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Himiko’s magic mirror

January 31, 2014 / John D. / 4 Comments

An amazing youtube video has just come out showing the effect of the legendary bronze mirror delivered by China to shaman queen Himiko (c.250 AD). It shows the stunning effect of light reflected on the mirror, which not only produces a sunlike golden orb but reflects the markings on the back of the mirror. Please do take a look at it – it’s only just over a minute but quite stunning.

In the youtube video the mirror is used too to reflect onto a cameraman, producing a kind of round aura around him. This must surely have seemed magical to the people of the time and one can well imagine it conferring an air of spirituality. There’s a theory that Himiko was the prototype of Amaterasu, and here in the shining convergence of female queen and sunlike qualitiy is substance for the supposition.

The replica of the original mirror was made using a 3D printer, curiously. It’s a most magical find!

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The original mirror in Kyoto National Museum, thought to be that of Himiko

Experiment indicates ancient mirror in Kyoto is Chinese magic mirror
Mainichi Jan 31, 2014

KYOTO — An official at Kyoto National Museum has announced that an ancient bronze mirror in Japan dubbed “Himiko’s mirror” may be a Chinese magic mirror — a type of mirror that can reflect the pattern on its back when a light is shined onto its face.

Museum official Ryu Murakami made the announcement based on an experiment using a replica created using laser measurements of the original. The mirror, whose diameter ranges between 21.4 and 23.8 centimeters, is designated as an important cultural asset.

The original article, unearthed from the Higashinomiya Tomb in Aichi Prefecture, belongs to the “sankakubuchi shinjukyo” (triangular-rimmed deity and beast mirror) category of mirrors. As the name suggests, these mirrors bear depictions of deities and beasts. Himiko, with whom the mirror is associated, was a queen of the Yamatai kingdom in ancient Japan.

Chinese magic mirrors, which look like ordinary mirrors, are said to have been around for over 2,000 years in China. The replica consists of 75 percent copper and 25 percent tin, close to the makeup of the original. When light was shone onto the face of the replica mirror, the pattern on the back was reflected onto a wall.

Looking at the pattern from the side, it has thick and thin sections. When the mirror is polished, stresses are exerted on the thin sections and the mirror bends and creates small elevations, making it harder for those sections to wear away, unlike the parts above the thicker sections. As a result, minute elevations and depressions matching the pattern on the back are formed, affecting the way light is reflected off the surface. This enables the pattern on the back to appear when light is reflected from the mirror onto another surface.

Modern mirrors used in shrines mimic the sacred bronze mirrors of old - but without the magic

Kumano asceticism

January 29, 2014 / John D. / 1 Comment

Prayer prior to entering a cave used for ascetic purposes at Dorogawa Onsen

The Seigantoji temple, to which the shugendo group in the article below are attached, is next to Nachi Waterfall, tallest in Japan

Mountain asceticism alive today: Kumano journey refreshes body, mind
by Masahira Ueno / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer January 28, 2014

A shugendo follower blows his horagai conch horn on top of a hill

NARA—Deep in the Kii mountain range, the sounds of horagai triton shell horns echo around Sho no Iwaya, a cave where mountain ascetics are said to have once spent the winters during their mountain-dwelling shugendo practice to develop their spiritual experience and power.

Kumano Shugen, a group of about 30 mountain ascetics based at Seigantoji temple in the Kumano district of Wakayama Prefecture, visit the cave every December as the conclusion of that year’s shugendo practice.
The Kii mountain range encompasses many peaks as high as about 1,500 meters and stretches across the Kii Peninsula. Since ancient times, the mountains have been worshiped as a sacred place and have been the site of numerous shugendo ascetics’ practice.

Shuichi Sakamoto, 61, is an experienced member of the group who serves as its guide to take the lead in walking, known as a sento sendachi. “We place ourselves in a severe environment to drive our mind and body to extreme situations. We refresh our mind by experiencing a situation of almost dying. We get these precious chances from nature. It’s shugen [practice],” Sakamoto said.

In daily life, Sakamoto works at a manufacturing company. For about 40 days a year, he trades his suits for traditional mountain ascetic attire to attend practice sessions in the Kumano district as well as in other regions. He also participates in gomaku rituals in which offerings are made into a bonfire.

Sakamoto has adored the Kumano district since he was young. He was born in nearby Wakayama city and began climbing mountains when he was a university student. But he had no opportunity to climb mountains in Kumano.

Shugendo fire ceremony attended by yamabushi (mountain ascetics)

When he was about 40 years old, he happened to learn that the Kumano Shugen group hosted a seven-day walk from Kumano to Yoshino, Nara Prefecture. So he joined the mountain ascetics to participate in the walk.

