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French Foreign Legion ritual

January 3, 2015 / John D. / 2 Comments

Yabuhara Shrine set up for the New Year celebrations

Green Shinto has written earlier of the French connection established by the Yabuhara Shrine in Nagano Prefecture. (16 minutes walk from Yabuhara JR station in the Kiso district.) This owes itself to Masa Okutani, son of the chief priest, currently working in Paris. Now thanks to him, news comes of an interesting development at the New Year, namely a ritual for the well-being of Japanese members of the French Foreign Legion. (Adapted text and photos courtesy of Masa Okutani.)

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The French Foreign Legion is well known as one of the bravest military services in the world, and there are around 50 Japanese soldiers who work for the legion today.

The good luck charms placed before the altar

On the first of January 2015, there was a ceremony to ask for continuing good luck in combat on the battle field for long time for the Japanese members of the French Foreign Legion. Three red wines made by the French Foreign Legion were offered as sacred sake, O-Miki, for the ceremony.

A charm specially made for the French Foreign Legion has been designed with green and red color which is the symbol color of French Foreign Legion. In Japan from ancient times the color of green has been regarded as the power of eternity, and the color of red is regarded as the power of purging evil.

Three kami/divinity out of six at the Sanctuary Yabuhara are connected with the military. Susa-no-wo-no-mikoto is embraced by samurai and their family traditionally in Japan; Hayatama-no-wo-no-mikoto and Kotosaka-no-wo-no-mikoto are kami of purging bad situations and of convergence.

Later, the charm will be passed to the Japanese soldiers by the officiating priest at the Sanctuary Yabuhara in France.

Good luck charm specially produced for the French Foreign Legion - an historical event

A syncretic New Year

December 30, 2014 / John D. / 0 Comments

Green Shinto has been writing of New Year customs in Japan for some years now (see the postings under the category titled New Year to the right). It’s a hugely important time in the Japanese scheme of things, since calendrically it marks a new beginning and a chance to start afresh. Purification and renewal lie of course at the very heart of Shinto. Small wonder then that the start of a new year is marked by the biggest celebration in the Japanese year with family gatherings and visits to shrines and temples.

As part of the coming celebrations, let us reprint here a piece that first appeared on the popular Deep Kyoto blog, which is re-running the piece with fresh illustrations by its owner, Michael Lambe (see here). My thanks to him, and to all our readers over the past year.

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The true soul of Japan is neither Shinto nor Buddhist. It’s Shinto-Buddhist. Until the artificial split of early Meiji times, the country had more than 1000 years of happy syncretism. Born Shinto, die Buddhist is the Japanese way.

Shinto is this-worldly, concerned with rites of passage and social well-being. Buddhism is other-worldly, concerned with individual salvation. At New Year the two religions come together like yin and yang, either side of midnight. Buddhism sees out the death of the old; Shinto celebrates the birth of the new. Joya-no-kane (tolling of the bell) gives way to Hatsumode (first visit of the year).

On Jan 4 at Shimogamo Jinja is a game of ancient 'kemari' football to kick off the New Year

To get the full feel of the New Year, you need to be syncretic too. In the dying minutes of the year, go hear the bell at a Buddhist temple. By tradition it is rung 108 times once for every attachment that plagues the human condition. Then head for a shrine to pick up arrow and amulets for protection through the coming year.

With over 3000 temples and shrines in Kyoto, we who are lucky enough to live here are spoilt for choice. A popular but crowded combination is Chion-in and Yasaka Jinja. File up the hill to watch the young priests at the temple acrobatically swing on ropes to ring the bell. Then head down to the shrine to get twisted bamboo lit with the sacred Okera fire. It will purify your home.

Personally I prefer the open space of Kurodani, where the bell booms soulfully over the nearby hillside. Open fires give off a warm glow, which you can add to with heated sake before lining up to ring the bell.

