Author: John D. (Page 116 of 202)

Sky Father, Mother Earth

February 26, 2014 / John D. / 2 Comments

Meoto (husband-wife) rocks can be found around Japan, but the most famous pair are at Futami near Ise, as pictured above. The rocks are usually taken to represent the primal pair of Izanagi and Izanami. Meoto rocks are invariably located in water and tied together in symbolic union by a shimenawa rope. The piece below, exploring similarities in other cultures, is extracted from a longer article on the Japanese Mythology and Folklore website. (For the full article, see here.)

************************************************************************************************

The embracing Sky Father, Mother Earth and Heavenly Ropevine
by heritageofjapan

Meotoiwa, “husband and wife rocks”, or the Wedded Rocks, are a couple of small rocky stacks in the sea off Futami, Mie, Japan. They are joined by a shimenawa (a heavy rope of rice straw) and are considered sacred by worshippers at the neighbouring Futami Okitama Shrine.

Izanagi and Izanami stirring the primordial slime to create Japan

According to local lore and Shinto beliefs, the rocks represent the union of the creator kami, Izanagi and Izanami. Although the above Futami Meioto Iwa rocks are the most famous ones, there are many others to be found elsewhere in the Japanese landscape.

Such iconography and the idea of a Creator-Couple or Cosmic Couple is rampant throughout the ancient prehistoric world, and particularly widespread among the tribes of the Austro-Asiatics, the Austronesians as well as the Polynesians. Stephen Oppenheimer writes about the mythical belief on p. 321 of his book Eden in the East: The Drowned Continent of Southeast Asia:

The story of creation with Sky Father locked in close and dark sexual union with Mother Earth, is found in a band stretching from NZ to Greece. The locked-couple picture is seen at its fullest in a little understood string of islands, the Lesser Sundas of eastern Indonesia. And in the surviving megalithic societies of Sulawesi, Maluku and the Nusa Tenggara, a concept of Father Sky and Mother Earth, who were previously locked in a tight embrace remains central to cultural beliefs.

What does the heavenly rope vine symbolize and what is its origin? Below we explore some possible ideas and explanations for the celestial ladder twine.

The straw rope tying the husband and wife together is a visual metaphor recalling the myth from Flores Island (an island arc extending east from Java island of Indonesia). A rope twine used to tie the Sky Father and Earth Mother together until a dog chewed up the vine, causing the two to fly apart, a mythical explanation for the separation of Sky and Earth.

Is the shimenawa rope, often used as a signifier in Shinto, indicative of the tie between this world and the other?

In ‘Ayahuasca, shamanism, and curanderismo in the Andes‘, Steve Mizrach examines the concept of an otherworldly “soul vine”, a concept that seems to have been diffused to the Americas from the Altai-Siberia or Mongolia. In Brazil, there is a term ‘ayahuasca’ that comes from the Quechua, meaning literally “the vine of souls,” — it is also called “the visionary vine” or the “vine of death.” The folk term refers to the botanical species of liana known as Banisteriopsis Caapi , which is also known as Yage among the Indians of Brazil. The Andean shaman uses Yage, “the vine of souls,” to contact the dead as well as to divine the location of water. Mizrach thus draws a connection between the vine as a connector between the Underworld with passages of water.

Perhaps one of the “ceremonial” uses of the lines is for the shaman to travel during his “spirit journey,” guiding him like a magnet to the places of the dead where he can bargain for water. Indeed, during their “soul flights,” shamans typically report that they are “guided” on their journey by “spirit paths” that lead them to the appropriate destination.

The Ladder-to-Heaven documents a ladder made of reed or vine among the South American tribes (the Nivalke, the Mataco, the Tupi, Sikuani and the Chorote)… In Myth in History: Mythological Essays, Peter Metevelis (p. 255) tabulates the countries that possess a myth of ropeway access to the Upperworld as including Iceland, India, China, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Melanesia, North and South America, and Polynesia.

