Hayatama Taisha, one of the three great Kumano Shrines (photos by John Dougill)
Hayatama Shrine in Shingu city stands at the mouth of the Kumano River, where it flows into the Pacific Ocean. There is a wooden plaque near the entrance of the Haiden (Worship Hall), on which, according to Paul Swanson, is written the following:
The first great spiritual place of worship in Japan, The foundation of the Three Kumano Gongen (Shingu, Nachi, Hongu).
Gongen is a deeply syncretic term, indicating Japanese manifestations of the Buddhas. In other words, kami acting as local avatars for their universal counterparts. “It is a word coined by the followers of esoteric Buddhism to explain the unity of the Buddhas and the kami,’ writes Paul Swanson in his online paper, The Kumano Area and the Roots of Shugendo: A Study in Eclectic Japanese Religion‘.
Entering into the mountains
For those drawn to nature worship, nothing could be more appealing than Shugendo and their tradition of ‘entering the mountains’. The thinking is simple. Mountains are sacred space. Buddhas and kami manifest there. Humans can tap into their power by ‘lying in the mountains’, worshipping and doing ascetic exercises.
Since ancient times mountains have been seen as sacred, not only because they are the closest places on earth to the Upper World but also because the deceased were buried on their lower slopes. They were thus the site of both animist and ancestral spirits. Later esoteric Buddhism came to site their temples on mountains too.
Yamabushi blowing their own conch-shells
According to tradition, Shugendo was founded by En no Gyoja in the seventh century, and later split into two groups, one attached to Tendai Buddhism and one to Shingon. The austerities they carried out ranged from climbing steep cliffs, praying in caves, and cold water austerities. Through entering the mountains one comes close to death, and on returning one is reborn.
Fasting, sleeplessness and hard hiking courses inevitably induce a change in consciousness. As a result the return from the mountains brings a sense of reinvigoration and enhanced power, enabling practitioners to carry out healing and other socially beneficial activities.
For a detailed account of a Shugendo mountain experience by a group based at Kyoto’s Shogo-in, see the first chapter of Paul Swanson’s paper cited above. It’s very similar to an account by Gary Snyder of his experience in the 1950s when he was dangled over the side of a cliff as part of a practice to create in the practitioner a change for the better.
Shugendo practitioner applying some spiritual healing
Green Shinto has written of the meaning of Setsubun before, and covered the bean-throwing rite at various Kyoto shrines (see here). But we have never been to Matsuo Taisha for Setsubun, and this proved to be the most enjoyable of all. One reason was the stunning performance of Iwami kagura, Shinto inspired plays from Shimane based on Japanese mythology. Another reason was the local nature of the crowd and the generous amounts of packets in the bean-throwing. Hotly recommended for those looking for somewhere to go for next year!
Matsuo Taisha lies in the west of Kyoto, near to Arashiyama. It was founded by the Hata clan in 710, when the deity of Mt Matsuo was invited to watch over the clan. It took on extra significance after 794 when it became one of the guardian shrines of Heian-kyo (aka Kyoto). In the Middle Ages the deity became known for presiding over sake brewing, and the water of its Kamenoi spring is said to have a miraculous effect in protecting sake production.
The day’s events began with ritual purification, as arrows were fired off in different directions and spectators competing to catch them (this year’s lucky direction is west-south-west).Afterwards a demon took the stage in Iwami Kagura’s first playThe local lord giving orders to his finest warriorAfter quelling the demon in a titanic fight, the hero does a victory dance holding a sheath of his demon quelling arrows.The second play featured the terrible multi-headed Orochi serpent that in Kojiki mythology terrorised the Izumo region.The beautiful princess taken hostage by the Orochi monsterSusanoo no mikoto, half-brother of Amaterasu, finds a sword in the tail of the Orochi monster and prepares to do battle.The different parts of the Orochi struggled and writhed around the stage in acrobatic fashion, bringing gasps from the audience…… but finally Susanoo was able to slay it, despite being savagely bitten.
Amazingly the Orochi was packed afterwards into four neat little bags.
Later in the afternoon, when the two-hour Iwami kagura performance had finished, demons took over the stage.With their stunning masks and costumes, they provided a colourful and terrifying spectacle.Some of the poses were kabuki-like…… and the accompanying drumming drove them into a frenzy.At times it looked like the demons had taken over completely…
…and they mounted the shrine steps as if in victory…
…but out came the priests throwing beans to dispel them.Following the priests came parishioners in red caps like medieval scholars. The men were all born in the Year of the Rat. A short religious ceremony before the bean-throwing, in which the author was so involved grappling for beans he had no time or space for photographing.
