal entrance to the area. The style was originally used for Buddhist temples, but it became common at shrines, especially at the larger ones. Though it seems to be two stories in height, it is actually a single-story structure, usually with a shallow balcony surrounding the structure where the second floor would be. It has a hip-and-gable roof covered in cedar bark, copper or ceramic tile. In Buddhist temples, fierce-looking guardian deities (nio) stand in the boxes. In Shinto shrines, the lower half of the box acts as a stand for the figures, which are usually seated archers in Heian dress called zuijin (such gates are also called zuijinmon).

Honden: The primary shrine building is called the honden (main hall or sanctuary), which is where the sacred object of worship (goshintai) is housed. It is the most sacred space within the shrine because it is where the kami resides or descends. The interior varies in layout depending on the style, but it always contains an inner sanctuary (naijin) that is the kami seat (shinza), and an outer sanctuary (gejin). The naijin is never open to entry or viewing other than by the chief priest or on special occasions (such as when a building is to be renewed and the goshintai has been removed). The honden is usually surrounded by a sacred fence (tamagaki), the area within which is considered purified ground and usually covered with white gravel.

Bell rope and offertory box at the Tsubaki Grand Shrine of America

Goshintai: The goshintai (or just shintai: go is an honorific) is an object of veneration contained within every shrine. It is an object into which the kami has descended, or into which it is invited. The shintai is contained within the honden and is never seen by anyone other than the chief priest of the shrine (guji). In some cases, it has not been seen by anyone for hundreds of years and even the chief priest does not know for sure what it is. It is known from records of enshrinements that the shintai can be either man-made or natural, and examples include mirrors, magatama (beads), swords, paintings, stones, and sculptures.

Haiden: The hall of worship or oratory, which is often the building that is most prominent when entering the shrine grounds. It stands immediately in front of the honden and is usually larger—thereby obscuring the view. The building is used for ceremonies and worship of the shrine’s kami. It is also the place where visitors engage in rituals in conjunction with a priest. The haiden may be connected to the honden behind it by a covered corridor or offering hall (see below).

Heiden: A structure for making offerings, placed between the honden and haiden. In some cases, the heiden is an independent building, and in others it is only a connecting corridor. For the most part, it is used for the performance of rituals, sometimes of a higher order than those conducted at the haiden.

Saisenbako: An offering box with a screened top, into which worshippers toss money. The box stands at the entrance to the haiden (hall of worship), or directly in front of the honden if no haiden exists. It is the first thing the worshipper attends to before prayer. Donation amounts are not fixed and are usually a few coins ranging from one to ten dollars (¥100 to ¥1,000).

Waniguchi or suzu: Types of bell attached to a thick rope and hung directly over the offering box. The worshipper shakes the rope to ring the bell after money has been deposited in the offering box. The purpose is to call the attention of the kami before offering a prayer. The waniguchi style of bell often has a slit along the bottom and so resembles an alligator’s mouth (wani means alligator). It may have originated at shugendo mountain temples.

Bell ropes, offertory box, and open doors indicate this is a Worship Hall (haiden). The honden where the kami resides is smaller, on a higher level and at the back of the building.

Ujigami Jinja outside Kyoto has the oldest standing honden in the whole of Japan, dating back to around 1060 and a World Heritage Site

The romon at Kamigamo Jinja, also part of a World Heritage complex

A zuijin guardian who sits in the bottom part of the romon gate

Shinto weddings

February 21, 2014 / John D. / 0 Comments

The following is adapted from a paper by John Breen entitled ‘A brief history of Amaterasu in Tokyo’. (For those living in Kyoto, he’ll be giving a talk next Tuesday, Feb 25, on ‘Amaterasu’s progress: on Ise, its priests and patrons in post-war Japan”.)

As with Victorian Britain, Meiji Japan was a time of ‘invented traditions’, not least in Shinto terms, and in the piece below John Breen spells out the development of Shinto weddings.

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In May 1900, Crown Prince Yoshihito and Kujō Sadako exchanged vows before Amaterasu in the kashikodokoro [in the Imperial Palace, Tokyo]. This was a first; the event was widely reported in the media and it created a stir. It inspired priests at the Hibiya Daijingū [also dedicated to Amaterasu] to invent, and promote, their own brand of shinzen kekkon, or ‘Shinto’ wedding.