In the case of Japan, the straw vine appears as a boundary marker that marks off where the entrance to the Underworld or Heavenly River is, and it is used to quickly fence off the entrance after Amaterasu emerges from the Iwato cavern, thus preventing the Japanese sun goddess from returning to the Underworld. This myth is said to be closest to the myth found in the Indo-Iranian Vedic literature — of Usas, the Dawn woman and heralder of the rising sun, who is hidden in a cave on an island in the middle of the Rasa stream at the end of the world (see Michael Witzel in his Vala and Iwato The Myth of the Hidden Sun in India, Japan and beyond).

Whether the celestial rope as a heavenly ladder, road or path to and from heaven, originated from Africa or is found there as a result of back migrations, we do not know. African sacred traditions of the Dinkas speak of heavenly path or rope that men once traversed freely to and from heaven to converse with the gods, but which collapsed or was destroyed in primeval times as a result of an accident, after which Heaven became separated from Earth.

Kagura reenactment of the rock cave myth, with a rope across the top of the cave to prevent Amaterasu returrning to hide within it

Awe and wonder

February 26, 2014 / John D. / 2 Comments

Joseph Campbell called Shinto ‘a religion of awe’, and for myself wonder is of the essence. It’s a natural response to the mystery of existence. Children typically have it, but adults lose the sense of wonder through being mired down by the mundane nature of modern life. It’s often assumed that awe and wonder are components of a religious disposition, but Richard Dawkins and other atheists have talked of being moved by wonder at the beauty and immensity of the universe. If Shinto is not a religion, as many of its adherents claim, then there is room for atheists too to worship at its shrines, as the following article suggests. (Indeed, I’ve often heard that some Shinto priests are essentially atheist, though confirmed ritualists.)

***************************************************************************

Frank Furedi The Independent Wednesday 16 October 2013

Oprah is wrong. Atheists can experience wonder and awe

Those who believe in God do not have a monopoly over possession of that magnificent sense of the sublime. In one sense Oprah Winfrey was absolutely right when she lectured the humanist swimmer Diana Nyad about the inconsistency of the outlook of atheism with a sense of awe. For Oprah, a woman of faith, the sense of wonder and awe are inextricably intertwined with religion and God.

Indeed since the emergence of the Judeo-Christian tradition, awe is the mandatory reaction that the true believer is required to have towards God. From this perspective the sense awe and wonder is bounded and regulated through the medium of religious doctrine. In contrast, those of us who believe that it was not God but humans who are the real creators are unlikely to stand in awe of this allegedly omnipotent figure.

Although in the 21st century the term awe and awesome are used colloquially to connote amazement and admiration historically these words communicated feelings of powerlessness, fear and dread. The Oxford English Dictionary tells us, that awe means ‘immediate and active fear; terror, dread’. The OED explains that from its original reference to the Divine Being it has acquired a variety of different meanings, such as ‘dread mingled with veneration’ and ‘reverential or respectful fear’. All these meanings signal one important idea which that ‘fearing’ and ‘dreading’ are inherently positive attributes to be encouraged.

The religious affirmation of fear and dread of a higher being is indeed alien to the humanist view of the world. But does that mean that Oprah is right and that atheists cannot wonder and awe? Not at all. Those who believe in God do not have a monopoly over possession of that magnificent sense of the sublime that catches us unaware in the face of the truly mysterious. Atheists and humanist experience wonder and awe in ways that sometimes resembles but often differs from the way that the religious people respond to the unknown.

We all have the capacity and the spiritual resources to experience the mysteries of life and the unexpected events that excite our imagination through a sense of wonder. Those who stand in awe of God internalise their sense of wonder through the medium of their religious doctrine. Their response can possess powerful and intense emotions. But the way they wonder is bounded by their religious beliefs and their conception of God. In a sense this experience of spiritual sensibility is both guided and ultimately dictated by doctrine and belief. Historically those religious people who dared to go beyond these limits risked being denounced as heretical mystics.