That was how it all started for Sakamoto, and shugendo came to be very important to him. His parents are devout members of the Shingon sect of Buddhism and made the Shikoku Pilgrimage to visit 88 temples and the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage to visit 33 temples. With that family background, Sakamoto hoped to become closer to the mountain ascetics he was among.

About 15 years ago, he told Ryoei Takagi, vice chief priest of Seigantoji temple, that he and a group of mountaineers would climb Mt. Kinpusan, which lies on the border of Nagano and Yamanashi prefectures. The priest then gave him a wooden plaque meant to be a record of ascetic practice. These plaques have been offered to the deities on sacred mountain peaks by ascetics in Kumano for more than 1,000 years.

Sakamoto offered the plaque at the mountain peak, while wondering if he was truly eligible to do so. When descending the mountain, however, he fell on a road that was easy for him to cross and broke a rib.
“[The accident happened because] I performed the offering half-heartedly,” he thought and felt in awe of mountains for the first time.

The about 200-kilometer journey from Kumano to Yoshino is called the Kumano Omine Okugake. The altitude of some high and low points of the route differ by more than 1,000 meters. Participants on the seven-day trek walk more than 10 hours a day over steep rises and descents, a challenge that makes them feel like they’re walking several times the actual distance.

Kumano hiking. There are various trails which can take anything from one to seven days.

Walking through the dense forest on the route, many people performing ascetic practice sense the deities living in such vast nature. They are sometimes met by caves, huge trees that would need more than 10 people to encircle them, and round, taller-than-human rocks inscribed with Sanskrit characters. Each time, the group blows on the shell horn to purify the places and chant Hannya Shinkyo, the Heart Sutra.

Five years ago, Sakamoto was appointed as a guide to lead the Kumano Shugen group’s walk. The role is very important, as guides in ancient times are said to have been assigned to lead reigning emperors and former emperors when they visited Kumano. “I was very happy, because I felt like I was being allowed to be part of a history that dates back 1,000 years,” Sakamoto said.

Since the area encompassing the route was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2004 under the title Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range, Sakamoto has had to safely guide groups of more than 200 people, including people who are not part of Kumano Shugen. He always remains cautious and considerate. “I always tell myself that I should be humble toward nature,” Sakamoto said.

Reaching the highest point of a steep mountain path while guiding a group, he first sees the broad blue sky. When he looks back, he can see at a glance the distance he has covered. “I feel as if the surrounding mountains were within my reach and even the Kumano Nada sea, though I can’t see it,” Sakamoto said. The legendary En no Gyoja, the supposed founder of shugendo, probably felt the same way when he traveled across the nation for his ascetic practice.

After blowing shell horns in front of the Sho no Iwaya cave and completing their last practice of the year, Kumano Shugen’s mountain ascetics began descending a narrow mountain path and reached its foot right before sunset.
Several years ago, they saw the full moon illuminating the area like daytime as soon as they reached this location on a freezing night when icicles were seen hanging from rocky areas. “This means the mountains responded to our practice,” Sakamoto said. Everyone was thinking the same, and the ascetics blew horns and recited the Heart Sutra.

In addition to mountain practice, once a month Sakamoto conducts a rite and prays at a temple near his home in Kishiwada, Osaka Prefecture. The prayer is meant to send people’s various wishes to the deities. “It may be difficult for us to find the meaning of living now, but by being distant from social status, constraint or demands [during practice], we have time to think of what we are,” Sakamoto said. After beginning ascetic practice, he feels more comfortable at work.

En no Gyoja, legendary founder of Shugendo

Revived in 1988

The Kumano Omine Okugake route connects the three Kumano Sanzan shrines in Wakayama Prefecture, including Kumano Hongu Taisha, with Mt. Yoshino in Nara Prefecture. It was deserted after shugendo was banned by an 1872 law, but the postwar Constitution guarantees freedom of religion. Thus, local people rebuilt a path for practice that had been impassable, and the Kumano Shugen group revived the okugake practice in 1988.

Shugendo is a religion combining Shintoism and Buddhism with Japan’s ancient mountain worship. It has been popular since the Heian period (794-1192). Shugendo was supposedly founded by En no Gyoja, a legendary mountain ascetic during the Nara period (710-784). There are records of his visits to sacred mountains across the nation. Legend has it that he could fly and manipulate fierce deities with witchcraft.

Hellenismos Pt. 2

January 28, 2014 / John D. / 2 Comments

Hellenismos, contemporary style (courtesy Wikicommons)

This is the second part of an article comparing the Greek tradition with Shinto by Erik, author of the now-retired ExecutivePagan blog where some of the material for the article below originally appeared in 2007. (For Part One, click here.)