Afterwards a twenty-minute walk leads through dark and dozing streets to the wooded surrounds of Shimogamo Jinja. Suddenly there are laughing voices, bright kimono, and gaudy lights. Aspiring yakuza sell candy floss and goldfish. Here all is jollity and smiles. ‘Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu’ rings out on every side.

At the shrine people toss coins over the heads of those in front into the offertory boxes. With the blessing of the kami, this too will be a happy New Year. And a new year of blessings for all Green Shinto readers too!

Year of the Sheep

December 29, 2014 / John D. / 0 Comments

For Shimogamo Jinja 2015 looks like the year of the goat...

... though 12 years it ago it was more like the year of the ram

New Year greetings to all Green Shinto readers at this auspicious time of new beginnings…

Hatsumode (New Year shrine visit) is the busiest time of year for shrines, and also the most profitable in terms of income. Millions upon millions of Japanese will be making a visit to at least one shrine to pay their respects. For some it’s a spiritual act, for most it’s simply a custom that enforces their Japaneseness.

This year it’s the year of the sheep (alternatively goat or ram; there’s no distinction). It is part of a 12-year-cycle of animals that make up the Chinese zodiac (12 because of the number of moons). These interact with the five elements: wood, metal, fire, water, earth. There is therefore a 60 year cycle in all (12 x 5), and 2015 is the 32nd year out of the current cycle. It means that each year an animal takes on the attributes of one of the elements, and this year it’s that of the wood sheep. (For those unable to sleep, counting wooden sheep might be key to a good night’s rest!)

In previous years Green Shinto has looked at New Year customs in Kyoto, and in Japan in general. This year we’d like to look at the astrological significance of the year, which is Chinese in origin and begins officially on 4 Feb 2015 according to the traditional lunar calendar. The timing of Japan’s celebration changed when it switched to the Gregorian calendar following the historic events of 1868, marking a symbolic shift to a modern Western model. It’s just one of many examples of the flexibility and adaptability of the ‘ancient faith’.

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The following is taken from the Astrology Club website. (The Chinese lunar New Year takes place in February.)

THE YEAR OF THE GOAT (SHEEP) 2015

Worshipper at the small shrine for the Sheep zodiac at Shimogamo Shrine in Kyoto

The Sheep (Goat) is a Yin energy, a symbol of Peace, Harmonious co-existence and Tranquility. That is the primary and fundamental mood for this year. Though there are cries for War and a countdown is soon to begin, if any almanac serves me well – War will be averted and a period of mending and compromise will be undertaken to ensure Peace is maintained.

The Sheep is the symbol of the Arts. It relates to passive and nurturing times. It will help the healing process with regard to past events caused by individuals who have little respect for the human race or life itself. It will be a year of banding together in faith and in belief that good will prevail and win out over the forces that refuse to comply to a peaceful way of life. For those who trust in goodness, happiness and success will follow.

The emphasis will be on joining forces in order to fight the evil and destruction that has been brewing. With the planet Saturn into the sign Scorpio and the planet Pluto in its long stay in the sign Capricorn, there will be greater concern with structure, getting back to basics and using greater intuition to find solutions to problems that have been plaguing

Agnostic religion

December 26, 2014 / John D. / 4 Comments

Shinto is often described as a religion of ritual and its priests as ritualists

The New York Times carried an article on Christmas Eve about the increasing number of people who seek ritual without religion and spirituality without dogma. Given the nature of Shinto, the trend is particularly interesting for ritual stands at its heart and there is no dogma – or indeed any requirement at all.

Who knows how many of the many, many millions in Japan who flock to shrines for the New Year have any belief in kami? Estimates range around 5% at most. It’s safe to say the overwhelming majority would see the personification of spirits as simply that – personification. It’s why by and large Japanese are uninterested in which kami are being worshipped at particular shrines. They’re simply expressions of a universal lifeforce.