It is a testament, perhaps, to the popular appeal of these weddings that Natsume Sōseki has two characters in his 1913 novel Kōjin (Wayfarer) marry in the Hibiya Daijingū. Statistics for the earliest period are not extant but, by the end of Taisho, the shrine was performing some 1,400 ‘Shinto weddings’ a year.

Tokyo Daijingu, successor to Hibiya Daijingu, has acquired a reputation amongst women as a 'power spot' with a special love connection

The vast majority of couples opting for this fashionable new ‘Shinto’ wedding in Taisho and Showa were not, however, of lowly status like Sōseki’s Sano and Sada. Rather, they were the elite of Tokyo society: university professors, military men and government bureaucrats. It was really only in the post-war period that ‘Shinto’ weddings, pioneered by the Hibiya Daijingū, became the norm for the citizens of Tokyo.

What, then, of the fortunes of the Daijingū? Well, the shrine was destroyed in the Tokyo earthquake [1923], and rebuilt as the Tokyo Daijingu in Iidabashi where it stands today. At the start of the 21st century, the shrine appears to be thriving. The shrine’s tradition of weddings has earned it a reputation for working wonders in the realm of en-musubi, that is, aiding the lonely find a lover or a husband or – far less frequently – a wife. Over 90% of visitors to the shrine today are, in fact, young women seeking divine assistance of this sort. The shrine sells a vast array of goods, designed to effect wish-fulfilment.

These qualities have recently earned the shrine widespread recognition as a ‘power spot’. As such, it has featured in magazines and in books, too, like Tōkyō pawa- supotto gaido (Guide to Tokyo Power Spots)… [In a national survey on Japanese religion] 53.8% of university students surveyed were prepared to believe in them. There is huge financial potential here for places like Tōkyō Daijingū, and the shrine is, of course, taking full advantage, but the Shinto establishment is extremely wary. Even as it protests that it understands the appeal of power spots, it admonishes shrines under its control not to ‘drift from tradition’.

It is difficult to say how the ‘Shinto wedding’ fares today at Tōkyō Dajingū given the absence of published data, but it cannot be entirely immune to the trends in society at large. Following a post-war surge, shinzen kekkon have for the last 20 years become a small minority of all weddings performed in Japan. And, of course, Tōkyō Daijingū faces stiff competition in the capital from other shrines, especially the fabulously wealthy Meiji Jingū.

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For more about the style and fashion of Shinto wedding dresses, see here.
For more about power spots, see here.

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Gagaku musicians lined up to accompany the newly-wed's procession

Here comes the bride...

Most important of all, the family photograph

That's one happy couple!

Shrines 2) Layout and names

February 20, 2014 / John D. / 0 Comments

Some shrines come in plain wood to harmonise with their surrounds, but not Hayatama Taisha in Kumano with its bold and eye-catching colours

The word jinja is usually translated as “shrine,” and the Buddhist “tera” is translated as “temple.” The shrine is a place of worship where a particular kami or group of kami are said to reside or make themselves manifest when called upon. The jinja generally consists of the shrine grounds (keidai), main hall (honden), worship hall (haiden), path (sando), symbolic entrance gate (torii), and water basin (temizuya).

Shoes off when entering the haiden, or Worship Hall, which can be recognised by the bell ropes hanging before it

The typical jinja includes a small, enclosed space where resides the goshintai, an object of some sort into which the kami descends. It is the most sacred object in the shrine and housed inside the main building (honden). The honden may be joined to a worship hall (haiden), where ceremonies are performed, or it may stand alone.

The buildings may be either simple, unpainted wooden structures or elaborately detailed and decorated ones. They may be in one of a number of traditional styles or any number of variations. Although shrines are distinct from Buddhist temples, there are architectural styles that incorporate aspects of both. Before the Meiji period, large complexes combining shrines and temples were common, but now they are separate entities. They often stand side by side, and small shrines are sometimes found on temple grounds.

Shrine names come from either the name of the kami they enshrine, such as Hachiman or Inari; the place name, such as Ise or Izumo; or, particularly in relation to shrines that worship the same kami, both place and kami names, such as Tsurugaoka Hachimangu or Iwashimizu Hachimangu.