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Public Worship

In both traditions, the shrine (basic terms are temenos in Greek, jinja in Japanese – there are other, more specialized, terms in both languages) is traditionally associated with a particular physical/geographic location. It is important here to briefly note that the motivations behind this are different; this is a point I will touch on more deeply in discussing the understanding of the nature of the divine.

Artist's impression of a Greek shrine in a forest (by Draconic Nosferatu)

According to Burkert, the area of an ancient temenos was generally marked off either with boundary stones, or with a stone wall. A single entrance would be established, where the lustral water would be available. Likewise, the basic layout of a jinja includes a path, usually marked with torii gates, leading to the entrance where the purification basin awaits.

Once purified and inside the sacred precinct, the worshipper of either tradition would still be on relatively familiar ground – an open area in front of the shrine proper, where worship would be conducted. In neither tradition does the worshipper actually enter the shrine. The Greek would have prayed standing up, as modern Hellenists do as well; as I understand it, the Japanese might pray either standing or kneeling.

All of this, of course, is not to obscure the fact that there is a clear and vitally important difference between Hellenic and Shinto worship. To the ancient Greeks (and most modern Hellenists), the basic act of worship is sacrifice. Whether that takes the form of a simple libation, an offering of food or money, or an oath promising some future action – or in ancient times even an animal sacrifice, although those were most often community affairs, and resembled a sort of “sacred barbecue”.

The rituals were often sponsored by either the city or a wealthy citizen, and after the required bits were offered to the gods the assembled worshippers would feast on the rest, essentially sharing the meal with the gods. Sacrifice basically *is* prayer in the Hellenic tradition; both the tradition and modern experience indicate that the gods like to be approached in this way.

In Shinto, with the exception of harvest festivals, it appears that sacrifice is generally not the theme – there may be a gift given to the kami, but it is looked on more as a token of appreciation; the act of prayer is itself the central action of the ritual.

There are also some cultural differences in the physical appointments of the shrine area – the Greeks were heavily into marble, statues and bright colors, while the Shinto aesthetic runs more to unvarnished wood, simplicity and empty space.

Home worship

The Japanese kamidana (literally, spirit shelf) sits high up on the wall so that one looks up to the kami (kami also means 'above' or 'upper')

In both traditions the home is a central locus of worship, although there is at least one difference that may indicate an underlying divergence in approach or emphasis. In the Greek household, or oikos, the hearth was where the family gathered and was the sacred center of the home, where offerings were made. In contrast, the Shinto home has a kamidana that is placed high up on a wall in the main room, so that it is elevated above the people.

The most common act of Hellenic worship was the “first fruits” offering to Hestia at the start of each meal, a small portion of the meal set aside for the goddess; again, a sacrifice (however token), performed as many times a day as the family ate meals. This offering was thrown into the hearth-fire, where the family were gathered, and consumed by the flames and thus by the goddess herself. Modern Hellenists have varied approaches to these basic meal offerings, often dictated by their personal circumstances (since most homes no longer have an actual hearth fire); but the importance of sincerely making the offering is widely acknowledged as one of the most basic expressions of eusebia (piety).

In the basic Shinto home worship scenario, a family member will present the first-fruits offering of clean rice (cooked or not), water and salt, together with acknowledgement of the presence of the kami. At the end of the day, the offerings are removed from the kamidana and frequently eaten with the evening meal, in order to internalize the blessings of the kami. In both cases, it seems to me, there is a common core of relationship and reciprocity – we receive blessings from the gods or kami, and give them offerings and prayer in return (or sometimes vice versa), and thus we stay in right relationship.

I don’t know that my practice has been influenced overmuch in this area by my study of Shinto; this is just one of the things I noticed when I started studying Shinto that piqued my interest and helped convince me that I should look for other similarities.

Final Thoughts

There are other areas of congruence that I wish I could discuss, but that I am limited from by considerations of space and/or the limits of my knowledge. For instance: what are the similarities and differences between local kami of place and Greek nymphs? Could one compare deified humans (Tenjin and Ariadne, for example) in the two faiths? For that matter, how widely divergent is the basic understanding of the nature of humanity in the two traditions? (I suspect that the answer to this last is “pretty far apart”, but that is based on nothing more than a general feeling.) All of these seem to me to be questions worth pursuing.

Hestia, goddess of the hearth, received the first offering at every household sacrifice. Japan too has a kami of the hearth, known as Kojin.

One of the most obvious aspects of polytheism is that we generally accept that other people’s deities are as likely to exist as our own. The ancient Greeks, as is well known, syncretized fairly relentlessly – many of the epithets of the Gods (e.g., Zeus Ammon), reflect the reconciling of “foreign” gods with or as aspects of the Theoi, and in some places during the Hellenistic period this syncretism approached full-fledged synthesis (I am thinking here primarily of Alexandrian Egypt and, to a lesser degree, Judea under the Ptolemies).