On the other hand, most would probably see the rituals of Shinto as an important expression of Japaneseness, an assertion of communal solidarity as it were. This would seem to be a deep-rooted human need, as evidenced in the article below with its account of ritual gatherings for atheists. It explains why even non-believers in the West celebrate Christmas in some form too.

Whatever your belief, whatever the path you follow, Green Shinto hopes that the new year brings blessings upon you and yours.

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Religion without God
by T. M. Luhrmann, professor of anthropology at Stanford University.

Shrines offer the opportunity to take time out and reflect on what is important in life

Unitarianism emerged in early modern Europe from those who rejected a Trinitarian theology in preference for the doctrine that God was one. By the 19th century, however, the Unitarian church had become a place for intellectuals who were skeptical of belief claims but who wanted to hang on to faith in some manner. Charles Darwin, for example, turned to Unitarians as he struggled with his growing doubt. The modern Unitarian Universalist Association’s statement of principles does not mention God at all.

As it happens, this kind of God-neutral faith is growing rapidly, in many cases with even less role for God than among Unitarians. Atheist services have sprung up around the country, even in the Bible Belt. Many of them are connected to Sunday Assembly, which was founded in Britain by two comedians, Sanderson Jones and Pippa Evans. They are avowed atheists. Yet they have created a movement that draws thousands of people to events with music, sermons, readings, reflections and (to judge by photos) even the waving of upraised hands. There are nearly 200 Sunday Assembly gatherings worldwide. A gathering in Los Angeles last year attracted hundreds of participants.

How do we understand this impulse to hold a “church” service despite a hesitant or even nonexistent faith? Part of the answer is surely the quest for community. That’s what Mr. Jones told The Associated Press: “Singing awesome songs, hearing interesting talks, thinking about improving yourself and helping other people — and doing that in a community with wonderful relationships. Which part of that is not to like?”

Gratitude for the wonders of existence brings its own reward

Another part of the answer is that rituals change the way we pay attention as much as — perhaps more than — they express belief. In “The Archetypal Actions of Ritual,” two anthropologists, Caroline Humphrey and James Laidlaw, go so far as to argue that ritual isn’t about expressing religious commitment at all, but about doing something in a way that marks the moment as different from the everyday and forces you to see it as important. Their point is that performing a ritual focuses your attention on some moment and deems it worthy of respect.

In Britain, where the rate of atheism is much higher than in the United States, organizations have now sprung up to mark life passages for those who consider themselves to be nonbelievers. The anthropologist Matthew Engelke spent much of 2011 with the British Humanist Association, the country’s pre-eminent nonreligious organization, with a membership of over 12,000. The evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, a prominent atheist, is a member.

The association sponsors a good deal of anti-religious political activity. They want to stop faith-based schools from receiving state funding and to remove the rights of Church of England bishops to sit in the House of Lords. They also perform funerals, weddings and namings. In 2011, members conducted 9,000 of these rituals. Ceremony does something for people independent of their theological views.

Moreover, these rituals work, if by “work” we mean that they change people’s sense of their lives. It turns out that saying that you are grateful makes you feel grateful. Saying that you are thankful makes you feel thankful. To a world so familiar with the general unreliability of language, that may seem strange. But it is true.

Religion is fundamentally a practice that helps people to look at the world as it is and yet to experience it — to some extent, in some way — as it should be. Much of what people actually do in church — finding fellowship, celebrating birth and marriage, remembering those we have lost, affirming the values we cherish — can be accomplished with a sense of God as metaphor, as story, or even without any mention of God at all.

Yet religion without God may be more poignant. Atheists trust in human relations, not supernatural ones, and humans are not so good at delivering the world as it should be. Perhaps that is why we are moved by Christmas carols, which conjure up the world as it can be and not the world we know.

May the spirit of Christmas be with you, however you understand what that means.

Omikuji fortune slips? In fact a wishing wall at Ephesus in Turkey, where people's hopes are written down and tied up in the manner of Shinto ema. Regardless of belief, giving expression to innermost hopes is good for the soul.