In addition, they have a shago (a word that distinguishes it as a shrine). There are six shago, of which jinja is the most common. Others include gu as in Hakozakigu, taisha as in Suwa Taisha, and daijingu as in Toyouke Daijingu (the outer shrine of Ise). Sha is another reading for the second character used in jinja and is generally used in rank designations (such as taisha—“first rank,” chusha—“second rank,” shosha—“third rank,” etc.).

Miya is another reading of the character for gu, and like sha, it is usually used to designate a type of shrine, such as “mountain shrine” (yamamiya) or “primary shrine of a province” (ichinomiya). Finally, jingu, as in Ise Jingu and Heian Jingu, is used as a term for shrines related to the imperial house. (It is also used for some of those founded during the Meiji period.)

Be that as it may, a jinja is easy to spot, as it will always have a torii standing in front of it.

Where there's a torii, there's a shrine... or in this case a subshrine of Hayatama Taisha honouring Yatagarasu, the three-legged crow

Iwashimizu Hachiman-gu takes its name from the place (Iwashimizu) and the tutelary kami (Hachiman), together with one of the six 'shago' indicating it is a shrine

Shrines 1) Visiting

February 18, 2014 / John D. / 1 Comment

The rather wonderful Kumaso Shrine in the Izumo region, with a Worship Hall (haiden) to the right of the elevated Sanctuary (honden), and a connecting corridor to signify the stairway to heaven

The following is part one of a series on shrines and shrine buildings, abridged and adapted from the Introduction of Shinto Shrines by Joseph Cali and John Dougill (mainly the former, I hasten to add). The book was published by the University of Hawaii Press in 2013. Later extracts will deal with shrine items and architectural forms. This part concerns the nature and purpose of shrine visits.

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What benefit might there be in visiting a shrine for someone who has grown up in another country with different cultural and religious values? There are two particular benefits that come to mind, one of which is of course spiritual. Quite apart from the question of organized religion, a shrine is a place where one can fold one’s hands, bow one’s head, and say a prayer for oneself or a loved one.

Prayer at shrines can simply be a matter of paying respects to the kami

Though there are certain prescribed methods, the question of how or to whom one prays is ultimately a personal matter. When they pray at a shrine, Japanese are not necessarily praying to a specific kami. Indeed, the number of kami in a particular shrine and their actual names are usually unknown to the average worshipper, who may only refer to the kami by the name of the shrine.

A second reason to visit a shrine is for the cultural and recreational aspects. This has long been a traditional part of the Japanese experience as well. Many of the shrines selected for this book are very old and have buildings or grounds that are of historical significance. Most contain, or are designated, National Treasures or Important Cultural Properties. It means that they have a recognized importance in the history of the country or the locality. Some are significant works of architecture and art in their own right. UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee has recognized several shrines (see here), such as Nikko Toshogu and Itsukushima Jinja, as outstanding examples of cultural value and natural beauty worthy of special attention. Many are in stunning settings.

Because the expression of Shinto faith is often in the awe one feels when standing before magnificent features of nature, shrines tend to be set in such places. It is one reason why, even in densely populated areas, the immediate surroundings of a shrine can act as an oasis of greenery. In other cases, the location is remote enough to keep it untouched by urban blight.

The awe-inspiring Kamikura Jinja in Wakayama Prefecture - safe from urban blight!

Unlike great cathedrals and mosques, shrines tend to be modest affairs. Hopefully reading this book will help to appreciate them. Many of the shrines are among the most popular in the nation, which means they are often crowded, especially at peak times of the day and on holidays. If you go to such a shrine anticipating a solemn and silent communion with the spirits, it is better to visit very early in the morning. (Many shrine grounds are open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week; however, the main buildings and the area immediately around them may only be open during daylight hours.)

It’s hard not to feel the spirituality of a place like Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto, when walking up the mountain paths through the myriad red torii in the early morning. On the other hand, you may want to visit when the shrine is at its busiest, such as New Year’s, or at its most raucous during a festival (matsuri). In that case, the atmosphere reveals a more lively and convivial spirit.

The Japanese have, from ancient times, combined devotion with recreation even to the point of wild abandon—as in the okage mairi (“thanksgiving pilgrimage”) between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries that saw millions literally dancing down the highways on pilgrimage to temples and shrines. However, as a foreigner, it is best to be mindful of the feelings of others, so if you came to take pictures, by all means take them, but respect the fact that some of the places you want to shoot may be off-limits. For example, most of the honden where the kami reside are located behind a fence, making a close view impossible. Hopefully the descriptions in this book of the structures and their history will help to compensate for what can’t be seen.