Japan also has a long history of syncretism – shortly after Buddhism was introduced in the 6th century, the Japanese began to syncretize Buddhist saints as analogous to kami, a process that culminated a hundred years later in the development of the concept of shinbutsu shugo – the full-blown synthesis of Shinto and Buddhism.⁷ (There was an interesting article on this a few years ago in the Japan Times. See also here.)

Despite a temporary setback during the period leading up to WWII, when the government suppressed Buddhism in the name of State Shinto, this synthesis persists in many ways up to the present – most Japanese still consider themselves to be both Shinto and Buddhist (or, probably more accurately, to perform both Shinto and Buddhist practices).⁸

I sometimes wonder what Western civilization might look like today if Christianity had successfully synthesized with the native polytheistic religions of Europe the way that Buddhism did in Japan; sadly, we can only speculate. However, I believe we can, with benefit to ourselves, look to the Japanese religious experience for insight into possible ways to move forward into a brighter, post-Christendom future.

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[7] http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/xwords/entry.php?entryID=826

[8] http://www.religioustolerance.org/shinto.htm; see the section titled “Number of Adherents”.

Hellenismos Pt. 1

January 27, 2014 / John D. / 1 Comment

Modern worship of the Greek gods (courtesy baringtheaegis)

Comparisons of Shinto with other traditions often prove illuminating, and we’re lucky to have among the readership someone with expertise in the Greek tradition – Erik, author of the now-retired ExecutivePagan blog where some of the material for the article below originally appeared in 2007.

(There’s a very interesting news feature about the revival of the old Greek gods at this link.)

“””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””

“If you have ever come on a dense wood of ancient trees that have risen to an exceptional height, shutting out all sight of the sky with one thick screen of branches upon another, the loftiness of the forest, the seclusion of the spot, your sense of wonderment at finding so deep and unbroken a gloom out of doors, will persuade you of the presence of a deity. Any cave in which the rocks have been eroded deep into the mountain resting on it, its hollowing out into a cavern of impressive extent not produced by the labours of men but the result of the processes of nature, will strike into your soul some kind of inkling of the divine. We venerate the source of important streams; places where a mighty river bursts suddenly from hiding are provided with altars; hot springs are objects of worship; the darkness or unfathomable depth of pools has made their waters sacred.“ – Seneca the Younger (Campbell, Robin, ed. Letters From a Stoic. New York: Penguin, 1969)

&&&&&&&&&& — — — &&&&&&&&&&

My name is Erik and I am a modern Hellenic polytheist; I worship the ancestral gods of my (American, Western-European-descended) culture. This article looks at both ancient and modern Hellenismos (the term most commonly used to denote the religious and cultural inheritance of ancient Greece) and compares them with modern Shinto – a somewhat limited perspective, I realize, but I don’t know enough about ancient Shinto to be able to include that in my scope. And in any case, modern Shinto as it is lived and practiced today is what I’m really interested in when I look to it for possible inspiration. My own faith and practice have been influenced by my study of Shinto, and I am very pleased to be able to share some aspects of this with the readers here at Green Shinto.

Pollution and Purification

Libation, Greek style (copyright unknown)

I want to start where I first noticed congruity between these two traditions – ritual pollution (miasma / kegare) and purification (katharsis /oharae). There is some dispute over the degree of emphasis that the ancient Greeks placed on miasma, or “pollution”, as well as to the forms and occasions of it (a dispute likely due, at least in part, to the intensely regional nature of much of ancient Greek religious practice). However, it is clear that they recognized it as a legitimate source of spiritual danger; this is attested in at least a handful of sources. Here are two, just as a sampling:

“Never omit to wash your hands before you pour to Zeus and to the other gods the morning offering of sparkling wine; they will not hear your prayers, but spit them back.” – Hesiod, Works and Days, lines 722-725

“Never pass through, on foot, a lovely brook of ever-flowing water, till you pray and look into the beauty of the stream, and in her clean, sweet water, wash your hands. For if you cross a river with your hands and crimes uncleansed, the gods will punish you, and bring you countless pain in future times.” – ibid., lines 740-46 ¹

“…and with hands unwashed I would take shame to pour the glittering wine to Zeus; there is no means for a man to pray to the dark-misted son of Kronos, with blood and muck all spattered upon him.” – Iliad, 6.266-8 ²

Historians of Greek religion have also noted this phenomenon: Walter Burkert devotes pages 75-84 of his “Greek Religion” to a discussion of purification³, and Robert Parker wrote an entire book on the subject⁴.