Solstice greetings

December 20, 2014 / John D. / 1 Comment

The rock-cave at Takachiho in Kyushu, one of several that honours the Rock Cave myth in which the sun goddess withdraws and casts the world into darkness. A joyous festival organised by the other deities then entices her back out again.

Green Shinto would like to wish its readers all the best for the winter solstice as those of us in the northern hemisphere pass through the darkest days of the annual cycle with revelry and Yuletide fires to ward off the cold. The word “solstice” derives from the Latin words “sol” (sun) and “sistere” (to stand still). From here on we’ll be looking forward to movement again as nature goes about the process of renewal and regeneration, even in the midst of death. Life-death-rebirth is what nature religions are all about.

Wikipedia has a nice section on the historical significance of the solstice, which follows below. It’s of particular interest to Shinto since it ‘sheds light’ on the primal Rock Cave myth with its story about the withdrawal of the sun goddess. The myth tells us that human activity provides the remedy for such dark times, so let the feasting and the festivities begin!

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The sun goddess Amaterasu as portrayed by Bando Tamasaburo

The solstice itself may have been a special moment of the annual cycle of the year even during neolithic times. Astronomical events, which during ancient times controlled the mating of animals, sowing of crops and metering of winter reserves between harvests, show how various cultural mythologies and traditions have arisen. This is attested by physical remains in the layouts of late Neolithic and Bronze Age archaeological sites, such as Stonehenge in England and Newgrange in Ireland.

The primary axes of both of these monuments seem to have been carefully aligned on a sight-line pointing to the winter solstice sunrise (Newgrange) and the winter solstice sunset (Stonehenge). Significant in respect of Stonehenge is the fact that the Great Trilithon was erected outwards from the centre of the monument, i.e., its smooth flat face was turned towards the midwinter Sun.

The winter solstice may have been immensely important because communities were not certain of living through the winter, and had to be prepared during the previous nine months. Starvation was common during the first months of the winter, January to April (northern hemisphere) or July to October (southern hemisphere), also known as “the famine months”.

In temperate climates, the midwinter festival was the last feast celebration before deep winter began. Most cattle were slaughtered so they would not have to be fed during the winter, so it was almost the only time of year when a supply of fresh meat was available. The majority of wine and beer made during the year was finally fermented and ready for drinking at this time. The concentration of the observances were not always on the day commencing at midnight or at dawn, but the beginning of the pre-Romanized day, which falls on the previous eve.

Because the event is seen as the reversal of the Sun‘s ebbing presence in the sky, concepts of the birth or rebirth of sun gods have been common and, in cultures using winter solstice based cyclic calendars, the year as reborn has been celebrated with regard to life-death-rebirth deities or new beginnings. Also reversal is yet another usual theme as in Saturnalia‘s slave and master reversals.

Saturnalia – In Ancient Rome, the Winter Solstice festival referred to as Saturnalia began on December 17 and lasted for seven days. It was held to honor Saturnus, the Roman god of agriculture and harvest, and was characterized by the suspension of discipline and reversal of the usual order. Grudges and quarrels were forgiven, while businesses, courts and schools were closed. Wars were interrupted or postponed, and people engaged in carnival-like festivities. The popularity of Saturnalia continued into the third and fourth centuries AD, and as the Roman Empire came under Christian rule, some of the festival’s customs have influenced the seasonal celebrations surrounding Christmas and the New Year.

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Some pagan celebrations (taken from The Winter Solstice: Facts and Folklore by Farmers’ Almanac Staff)

Removal of the rock sealing the entrance to Amaterasu's cave

The Winter Solstice has played an important role in cultures worldwide from ancient times until today. In fact, many of the customs, lore, symbols, and rituals associated with Christmas are actually associated with Winter Solstice celebrations of ancient Pagan cultures.