Shrines can be a gateway into the heart of nature, as here with the torii of Fushimi Inari

Baika-sai (Kitano Tenmangu)

February 17, 2014 / John D. / 0 Comments

Doll representations of Sugawara no Michizane and his wife

The plum blossom festival at Kitano Tenmangu is one of my favourites, partly because it heralds the coming of spring and partly because it is such a bustling affair with an antiques market and tea ceremony served by geisha. The deified kami is the posthumous spirit of Sugawara no Michizane (see here), who died on the 25th of the month, which is why the festival celebrating his favourite plum trees takes place on that date in February. The Kansai Scene article below gives something of ‘the flavour’ of the festival.

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The taking of tea
KS steeps itself in the rites and rituals of ancient Japan…

Text: Bonnie Carpenter • Feb 1, 2014

There are plum trees dotted around the shrine grounds, and a special grove of some 2000 trees where the tea ceremony is held.

Many foreign residents in Japan savour the chance to taste the Japan that was: historical, classical, ancient, removed from the modern clamour of cellphones and the ubiquitous Kitty-chan. An event that embodies so much of the grace and elegance of Japan’s yesteryear is Baika-sai or the Plum Blossom Festival, held yearly on February 25 at Kitano Tenmangu Shrine in Kyoto. This is a most rare opportunity to experience one of the most endearing and enduring of Japan’s cultural icons— geisha —serving tea to the public in an exquisite outdoor tea ceremony.

This event commemorates the death of Michizane Sugawara, a well-known scholar, politician, and plum-blossom aficionado in the Heian era. He was revered as a god of learning and scholastic study, so many students make the pilgrimage to the shrine to pray for success in their high school or university entrance exams.

The festival has been held on the same day every year for about 900 years with the outdoor tea ceremony or nodate, being added in 1952. What makes this event so special is that it is hosted by approximately 30 geiko and maiko, geisha and apprentice geisha, respectively, from the local Kamishichiken area.

The only etiquette required for the ceremony is you must remove and carry your shoes. One can then sit and be served tableside or join the elite sitting on the covered ground where one gets a prime view of an actual tea-making by geisha. You will be served a bowl of hot whipped matcha green tea and small sweet cakes.

Grace and elegance characterise the tea ceremony

Sitting among the blooming reds, pinks and whites of the ume plum blossoms while being served by dainty geisha in formal kimono and white make-up can make one understand the cultural concept of ichi-go ichi-e—one chance, one meeting—which is the feeling best associated with the tea ceremony. A superb Japan moment!

• When to go: The event has a religious service starting at the main shrine at 10am. The tea ceremony is from 10am–3pm.
• Tickets: Official advertising states advance tickets sold only at the shrine are required to participate in the nodate, with tickets going on sale for the first 3,000 people from January 25. But tickets, costing ¥1,500, are also sold on the day of the event and the lines are much shorter after 1pm.
• More fun: For total immersion in old Japan also on Feb 25, Kitano has their monthly flea market where one can buy silk kimono for a bargain price, admire antiques and purchase tasty street food as you shop.

On the 25 of every month a flea market known as Tenjin-san is held, which features food as well as bric-a-brac

Some of the items on sale are antiques or religious artifacts

Some of the stalls are laid out in a manner that is almost an artwork in itself

Sugawara no Michizane (Dazaifu)

February 17, 2014 / John D. / 0 Comments

A purification basin at Dazaiifu Tenmangu near Fukuoka, Kyushu, with plum tree behind. {ANGELES MARIN CABELLO PHOTO}

At this time of year we look forward eagerly to the coming of plum blossom as a harbinger of spring. Plum immediately makes one think of Sugawara no Michizane, who is associated with the tree through poetry and legend. The first Tenmangu shrine dedicated to him was built in his place of exile at Dazaifu in Kyushu. Later Kitano Tenmangu was established to pacify his angry spirit, known as Tenjin. After Hachiman and Inari, Tenmangu shrines are the most widespread in the country, far more numerous than shrines to Amaterasu. The Japan Times article below covers the salient points in the life and deification of the Heian statesman, Sugawara no Michizane (845-903), who was to become one of Japan’s foremost kami.