All that being said, Parker also points out that while there is evidence of a certain preoccupation with miasma and related topics in the historians and tragedians, as well as in Hesiod and Homer, there is relatively little other evidence to indicate whether this reflects an actual widespread cultural preoccupation, or just a recurring literary motif (ibid., pp. 12-16).

The Shimogamo temizuya deocrated for New Year

It seems appropriate, then, that we find in modern Hellenismos as well a range of attitudes and approaches to the question of purification. Some of us are concerned not to “come before the gods with unwashed hands” – a good example of this school of thought is the excellent book Kharis: Hellenic Polytheism Explored, by modern practitioner Sarah Winter, which emphasizes the importance of ritual purification (see especially pp. 56-57 (NB: page numbers refer to the first edition)). Others don’t seem to put as much emphasis on it – for instance, Rob Andrews’ useful how-to website Sponde! – Hands-on Hellenism mentions it not at all in the pages on prayer and libation.

Then, as now, “the most widespread means of purification is water” (Burkert, p. 76) – and this is also true in Shinto. Burkert speaks of vessels of khernips (lustral water that is either pure by virtue of its source, or made pure by various methods) being set up at the entrance to sanctuaries; and one of the most iconic images associated with Shinto shrines – surely second only to the famous torii gates – is the temizuya, the water basin or trough where visitors pause to purify themselves before approaching the sanctuary.

The observant reader may notice that I’ve been talking about purification exclusively in physical terms; this points up one of the deepest similarities between the two traditions, one that justifies all these words much more than a simple coincidence of ritual actions could do.

In both Shinto and Hellenic religion, impurity is mainly considered to be a temporary condition; one that can be resolved by symbolic physical cleansing when performed with the correct spiritual orientation and attitude. (Both traditions also recognize more serious forms of defilement, but those are outside the scope of this discussion.) This is in decided contrast to the pan-Abrahamic notion of “sin” as a spiritual state that can be temporarily alleviated but never cured, and even more to the specifically Christian idea that defilement is the natural state of the human race, and that it can only be remedied through divine intervention.

Purification at Yoshida Jinja, first for the priests attending then for the audience

Christian baptism is about purification, it’s true, but the difference is that in the traditional Christian view we are born inherently and ineradicably polluted due to the original sin of the first humans, and baptism is thus meant to save us from our natural condition by providing the only possible escape from this pollution, in the form of externally bestowed divine forgiveness.

My understanding of oharae and katharsis, on the other hand, is that they *restore* us to our natural condition by removing the pollution that we have accumulated over time. I think the difference is significant.

There are, of course, differences in the outlook of the two traditions as well, and in some cases these are also significant. Traditional Hellenic religion held that life was basically hard, and – unless you were exceptionally good, or exceptionally evil – the most you had to look forward to in the afterlife was an eternity as a specter in gloomy, lifeless Hades (there is a wide range of opinion on the afterlife question in modern Hellenism, from the traditionalist to the agnostic). The basic outlook of Shinto is much more hopeful – this life is a blessing from the kami, and “Man is a child of kami. He is also inherently good.”⁵ (Ono, p. 103) In this view, the natural state of the soul is that of purity; but pollution collects on it through the course of normal living as dust collects on a mirror, and it needs frequent washing to stay clean and bright, and thus truly reflect the image of the divine.

According to Yamakage Motohisa, Shinto priest and author:

“When the physical body is made clean by water, our heart and mind are purified at the same time. The act of washing our hands before worshiping at a shrine is about more than the magical cleansing power of water. We also make a distinction within ourselves between the secular and the sacred by that act, and thus we change our attitude and our mindset. In so doing, we wash away uncleanness. We purify our heart and mind so that we may connect with the spirit of Kami with a heart and mind that is clean, bright, right and straight. This is the most important goal of misogi.”⁶

I said at the beginning of this article that I was inspired to write by my belief that we Western Pagans can learn from the example and experience of Shinto. On this subject, I have been strongly influenced to make the effort to always purify myself before prayer; my view of the nature of miasma is also growing more toward a Shinto feeling.

In addition to the philosophic similarities, there are also striking correspondences between the physical aspects of worship in Shinto and Hellenismos, only the greatest of which can be included. (Please see pt. 2.)

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[1] Wender, Dorothea (trans). Hesiod and Theognis. Penguin, 1976.

[2] Latimore, Richmond (trans). The Iliad of Homer. U of Chicago P, 1961.

[3] Burkert, Walter. Greek Religion (2^nd ed). Harvard UP, 2006.

[4] Parker, Robert. Miasma: Pollution and Purification in Early Greek Religion. Oxford UP, 1983.

[5] Ono, Sokyo. Shinto: the Kami Way. Tuttle, 1962.