Alban Arthuan, Welsh for “Light of Winter,” is a universal festival, which has been (and still is) celebrated by many people and is probably the oldest seasonal festival of humankind. In Druidic traditions, the Winter Solstice is thought of as a time of death and rebirth when Nature’s powers and our own souls are renewed. It marks the moment in time when the Old Sun dies (at dusk on the 21st of December) and when the Sun of the New Year is born (at dawn on the 22nd of December), framing the longest night of the year.

The birth of the New Sun is thought to revive the Earth’s aura in mystical ways, giving a new lease on life to spirits and souls of the dead. The prehistoric monument, Newgrange, built in Ireland around 3200 BC (making it older than Stonehenge), is associated with the Alban Arthuan festival. The site consists of a large circular mound with a stone passageway and interior chambers. When the sun rises, the chamber is flooded with sunlight on the Winter Solstice.

The Feast of Juul was a festival observed in Scandinavia when fires were lit to symbolize the heat, light and life-giving properties of the returning Sun. A Yule or “Juul” log was brought in and burned on the hearth in honor of the Scandinavian god, Thor. It was Thor’s job to bring the warmth of the Sun back to the people. The log, which was never allowed to burn entirely, was kept as both a token of good luck against misfortune, and used as kindling for the following year’s log. In England, Germany, France and other European countries, the Yule log was burned until nothing but ash remained. The ashes were then collected and spread into the fields as fertilizer every night until Twelfth Night, or worn around the neck as a charm. The ashes were sometimes used in medicine.

French peasants would place the cooled ashes from the log under their beds, believing they would protect the house against thunder and lightning. The present-day custom of lighting a Yule log at Christmas is believed to have originated with these fires associated with the Feast of Juul.

In addition to the traditions from western cultures, the Dongzhi Winter Solstice Festival is celebrated as a time for the entire family to get together to celebrate the past good year. As ancient Chinese thought, the yang, or muscular, positive things will become stronger and stronger after this day, so it should be celebrated. [Wikipedia adds; “The origins of this festival can be traced back to the yin and yang philosophy of balance and harmony in the cosmos. After this celebration, there will be days with longer daylight hours and therefore an increase in positive energy flowing in. The philosophical significance of this is symbolized by the I Ching hexagram fù (復, “Returning”).”]

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For a piece about the Hidden Sun, see here. For previous entries on the winter solstice, see here or here.

Even in the darkest of times the promise of light shines forth

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P.S. Since this piece was posted, our Taoist friend Michael R. Saso has written an informative piece on his Facebook page giving more details about the Chinese celebration of the winter solstice….

In China, Japan and other East Asian cultures, Winter Solstice is celebrated by an evergreen cutting, similar to the Christmas tree, made by clipping off the branch of a tree, and hanging it over the household spirit shrine. Like the Christmas tree, it is decorated with fruits and candies. South China, Gwangdong, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, also decorate homes and offices with shrub like tangerine trees. The orange fruit brightens homes and business through the solar and lunar New Year festivals. The winter months, celebrating nature’s annual rest and rebirth, are also blessed by the flowering of the winter plum blossom, placed beside the colorful tangerines of winter.

Modern Chinese families celebrate the Winter Solstice with a family banquet. The most important item is a sweet soup, made of glutinous rice balls filled with nuts and sesame seed, called Tangyuan 糖圆. The Tangyuan is a symbol of yang’s rebirth in the depths of the ocean. In some families, both white and pink rice balls are put in the soup, signifying that after the solstice, the cold, short days of winter will soon begin to lengthen, with the returning sun’s warmth and brightness,

The Winter Solstice was one of the biggest events of Imperial China. On this day the Emperor of China was required, from ancient times, to offer sacrifice to heaven, by ceremonially plough the ground, to insure good crops and blessing for the coming year. The place for performing this ritual, during the Ming and Qing dynasties, was the temple of Heaven, in Beijing. The Emperor would spend a period of prayer and retreat in the Temple grounds. Then he would go early in the morning to an elevated, circular altar, and stand in the middle of an outdoor stone platform. Here he would address heaven, while standing on a convex, circular stone, which stands right in the middle of the outdoor altar, directly under the heavens. Until 1949, it was strictly prohibited for anyone, other than Court mandarins, and members of the Board of Rites, to enter the Temple of Heaven. Only the emperor himself could stand on this stone and offer prayer.