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Dazaifu dalliance reveals curious case of a plum-struck deity
BY STEVE JOHN POWELL AND ANGELES MARIN CABELLO JAPAN TIMES FEB 15, 2014

In all Japan’s vast pantheon of larger-than- life heroes, few can be more curious than the one encountered there. The saga involves political skullduggery, the supernatural — and a gifted child who became a god. It’s also a story that still inspires thousands of young Japanese who flock to Dazaifu around exam time every year to pray for good results.

It started in Kyoto in 845, during the aristocratically effete Heian Period (794-1185), when Michizane Sugawara was born into a scholarly family with a tradition of service to the Emperor. From an early age he loved plum trees, and at age 5 he wrote this waka: “How beautiful the red plum blossom, I wish to color my cheek with it.”

Plum blossom at Kitano Tenmangu in Kyoto

By age 11, he was composing poetry in Chinese characters, for which he showed an extraordinary talent. He later proved to be a gifted statesman, and rose to a position of influence in the Imperial court, then dominated by the Fujiwara clan.

According to Miki Teicki’s “Short Biographies of Eminent Japanese in Ancient and Modern Times” (1890), when Emperor Daigo ascended the throne in 898, “the retiring Emperor advised him to entrust all important affairs to Michizane because he was first in knowledge and age.”

The Fujiwara clan became jealous and conspired with Minamoto-no-Hikaru, an envious rival at court, to convince the Emperor that Michizane was plotting against him. They succeeded in getting Michizane banished to govern the distant outpost of Dazaifu.

It is said that the great man left Kyoto in tears and bade farewell to his favorite plum tree, writing: “If the east wind blows this way/ Oh blossoms of the plum tree/ Send your fragrance to me/ Never forget the Spring/ Even though your master is no longer here.”

Here’s where it gets a bit like a scene from a Garcia Marquez magical-realism novel. Legend has it that Michizane’s plum tree missed him so much that it uprooted itself and flew to Dazaifu to be with him. This tree, known as the Tobiume (Flying Plum Tree), still stands to the right of the Honden (Main Shrine) at Dazaifu Shrine.

In 903, after less than three years languishing in the sorrowful hardship of exile, Michizane died in Dazaifu, aged 57 — many say of homesickness. His funeral procession consisted of just his loyal follower, Yasuyuki Umasake, and a few neighbors. His coffin was carried on a wagon hauled by an ox. At one point, the ox suddenly lay down and refused to budge. This was taken as a sign, and Michizane was buried where the ox stopped. Today, a bronze statue of the exhausted beast is sited on that spot in the grounds of the shrine. You’ll notice that its horns and head are shiny from the visitors’ custom of stroking them for good luck.

Statues of oxen are common at Tenmangu shrines and are thought to have healing properties

Two years after Michizane’s death, his loyal follower Umasake built the first shrine there. In 919, the Fujiwara clan erected a larger shrine over his grave, but it was burnt down in one of Japan’s civil wars.

Meanwhile, back in Kyoto, in a perfect demonstration of what John Lennon meant when he sang “Instant karma’s gonna get you,” spooky disasters began to strike those who had plotted against Michizane. The Emperor’s palace burned down in fire triggered by lightning. Fujiwara-no-Tokihira, Michizane’s chief rival, died of a mysterious disease. A Fujiwara official was struck dead in a storm. The son of Emperor Uda became so ill he had to retire. Many believed these disasters were caused by Michizane’s wrathful ghost, reeking revenge on those who had cut short his career, and his life.

To appease his spirit, the splendid Kitano Tenmangu shrine was built in his honor near Kyoto. Emperor Ichijo posthumously restored Michizane to his former office and rank and later promoted him to the highest office. Ultimately he was deified and worshipped as a god, under the name of Tenman Dai-jizai Itoku Tenjin — meaning, Heaven-pervading Almighty and All-glorious God. That being a divinely big mouthful, it’s generally shortened to just Tenman Tenjin.

And what can you expect to see at Dazaifu today? Well, the complex begins a mere 250 meters from Dazaifu Station. You first pass under a giant torii spanning the road to the shrine, a long street crammed with traditional-style shops selling Hakata dolls, fans, kimono, bags of dried fish, chikuwa fish cakes and umegae- mochi rice cakes.