[6] Yamakage, Motohisa. The Essence of Shinto: Japan’s Spiritual Heart. Kodansha, 2006.

Mass misogi on the summer solstice near Ise

One million hits!!

January 26, 2014 / John D. / 5 Comments

Time to celebrate - one million hits!

Green Shinto is more than proud to announce one million hits on the blog since it started two and a half years ago. It’s a number we would never have dared dream about, imagining that Shinto would be an obscure and marginal subject in internet terms. Many thanks indeed to all those who have tuned in on a regular basis to this blog, and to the occasional visitor – welcome! I’m particularly thankful to those who have taken the trouble to contribute to the blog with articles of their own. Gratitude and awe are said to be the essence of Shinto, and this is an occasion on which both emotions rise to the fore.

The pleasing purity of the essence of Shinto

It’s been both a pleasure and a privilege running the blog, and I’ve been surprised by the interest it’s aroused. I’ve been asked to participate in two video documentaries, interviewed for a PhD thesis, been invited to write articles, had copyright requests to reuse my photos, and met with several overseas readers who have visited Kyoto. This week too I’ll be meeting with a German researcher interested in Japanese mythology.

When I set out on this venture, I never imagined the blog would involve me in so much personal interaction, and in many ways it’s been much more rewarding than writing books – though sadly it doesn’t pay as much!

The interest in the blog has much to do with the worldwide interest in Japan in general. Aikido has proved an increasingly popular martial art, whose practitioners are drawn to its spiritual source in Shinto. Anime and manga often feature Shinto beliefs and spiritual practice – seen above all in the worldwide success of Hayao Miyazaki’s films. And the growth in Neo-paganism in the West has spurred interest in a primal religion that continues to play a vital role in contemporary society.

A desire to return to the womb of Mother Nature lies deep within

Another factor in the interest in Shinto is awareness of the fundamental part it has played in the formation of Japanese culture and manners. Indeed, it’s sometimes difficult to separate what is Shinto from what is everyday Japanese practice, so closely are the two intertwined. For many years after WW2 the subject was more or less taboo, because of the unsavoury role played by State Shinto in abetting the extremism of the wartime regime, but sufficient time has elapsed now for this to be no longer such a factor.

The opportunity presents itself for Shinto to move away from its past and embrace the environmentalism that the planet so clearly needs. So far within Japan there has been little sign of that, but things can change dramatically as we’ve seen in the wake of Fukushima. Nationalists continue to use Shinto as a cover for their agenda to restore ‘a strong Japan’, but I’ve also met Shinto priests with a universal agenda and sympathies with the conservation movement. Shinto’s been described as a ‘blood and soil’ religion, and the balance between the two is finely poised.

With the support of its readership, Green Shinto will keep planting seeds and looking towards a greener future. Please keep tuning in and help us towards a second million!!

Seifa Utaki in Okinawa, the perfect picture of nature worship with a stone altar in the woods

Wizard of Yin-Yang (Seimei Jinja)

January 24, 2014 / John D. / 2 Comments

Entrance into the magical world of Seimei Jinja thorugh a torii emblazoned with a pentagram

Abe no Seimei (921-1005), Wizard of Yin-Yang, sits in front of the shrine dedicated to him

More than most cities, Heian-kyo lay close to the spirit world. It’s as if its low-lying mists gave rise to a hidden world of unseen forces. People sought advice before embarking on journeys, and there was a six-day calendar of auspicious and inauspicious days which governed even the most mundane of activities, such as nail-cutting and hair-washing.

The shrine's sacred tree is said to have special power to fulfil prayers

It was in such an environment that a practitioner of Yin-yang arts (onmyōdō) called Abe no Seimei rose to prominence. The practice had been imported from China, and an office at the court was influential in court decisions through advice based on divination. This was based on complicated calculations involving astronomy, geomancy and numerology.

To his contemporaries Seimei was a genius with second sight, able to perceive an invisible world of ogres and spirits. He could also see star constellations others could not.

The Yin-yang Wizard (onmyōji) rose to prominence by identifying dangerous demons invisible to his seniors. In later years it was said he could raise the dead, summon up human look-alikes (shikigami), and that his mother had been a white fox.

Two years after Seimei died, Emperor Ichijō founded a shrine in his honour. It was constructed on the site of Seimei’s house and in the past comprised a huge estate, which was drastically cut back over time to its modest dimensions today. The main building was restored in 1925.

The entrance torii is notable for bearing a pentagram (known as a Seimei star). Seimei came up with the symbol to express the five elements, and allegedly imbued it with magical power to ward off evil. (By contrast the Western pentagram derives from Greek notions of the five senses.) The shrine also has bellflower decoration on tiles and lanterns, because of its five petals tips.