The result was a handsome catch of three packets of beans and two mikan oranges, ensuring a fruitful year ahead.
Before departing the shrine, mothers lined up to hand over their babies to be terrified by a demon, a reminder that the festival is all about vigour and well-being. The louder the baby bawls, the better for its future.
Shops have been doing a good trade in kits for domestic rites, when you get to throw beans at your family!
Yes, it’s that time of year again, when we get to look towards the promise of spring and try to rid ourselves of winter demons/ Here are five points of note about the seasonal festivity. For those mystified by what is going on, there are links below explaining about the reasons for the bean-throwing, or simply use the search or Categories buttons to the right and check out the many postings for Setsubun.
Green Shinto has covered all the main Setsubun events in Kyoto on previous occasions – except one, at Matsuo Taisha. So tomorrow morning we’ll be setting off to investigate how this ancient Shinto shrine, founded 712, celebrates the spring rite. Meanwhile, here are a few key points for those new to the event.
1) It’s traditional to gather up the scattered beans and eat the same number as your age, plus one for good measure.
2) The date is taken from the old lunar calendar. Because it needed tweaking to keep in alignment with the solar cycle, the year was divided into 24 seasonal sections. The last day of each section was known as ‘setsubun’ (division). One of these ‘setsubun’ came to hold a special place, because it marked the end of winter by coming between two sections, ‘Severe Cold’ and ‘Spring Begins’. It was clearly a time for celebration.
Eating a fat rolled sushi roll (ehomaki) in the year’s lucky direction is one of the Setsubun customs.
3) Chasing away the demons at this time was originally a Chinese custom. The change of seasons was seen as a time when the border between the spirit and human world was at its weakest, making it possible to cross more easily from one realm to the other.
A fearful winter demon needing to be chased away with beans
4) The throwing of beans in Japan began during the Muromachi period (15th-16th centuries). It may have been connected with a Noh play in which an old woman is visited by a stranger, who turns out to be a demon. In terror she reaches out for the nearest thing to hand – a handful of dried beans – and hurls them at the devil, who is chased away. (My own supposition here would be that the beans represent life and growth, as against the negativity spread by the demon.)
5) In the Edo period traditional Daoist yin-yang geomancy, with its notion of a lucky direction for each year, brought in the custom of facing that way while eating an entire role of rolled sushi. It’s said to have begun when an Osaka geisha performed the ritual to ensure she would be with her lover. As the rolled sushi combines gifts from land and sea, it’s considered auspicious. (I’ve also been told that the ehousushi [lucky direction sushi] contains seven different ingredients, in line with the Seven Lucky Gods.)
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Why beans? See here to learn why the bean-throwing obsession.
Click here for an account of how the celebrations were carried out in Lafcadio Hearn’s time. Green Shinto has reported on the events in Kyoto on a number of previous occasions: see here, or here, or here.
Bean throwing at Kyoto’s Heian Jingu; spot the beans (and the geisha)
The following is the introductory section of a paper by distinguished scholar Klaus Antoni first published in Asian Folklore Studies, Vol. 47, 1988: 123-136. The article entitled “Yasukuni-Jinja and Folk Religion: The Problem of Vengeful Spirits” can be read here. It cuts to the heart of the debate, clarifying the political consequences.
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Yasukuni on an uncontroversial day (photo John Dougill)
Since the first official visit paid by a Japanese Prime Minister to Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the end of the Pacific war on August 15th, 1985, the problem of the Yasukuni Shrine is being discussed even in Western European newspapers.
We read that Yasukuni, the shrine for the war dead, is regarded as a symbol of Japanese militarism and that therefore official visits imply a vindication of that former political system. But what is not understood among the public here are the deeper roots of the problem.
The issue centers mainly on the question whether the shrine is a mere memorial, to be compared to the tombs of the Unknown Soldier in Western countries, or if it is a real shrine in the sense of a definite religious place, a holy site of the Shinto religion.
The political and ideological dimensions of this discussion are obvious. If the shrine is not a religious place, as it is declared by a strong and influential faction of the Association of Shinto Shrines (Jinja-honcho), then it could easily be taken under governmental control again, as it was until the end of the war.
