Category Archives: Oddities

Believe in the kami!

Posted on September 19, 2012 by John D.

I was driving along a road near Shirakami Sanchi, the mountainous beech forests that straddle Aomori and Akita prefectures, when I happened to notice the above banner by the roadside saying ‘Believe in the kami from your heart’. I’d been … Continue reading →

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Shinto tree ritual

Posted on September 13, 2012 by John D.

Japan Today reports an unusual ritual carried out on a lone survivor of last year’s Tohoku tsunami. It must surely be a first: hard to imagine there’s any precedent! ********************************************** Tsunami ‘miracle pine’ cut down as part of project to … Continue reading →

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Cry baby sumo

Posted on August 26, 2012 by John D.

Thanks to Green Shinto friend, Mark Schumacher (dictionary of Japanese religion), for pointing out this Japan Times article on a phenomenon that I have come across at a few places around Japan.  It might not be politically correct these days, … Continue reading →

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Nukes into shrines

Posted on April 6, 2012 by John D.

  Here’s an odd but intriguing idea: a plan to convert the failed nuclear power stations of Fukushima into Shinto shrines!!  And no, it’s not an April 1 joke, for the article was posted on March 18 in the Japan … Continue reading →

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Hikaru Genji lived here

Posted on March 8, 2012 by John D.

  One of the delights of Kyoto is coming unexpectedly across places of historical import. This evening on the way home I passed a torii affixed to a building with a small dark opening.  A nearby noticeboard announced that it … Continue reading →

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Spot the oddity

Posted on September 30, 2011 by John D.

Notice anything odd about this photograph?   It’s not the girls posing for a photo, nor the gaijin with a guitar on his back.  It’s the pair of shishsi (Chiinese lion) guardians, which unusually (exceptionally?) have both their mouths open.  The … Continue reading →

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The mystery of bottomless ladles

Posted on September 20, 2011 by John D.

One comes across all kinds of intriguing items at Shinto shrines.  The picture above provides an example.  What on earth could these ‘holy’ ladles have to do with Shinto! The answer is rather difficult to guess, but in its way … Continue reading →

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Karasu Sumo at Kamigamo Shrine (9/9)

Posted on September 15, 2011 by John D.

Priests hopping and cawing like crows.  Seven year old kids doing sumo.  What’s that all got to do with Shinto, you may wonder?   Kamigamo Jinja is Kyoto’s greenest shrine and probably the oldest.  It was established by the Kamo … Continue reading →

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Power animals

Posted on July 28, 2011 by John D.

In Shinto animals are seen as spirit messengers, and I take this to be derived from shamanism where they aid the shaman in taking flight to the spirit world.  Particular animals are associated with certain kami. The fox with Inari, pigeon/dove … Continue reading →

Posted in Green issues, Oddities, Shamanic connections | 4 Comments

Yatagarasu (the three-legged crow)

Posted on July 25, 2011 by John D.

My favourite Shinto motif is yatagarasu, the three-legged crow, and not just because it’s been adopted as the mascot of the Japanese soccer team.  It’s an inspiring bird of fancy that carries with it all kinds of association.  It first … Continue reading →

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Posted in Oddities, Shamanic connections | 7 Comments