Within the suggestive form of the peach lies a secret world from which sprang Momotaro

Inside the grounds are pictures and text telling about the legend of Seimei. One surprise is a bronze statue of a peach which visitors are invited to stroke to ward off evil, in reference to the Peach Boy legend that appears in the Kojiki (712). The Kyotodreamtrips site states as follows: “In ancient China and Yin and Yang religion, peaches are said to be the fruit for talismans and to ward off evil. In the Kojiki the images of people using peaches to chase away evil spirits can be seen. The bedtime story which most Japanese people know, Momotarou (a boy born from a peach who conquered the land of ogres) also derives from this belief.”

The shrine also has a famous well (Seimei-i), the water of which is considered magical. The noted tea master Sen no Rikyū, based at nearby Daitokuji, is said to have used it to brew tea.

An unusual feature is a small bridge representing the original of the nearby Ichijō Modori-bashi. It had a supernatural allure, for it was used for funerals and thought to bridge the human and spiritual realms. It features too in Seimei lore, with the Wizard preventing an attack by a rival’s shikigami on a nobleman by sealing it into the foundation of the bridge.

For Japan’s New Agers the shrine is a potent power spot, and one sometimes comes across practitioners of Onmyōdō performing rites in very different manner than the usual shrine-goers. They may not be as odd as they appear, for some 70% of modern Shinto is said to derive from Onmyōdō and its importance in the formation of ritual is often overlooked.

For pagans in Kyoto, it’s worth noting that the shrine festival, Seimei Matsuri, is held on the autumn equinox. Since Seimei is Japan’s equivalent to Merlin, you could say it’s a ‘magical’ opportunity to celebrate the turning of the earth!

The ema carry the 'Seimei star', said to ward off evil and have magical properties

The original version of the Ichijo Modoribashi bridge, which spanned the divide between the physical and spiritual realms

Statue based on an old shrine picture of a 'shikigami' (human-like creation) holding a pine torch (taimatsu). Perhaps it's the one that Abe no Seimei sealed in the foundation of the bridge?

The man himself - Grand Wizard, long-lasting legend, and recently star of some popular films

Ancient Egypt (Kemetan)

January 22, 2014 / John D. / 8 Comments

Anapa (better known by the Greek name Anubis) was a jackal-headed god associated with the afterlife.

There are people who like to promote the idea that Shinto is somehow special or ‘unique’. It’s not. It’s part of a community of pagan religions, and a Green Shinto reader named Malaz who is a priest of Sekhmet from the Kemetan faith of ancient Egypt has highlighted the similarities between the two religions.

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Malaz comments: In studying the contrast between Kemetan and Shinto belief, I found there are many concepts which are similar. There are more ideals in the two faiths which are alike than not.

An important factor for this study was realizing that, while there are so many ideals that compare, the issue seems to be that the Japanese have more “names for their ideas”. Aidono is an excellent example. It is the Japanese word for the idea that there are subordinate deities in a particular shrine. Of course, the Ancient Egyptians had principal deities and deities to the right and left of altars but with the exception of the title, “HA.w-kAr”, and no way to prove that this title was used in the same way as the word Aidono, we must simply acknowledge that the two faiths practice/d in a similar way, but did/do not necessarily label them in this manner.

Sekhmet, a solar deity and daughter of Ra, who was also a warrior goddess and depicted as a lioness. (All photos here supplied by the author.)

Amaterasu – primary deity/ sun goddess / warrior / mother goddess
Sekhmet – primary deity/ sun goddess / warrior / mother goddess

Amatsukami, Kunitsukami “Kami of heaven,” “kami of earth.”
sbAy.w star Gods Akr Aker (god); the earth; earth-gods

Aki matsuri: Autumn Festival
Min Hadab: Autumn Festival

Aku: unhappiness, disaster, or inferiority of nature or value
jj.t disaster njd label for something impure, harmful

Araburu kami: Malignant gods who bring affliction to human beings.
wr-nxt “demon” (The Egyptians had many words for deities which could be potentially harmful)

Banshin immigrant deities
The Egyptians adopted a few gods from other cultures, but there was no distinction in vocabulary. Examples of adopted gods are Bes (seen below), Osiris and Neith.

Bokusen Divination.
(The Egyptians had many types of divination)

Ritual dance, Egyptian style. Notice the sun-like disk and green plants (like sakaki) being held by dancers in the lower part of the picture.

Bon matsuri A festival celebrated around July or August 15 in order to console the spirits of the dead.
Sokar Hadab One of several festivals for the dead.