Prime minister visits are a conscious means of strengthening the ties with state
The opposition foresees a revival of so called State Shinto, the allegedly nonreligious state cult of the Meiji up to the early Sh6wa period where the Shinto shrines were mere ceremonial stages for the celebration of folk ” customs ” in accordance with the fundamentals of kokutai thought.
Therefore the political dimension of the recent discussion is for the most part an extension of its religious aspect, that is to say of the question whether or not Yasukuni is a place of religion.
Yasukuni remains a symbolic space for Japanese nationalists, and the Japanese emperor has refrained from visiting
Kagami Biraki / 鏡開き is a Shinto custom celebrated annually on the 11th of January and a literal translation of the Japanese term is “Opening the Mirror.”
People usually gather for this ceremony to “break” the mochi and then eat it with everyone.
Sometimes Kagami biraki refers to opening a barrel of sake at parties as Tokugawa Shogun did before the war when he gathered his feudal lords and opened a cask of sake, a custom that became a tradition after achieving victory.
What is Kagami mochi / 鏡餅?
The traditional mirror rice cake decoration is usually bought before New Year’s and on the 11th of January, it is cut in small pieces and eaten.
It is said that Kagami mochi is an offering to the Gods and that is why, together with the Kadomatsu, it has an important meaning in welcoming the God of the Year, Toshigami sama.
Nowadays, it is sold everywhere in Japan and can be easily be bought at a supermarket. It has a round shape and it’s supposed to imitate an old mirror, therefore the name of “kagami” (鏡 / mirror) rice cake.
Commercially produced kagami mochi with daidai orange on top. The red and white wrapping signifies congratulations. (Photo John Dougill)
Meaning of Kagami Mochi
The two mochi on top of each other represent the sun and the moon, as
in “yin” and “yang” and the reason why they are placed on top of each
other is for a happy long life.
On top of the mirror rice cake, you will sometimes see placed a fan (扇 / ōgi). It is said that the ōgi, due to its widespread shape, is auspicious and brings prosperity.
The Japanese Bitter Orange (橙 / daidai) owes itself to a wordplay, and the meaning behind it is to bring longevity and prosperity from generation to generation.
The ceremony of Kagami Biraki
Nowadays, you can see this custom practiced at events, weddings,
companies and even schools. As cutting has a negative connotation,
people usually break it using a hammer or their hands.
Compared to the past, when people used to make the mochi, in these times many people choose to buy it. As for ways of eating it, it can be grilled, boiled, eaten with soup or snack.
Traditional way of pounding rice to make the mochi (Photo John Dougill)
The cute Rat/Mouse images that greet visitors to the main compound. The shrine is particularly popular at the New Year because it contains special subshrines dedicated to the 12 animals of the Chinese horoscope.
Green Shinto readers will know that we like to keep an eye on new developments at the busy historical shrine of Shimogamo Jinja in Kyoto. It’s a World Heritage site and dependent on tourism for its income. Visitors are attracted not only by its significance in historical terms, but by its recent reputation as Kyoto’s ‘power spot’. In addition, it boasts an ecological connection through its preservation of the Tadasu no mori patch of forest.
The shrine is constantly trying to improve its appeal to visitors, and over the past decades there have been a whole host of innovations and upgrading which have been reported on this website. It was with interest therefore that we went to pay our first respects of the year (hatsumode) and see what novelties the shrine had prepared. In keeping with the tsunami of tourists that have washed over Kyoto in recent years, there was a proliferation of signs in English indicating correct ‘etiquette’. I was surprised though to see at the Honden a stipulation saying ‘No Talking’, since it’s not something that Japanese observe.
In the top left and right corners, too small to be effective, are admonitions saying No Talking
This year around the Maiden (Dance Stage) in the middle of the outer compound a series of 14 paintings and poems had been put up (12 for the Chinese horoscope and two for yatagarasu, the three legged crow associated with the shrine). These were ink illustrations by an artist called Yoshikawa Juichi of verse by the author of Hojoki, Kamo no Chomei (1155-1216), who had once served as priest at the shrine. (As his name indicates, he was a member of the Kamo clan, who founded Shimogamo Shrine in prehistoric times.) Oddly for a New Year celebration, the verses were dark, sad and full of tears. Chomei had failed to win promotion to the position granted his father, and this evidently irked him greatly.