Before we even got to the shrine building, the natural beauty of the extensive 35-hectare grounds was soul-inspiring. Tenmangu shrines are characterized by their plum trees, in honor of Michizane’s love of their blossom. At Dazaifu, there are more than 6,000 of them, which makes for a spectacular sight in spring. Ancient kusunoki (camphor) trees there are also there aplenty, including one towering specimen to the left of the shrine.

Angeles fell into conversation with a young miko (shrine maiden) in her white blouse, bright red trousers and long ponytail. She informed us that the colossal camphor is more than 1,000 years old — in which case the Battle of Hastings (1066) wasn’t even a twinkle in some Norseman’s eye back when it first photosynthesized.

One thing you can be sure of - there will always be lots of prayer tablets at Tenmangu shrines begging for exam success

Statues of oxen are another characteristic of Tenmangu shrines, and we made sure to give Dazaifu’s weary bronze bovine a pat for good luck. However, other animal statues abound around the grounds, including ones of birds, deer and, most curious of all, a horse-sized kirin — a fearsome mythological creature which looks like a cross between a lion and a unicorn.

To get to the main shrine you have to cross over the crimson Taikobashi — a two-arched bridge symbolizing past, present and future — which traverses the delightful Shinji Pond that’s shaped like the kanji for shin (heart). Fountains play on the waters, shared by turtles, swans and koi while, to the right, is a tranquil iris pond named Shoubuike. As in all good Japanese gardens, water occupies an integral role in creating a sublimely meditative atmosphere.

Wending our way through this wonderland, we passed through a gate guarded by two giant statues of archers. They are so brightly colored as to look almost jovial compared with the snarly pair of nio (those huge, half-naked musclemen that guard Buddhist temples) which they replaced in the Meiji Era (1868-1912).

Yes, yes, but — I hear you ask — what about the Flying Plum Tree? Well, sure enough, when we finally got to the Main Shrine, there it was to the right — the fabled Tobiume said to have flown here to be with Michizane. That makes it even older than the camphor tree.

Our miko friend assured us that the Tobiume is always the first plum tree to blossom, as early as January each year. To the left of the shrine, meanwhile, stands a another one donated by the mother of Emperor Taisho as an offering for the sickly chap’s recovery.

We threw some coins in the huge offertory box and muttered our wishes before the magnificent shrine, which dates from 1591. With its red columns, gold-leaf patterns and huge, sweeping roof, the gorgeously ornate structure is a stunning example of architecture from that period when warfare raged throughout Japan. Unsurprisingly, it’s now a designated national treasure and the nation’s foremost Tenjin shrine.

Taking in the beatific marvels of Dazaifu Tenmangu, it’s worth remembering that Michizane is celebrated as a man of pure heart. As for those 10th-century disasters, Chinese writer Chiang Yee wrote: “I don’t think Michizane’s spirit caused those calamities, for he showed no grievances during his years of exile.” In fact, as befits the god of learning, he dedicated his exile to study, rather than plotting revenge or harboring hatred. He is still revered as the god of learning, literature and calligraphy. As Miki Teicki wrote: “Scarcely is there a town in which his temple is not seen.” Indeed, in Japan today, there are more than 10,000 Tenmangu shrines dedicated to his deified spirit.

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Dazaifu Tenmangu has a nicely illustrated overview on its English-language website here, with a free brochure which can be downloaded as a PDF.

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Trees of life

February 17, 2014 / John D. / 0 Comments

There’s a rather wonderful sympathetic account of the importance of trees culturally and spiritually to mankind in a BBC podcast, which I recommend. Trees of Life Duration: 18 minutes First broadcast: Friday 14 February 2014

Wood is a vital human resource. But trees inspire myths and reverence. So, Mike Williams asks, why are our feelings about trees so mixed? He hears why every human age is a ‘wood age’, why trees are crucial to social life in African cities, why one New Zealander swapped cutting trees for spending nights in them, and why Danes fear global disease and climate change may lose them their mythical ‘tree of life’.

It includes the tree’s role in mythology and an account of a reformed arborist who gave up chopping down trees to climb and revere them…

It’s only on podcast for a limited time as far as I know, so it’s worth checking out now if you have 18 minutes free.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01rw5hk