Nowadays, we can all experience what the emperor felt, when he made this Winter Solstice prayer to heaven. But to do so, we must wait patiently in a line of daily visitors who stand on the stone, making the “V” sign with their fingers, while being photographed by family, friends, or suitors. Please try to do this, when you are in Beijing. Go early in the morning, or just before closing, to this stone. Stand on it, look up to the heavens, and speak. You will experience a most amazing phenomenon, as your voice is carried straight upward, with an echo, into the heavens. Whether by plan, or by chance, prayers made out loud on this stone, are by the laws of physics, carried heavenward. You will feel it so, if even for a moment, before the next set of waiting tourists climb onto the stone for a picture.

Izumo delights

December 18, 2014 / John D. / 2 Comments

The attractive Izumo coastline at Hinomisaki

The Shimane area, boasting the impressive Izumo Taisha, is undoubtedly one of the most attractive and mythological parts of Japan. Much of its appeal is its remoteness, and access is not easy from the main parts of Japan. An article this week in the Japan Times highlights one cheap possibility for those in Tokyo – a 12-hour overnight train.

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Model of how Izumo Taisha may have looked in ancient times when it would have been Japan’s biggest shrine

Night train to Shimane’s land of the gods
BY DAVEY YOUNG SPECIAL TO THE JAPAN TIMES DEC 13, 2014

The 10th month of the lunar calendar is known throughout most of Japan as Kannazuki, or the “month of no gods.” During this time, Okuninushi, the kami (Shinto god) enshrined at the renowned Izumo Taisha shrine, summons myriad deities to decide the fate of all people for the year ahead. For this reason, the 10th lunar month in Shimane Prefecture alone is known as Kamiarizuki — the “month of the gods.”

My visit to Izumo Taisha shrine fell in the weeks before Kamiarizuki, a good time to curry favor ahead of the gathering of the gods. Many people, and perhaps even a kami or two, reach the shrine via the Sunrise Izumo, a 12-hour overnight train from Tokyo with relatively few stops along the way.

Despite the arduous journey, the gravity of Izumo Taisha in the national psyche compels people to pack these trains, not just for the month of the gods, but throughout the year.

I arrived at midday during a serendipitous break in the stormy weather that the Sea of Japan is famous for, but a roil of Stygian clouds ringing the horizon in every direction reminded me of the gods’ caprice. It was a Sunday, and a varied assortment of pilgrims and tourists scurried back and forth, chatting and snapping pictures.

Izumo Taisha has been popping up more and more on Japanese tourists’ collective radar ever since Princess Noriko married the son of the shrine’s head priest in October, joining together two of the oldest family lineages in the country. In fact, the line of the Izumo priests stretches a mind-boggling 85 generations. Indeed, everything about Izumo Taisha is a matter of scale.

Visitors first pass through a succession of hulking, dark shrine gates before the final approach down a gentle grade and through a corridor of pine trees. The wide path spans several hundred meters and ends with the abrupt appearance of the haiden (worship hall). The hall’s wide, sloping roof and asymmetrical facade are efficiently humbling.

The kaguraden with its massive shimenawa rice rope. “Everything about Izumo Taisha is a matter of scale”

With the clouds closing in, I hurried behind the haiden to get a better view of the massive honden (main hall). This is where Okuninushi is enshrined, and where, according to the Kojiki and Nihon-shoki, Susano’o settled the land after his banishment from the heavens. The current honden, built in 1744, exudes the appropriate degree of authority. It’s difficult to imagine that an earlier, 13th-century iteration rose to a staggering 48 meters.