Boshijin Mother-child kami
Iwn-mwt.f Pillar-of-his-mother, a name of Horus

Chinju no kami A tutelary god protecting a specific geographical area.
(The Egyptians had a local god for each home)

Chi no wa A circle made of plants for casting off sources of misfortune.
zAr.w “tying up” (See “zar exorcism” in modern Egypt)

Daiguji Supreme priest (the highest priest is considered the emperor himself)
Hm-nTr-tpj high priest (note: the true high priest was considered the Pharaoh himself)

Dashi Festival float
(The Egyptians also used a barque during festivals to carry images of their deities)

Gunshin Ikusa no kami, Ikusa gami tutelary kami of battle,
xA.tjw fighting Gods

Haishi joint tutelaries alongside a shrine’s primary object of worship (shushin or shusaijin)
nTr.wy (Two) the Two Gods

Harae-do A place (do) for the performance of purification (harae)
wab.t Purification Place (In Ancient Egypt (as in modern Japan) the rivers next to shrines were considered the ‘best practice’ purification place, however, there were also “sacred baths” next to many Egyptian temples where priests bathed 5 times a day. nTri (noun) purification nTri (verb) to be divine (Note: ‘Ntr’ denotes both purifying and the purifying gods.)

Purification of the gods in ancient Egypt

Himachi Waiting for the sun. A popular religious custom in which a company of believers assembles at a member’s home on set days, such as the 15th of the first, fifth, and ninth months of the lunar calendar, to hold a religious ceremony, spend the night in fellowship, and worship the rising sun.
(Ancient Egyptians also did similar things. Though popular scholarship claims Ra as Sun god, It is more likely that, given the matriarchal nature of the lineage of the pharaohs, Sekhmet (like Amaterasu) was given highest status.)

Hi matsuri A festival centering around fire.
ax [site of the fire sacrifice]

himegami female-kami
ntrt goddess

Hi no kami God of fire. Fire itself is not worshiped in Japan, but various deities in charge of fire are worshiped.
(The Egyptians had several fire deities including Ammut, the Devourer of Spirits)

Hitorigami A kami which came into being alone.
(The Egyptians had several deities which were considered “self created”. Khnum was one of them.

Kagura A performance of classical ceremonial music and dance.
(The Egyptians also had many types of ritual dance and song)

Ritual barque in ancient Egypt, equivalent of the Shinto mikoshi

Kami An appellation for the objects of worship in Shinto. An honorific term extolling the sacred authority and sublime virtue of spiritual beings.
Dsrt: goddess, spirit, wine (several other things considered “holy”) (While the term “Netjer” ntj.r is commonly used to describe Egyptian Spiritual Beings, the word “Dasarat” seems more fitting as it can also refer to holy objects, places and animals.)

Kamidana Household altar (literally, god-shelf)
Hr.t sacrifice table, altar

Kegare Pollution. Thought originally to have meant an unusual condition. Some scholars interpret it to mean the exhausting of vitality.
njd label for something impure

Kibuku Mourning. It is customary to refrain from leaving home during a certain period of mourning for the deceased.
imw mourning ritual

Magatsuhi no kami Gods who bring about sin, pollution, and disaster,
aAh.w-ib harmful deities

Priests may have carried out similar functions in Ancient Egypt as in Japan, but they sure dressed differrently

Megumi The granting of a blessing. The bestowing of grace. Mi-megumi is the form used when referring respectfully to a blessing from a god, a parent, or a person of superior rank.
Htp-di-nsw boon which the king gives. The term uses the above mentioned “Hdb/Htp” which implies a divine origin of the granted request.

Miko A priestess serving as an assistant at a shrine. Roles of the miko include performing in ceremonial dances (miko-mai) and assisting priests in wedding ceremonies. In ancient times, women who went into trances and conveyed the words of a god were called miko; today, this tradition still lives among the people, independent of the shrines.
h.m-nt_r priestess The Hamat Natar had many different functions but the designation “.t” denotes special terminology for females.

Myōjin An archaic term used to refer to deities of particularly impressive power and virtue
sxm Powerful One skm Power/Powerful (applied to any powerful deity, including the most powerful: Sekhmet)

x-No-kami Gods of whatever…
x-Ntj Gods of whatever…

Shinto practitioners make offerings of votive tablets, food…etc..to their gods at small shrines and large temples
Ditto Egypt

takaikan Other worlds which are the sites of residence for the dead and transcendental entities
(The Egyptians had several “other worlds” but not a single word to describe all of them)

tenson-kōrin the time of the Heavenly Grandson’s descent to Japan (signifying a divine imperial line)
Narmer/Menes the first human ruler of Egypt, directly inheriting the throne from the god Horus. (Each king took a Horus name to signify that his/her rule was of divine origin.)

The symbolic gateways of the temples in ancient Egypt, though made of stone are reminiscent of torii

A selection of ancient Egyptian amulets, reminiscent of Japanese netsuke