The translation on this illustration for Tori (bird) says: “Whenever I see kudzu-vines, tears well up in my eyes. I wonder what predestination has deprived me of ties with Kamo Shrine.”
In the main compopund was a call for donations for cypress roof shingles with a graphic illustration of just how expensive traditional roofing is. To fix an area of roof the size of the piece below (20 cm thick), the shrine was asking for a donation of ¥130,000 ($1180). (NB To the left is a sign forbidding drones, an increasingly common intrusion.)
In the Tadasu no mori woods the special subshrine to honour the 35 Saio (imperial princesses appointed to serve at the shrine) had been given a large bilingual noticeboard of information. This stated that veneration of ‘the vestal virgin spirits’ had been planned for a long time, but was only realised in 2015 as part of the 34th rebuilding (shikinen sengu).
Erected in a section of the Tadasu no mori woods is a subshrine for the 35 Saio appointed to the Shimogamo Shrine (810-1212).
We have reported on the rugby subshrine before, but this year we noticed that a splendid new offertory box had been lovingly made and crafted – in the shape of a rugby ball. This went along with the rugby shaped ema provided by the shrine.
Nearby we were concerned to see yet another new subshrine being prepared – concerned because each of these subshrines eats up a substantial amount of the Tadasu no mori woodland which is a precious part of the shrine’s appeal. (It is supposedly a remnant of the ancient forests that once covered the river basin, though it is evident that the woodland is carefully cultivated.) Every single year it seems another piece of the woodland is lost to new development, and the building of an apartment block on the World Heritage site was merely the most grievous example.
Building in progress of a new subshrine – and loss of more trees.
Finally we made a visit to Kawai Jinja, which houses a model of Kamo no Chomei’s hut which features in his famous book, Hojoki. The shrine was promoted some years ago as housing a kami of female beauty, and the number of visitors shot up. Since it was Coming of Age day, the shrine was absolutely packed with young women and room had been made for them to write their ema and prepare pictures of themselves.
In a corner of Kawai Jinja, unnoticed among the crowds of young females, I found an interesting addition that I had never previously noticed – a military object with prayers for ‘absolute victory’ (hisshou kigan). It seems the weapon may be from the Russo-Japanese War (1904=5), in which the Japanese gained a remarkable victory over one of the great powers and thus joined the front rank of the world’s elite. Where had the weapon come from I wondered? It’s a story I hope to unearth on my next visit…
The model of Kamo no Chomei’s hut featured in the title of his famous book, Hojoki.
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For a previous listing of Shimogamo additions and novelties, please see here. For an account of a New year visit, see here, and for post-New Year activities, see here. For the Mitarashi Festival see here, and for the Mikage Festival click here. For Shimogamo’s main Aoi Festival, see here.
A popular place for posing (Photo by: Stephen Kelly)
Anyone in Osaka next weekend should think of heading for the Namba Yasaka Shrine, whose unique frontage is pictured above. On the third Sunday of January each year, the shrine holds its annual festival. To learn more, please take a look at the article below, courtesy of the Gaijinpot site.
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While Osaka’s Namba area is known for many things; eating, drinking, shopping and karaoke to name a few—shrines and temples aren’t exactly at the top of the list. Explore just a bit beyond the noise, however, and you’ll discover something that’s dazzling in an altogether different way.
Right in the bustling heart of Namba (Photo by: Geoff Whalan)
A mere eight-minute walk from busy Nankai Station, Namba Yasaka Shrine is home to Namba’s guardian deity and part of a once flourishing complex of Buddhist temples that were burned down in wartime air raids.
Namba Yasaka is famous for its lion-shaped stage, which stands out as
a unique piece of architecture, especially compared with the austere
temple beside it. It’s not hard to draw a parallel with Osaka’s
kaleidoscopic mix of traditional, retro, modern and futuristic,
distilled at this secret shrine smack in the center of the city’s
bawdiest entertainment district.
The lion’s head stage was built in 1975 and has a delightfully retro feel, as striking as something you might find in Las Vegas or a theme park. It stands 12 meters tall and seven meters deep. The huge lion’s mouth is believed to swallow evil spirits and bring good luck, especially for those looking to do well in school and business matters. Because of this many people visit the shrine during exam time or the start and end of the financial year.
The third Sunday of January marks the shrine’s annual festival, during which a huge tug-of-war competition is held. This is to simulate the myth that the shrine’s deity once killed a giant snake that brought peace to the people of what is now the Namba area.