Part of Inasa Beach on which the kami of all Japan are received each October

Equally inconceivable is the 13-meter, 5-ton shimenawa, a twisted straw rope indicating sacredness, adorning the kaguraden (kagura hall). I arrived to find a line of people longer than the rope itself jutting out from the shrine, and had only a few minutes to contemplate its mass before the black forms above coalesced and let loose with sheets of cold rain. I escaped the worst of it by finding shelter in the neighboring Shimane Museum of Ancient Izumo.

When the storm broke, I walked a short kilometer to the beach at Inasa-no-Hama, where every year the gods would be greeted for the first day of Kamiarizuki. The sun had just set behind a veil of violet-hued clouds, and the wide beach was empty save for a few ironclad surfers donning wetsuits retreating from the darkening waves. Their footprints resembled ant trails on the otherwise smooth sand, and I was left wondering by what mysterious means the gods transport themselves to this far-flung corner of Japan to answer Okuninushi’s call, and by what divinations they determine our fate.

One of the old bathhouses in Yunotsu

Later that night, I shocked the cold out of my bones at Motoyu, one of two public bathhouses in Yunotsu, the small coastal town that once served as a shipping port for nearby Iwami Ginzan and now enjoys UNESCO World Heritage status along with the mines. Neither bathhouse adulterates the source water, so the milky, 45-degree-Celsius bath is an exercise in endurance.

The next morning I hit the other bathhouse in town, the Yakishiyu, whose spring was created by an earthquake nearly 2½ centuries ago, for good measure. Freshly stewed and stinking of sulfur, I made my way to the mines.

During its heyday in the early Edo Period, Iwami Ginzan supplied one-third of the world’s silver. Its centuries of use fueled Japan’s warring states period and the Tokugawa Shogunate that ended it. After the Meiji Restoration, the mines were privatized and new smelters were built downriver, but the mines began to run dry within a few decades. For most of the 20th century, the once prosperous region backslid into dereliction, and many of the original buildings were lost to fire.

The entire mining area covers 5 sq. km, most of which can be explored freely, but the old mining town of Omori is the real treasure. Hundreds of Tokugawa and Meiji era buildings huddle along a trickling river deep in the valley, and the main drag of Omori Street is a veritable time slip.

Model of an Edo-era miner in the Iwami Silver Mine

The pristinely renovated Kawashima Family Residence was originally built in 1825 and is now a museum showcasing the bygone household of the samurai family who administered Omori during the Edo Period.

According to the woman who sold me my ticket, more than half of the buildings in town had been abandoned before the area received World Heritage status in 2007. Since then, people have been coming back.

The sinking sun had already cast the valley into shadow as I left the charms of Omori behind. It would be completely dark by the time I boarded the Sunrise Izumo, but at least I’d be headed east to meet the new day.

The former mining town of Omori, now catering to tourists as part of the Iwami Silver Mine World Heritage Site

My Nobi Nobi seat was a bit of a misnomer. Borrowed from a term meaning stretch, each berth is about the size of one tatami mat. Sitting upright my head just grazed the ceiling. The floor is hard and thinly carpeted, but mercifully seemed to be heated. A thin white sheet had been folded neatly and placed at the entrance, but no other bedding was provided. Passengers can close a scratchy curtain to the narrow corridor, but the berths themselves are open to one another. As the train lurched into motion, I looked down the row at the dozen or so other travelers silently setting up their nests for the night. This Spartan compartment was to be our shared home for the next 12 hours.

It was a small mercy I had the foresight to buy an ekiben (boxed lunch) before boarding, made with fresh crab from the Sea of Japan — the Sunrise Izumo has no snack cart or meal service. I cracked the disposable chopsticks and tucked in as the dark mirror of Lake Shinji glided by outside.

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Getting there: The Sunrise Izumo leaves Tokyo Station at 10 p.m. and arrives in Izumo-shi Station at 9:58 a.m. the next day. One-way fares cost from ¥15,320 plus tax. For more information, see www.jr-odekake.net/train/sunriseseto_izumo/index.html. (Japanese site)

The disused Ebisu Jinja at Okidamari port, once used for shipping silver to Kyushu

Kigami Jinja at Omori, once patronised by wealthy merchants

Kigami Jinja omikuji fortune slips, tied and displayed in attractive fashion befitting a World Heritage Site

Baku, the dream eater

December 16, 2014 / John D. / 0 Comments

Baku detail on the honden at Yasaka Jinja in Kyoto

The first time I saw one, I thought it was an elephant! Now when I see it, I feel happy to know it will eat my nightmares….

Welcome to the imaginative world of the ‘baku’, courtesy of the Ancient Origins website, a fascinating trove of miscellenia which delves into the mysterious past.

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Baku: The Legend of the Dream Eater
By M R Reese 1 DECEMBER, 2014

The baku, otherwise known as the ‘dream eater’, is a mythological being or spirit in Chinese and Japanese folklore which is said to devour nightmares. The baku cannot be summoned without caution, however, as ancient legends say that if the baku is not satisfied after consuming the nightmare, he may also devour one’s hopes and dreams.

Tales of the baku devouring nightmares originated in Chinese folklore, and later appeared in Japanese folklore between the 14th and 15th centuries, in what was known as the Muromachi period. While the baku is a spiritual being, it has a well-defined appearance. It takes on the form of a chimera – a mythological beast comprised of a variety of parts from other animals. The baku is typically depicted with a bear’s body, an elephant’s nose, a tiger’s feet, an oxen tail, and rhinoceros eyes.

Baku detail at the entrance gate to Kiyomizu temple in Kyoto

According to legend, the baku was created by the spare pieces that were left over when the gods finished creating all other animals. Descriptions and beliefs in the baku have changed throughout the years. In ancient Chinese legends, the baku was an animal that was hunted for its pelt. Whomever killed a baku would use a blanket made from the pelt as a talisman, or an object with magical powers, which would protect them from evil spirits. This practice evolved into one where a pelt was not necessary, and the display of a baku image over the bed would repel evil spirits.

It wasn’t until the baku legends made their way to Japan that the figure was viewed as a dream-eater. With this transition, the stories of baku became consistent, and he has continued to be viewed as a dream-eater to this day. Legend has it, that a person who wakes up from a bad dream can call out to baku. A child having a nightmare in Japan will wake up and repeat three times “Baku-san, come eat my dream. Baku-san, come eat my dream. Baku-san, come eat my dream.”

Legends say that the baku will come into the child’s room and devour the bad dream, allowing the child to go back to sleep peacefully. However, calling to the baku must be done sparingly, because if he remains hungry after eating one’s nightmare, he may also devour their hopes and desires as well, leaving them to live an empty life. The baku can also be summoned for protection from bad dreams prior to falling asleep at night. To this day, it remains common for Japanese children to keep a baku talisman at their bedside.

Today you can find several modern representations of the baku. Occasionally, a baku is shown in a form that represents a tapir, as opposed to the traditional chimera form. In 1984, Oshii Mamoru’s animated film, ‘Beautiful Dreamer’, depicted a baku as a tapir. Later, a baku took on a tapir-like form in Pokemon in the Drowzee/ Hypno and Munna/ Musharna characters, and the popular Digimon (virtual pet monster) also has a character called Bakumon or Tapirmon, that bears similarity to the baku.

The idea of being able to summon a baku to prevent or end a nightmare is one that can be understood across various cultures and different time periods, and the use of talismans or symbols of protection for sleep are a common thread seen throughout history. The baku has remained a steady figure in nightmare prevention throughout the years, in both chimera and tapir form, and it is likely to remain a figure for many years to come.

Baku at Hinomisaki Shrine in Shimane Prefecture

There are baku, elephants and just about any other creature you could imagine in the wonderful wonderland of Tosho-gu at Nikko