In contrast to the way that religion does wonder, atheists and humanists possess a potential for experiencing in a way that is totally unbounded. Humanists do not stand in awe of the mysteries of God but truly wonder at the unknown. Through the resources of the human imagination (humanities) and of the sciences the thinking atheist realises that every solution creates a demand for new answers. That’s what makes our wonder so special. Instead of dreading and fearing, it empowers us to set out on the quest to discover and understand.

Experience shows that the capacity top wonder is a truly human one. Toddlers and young children do not need God to wonder at the mysterious world that surrounds them. At very early stage in their life they express their sense of astonishment and wonder without effort or a hint of embarrassment. Thankfully most of us continue to be motivated and inspired by the mysteries of life.

One final point. There are of course some new atheists who insist on living in a spiritual-free world. From their deterministic perspective everything is explained by neuro-science or our genes. But what drives them away from wonder is not their atheism but their inability to engage with uncertainty. In that respect they are surprisingly similar to those who embrace religious dogma to spare themselves the responsibility of engaging with the mysteries that confront us in everyday life.

******************************************************************

Frank Furedi’s Authority: A Sociological History is published by Cambridge University Press

*******************************************************************

In terms of cosmic awe, perhaps no one has better expressed it than Carl Sagan. It’s a glorious statement of universalism, which makes the concerns of particularism look petty indeed.

― Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space

Illustration by: NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Hurt (SSC/Caltech)

“Look again at that dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every “superstar,” every “supreme leader,” every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there – on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.

The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot.

Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.

The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand.

It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we’ve ever known.”

(Image taken from popchassid)

Ise pilgrimage 2014

February 26, 2014 / John D. / 0 Comments

There’s an anonymous website by a retired Japanese gentleman called Leisurely Walkings which gives details of his excursions. One of them was a six-day walk from Osaka to Ise, recreating the Okage-mairi of Edo times. He writes that Okage-mairi should take place in the year after Sengu (renewal of the shrines), which means this year (2014) is an opportune occasion to do a pilgrimage to Japan’s holiest site. Happy walking!

(The information below is taken from the website Leisurely Walkings: Tours in Retirement.)

***************************************************************************************

A newly erected shrine building, completed for the shikinen sengu ritual renewal in 2013 and featured on television

“OKAGE-MAIRI” : (1) KOJIEN Dictionary says that “OKAGE-MAIRI” is to visit Ise Grand Shrines in the next year after the SENGU.

The SENGU: Ise Grand Shrines including Naiku, Geku and and their auxiliary sanctuaries have been rebuilt and the symbols of KAMI (Goshintai) they enshrined have been ceremoniously transferred in solemn nocturnal ceremonies from the old sanctuary buildings to newly constructed buildings in their adjoining sanctuaries. It involves the reconstruction of sanctuary buildings as well as the renewal of the sacred apparel and treasures which are carried to the new sanctuary buildings along with the symbol of KAMI on the occasion of Sengyo ( :Transfer) ceremony. The SENGU is performed every twenty years (for a firsthand report by Green Shinto supporter, Peter Grilli, click here.)

People camp out at the Uji Bridge in order to be the first to cross over after the transfer of Amaterasu's mirror, marking the completion of the 20 year renewal cycle

The people’s “OKAGE-MAIRI”.

In Edo Period (1600-1867) it was very difficult for people to travel freely. But people making pilgrimages to shrines and/or temples for their religious believes were tolerated by government officers of the shogun. Lots of shrines and temples were the objects of pilgrimages. But the most popular pilgrimage was to visit Ise Grand Shrines. It was the grandest occasions in people’s lives and the biggest amusements for them to travel or go on a pilgrimage to Ise Grand Shrines. It’s called “Ise Mairi” or “OKAGE-MAIRI”.

The people living along the highway entertained the people or group of “OKAGE-MAIRI” by giving some rice. money, rice cakes, rice balls, cakes and others to them with glee. It seemed that even if people started on the travel without anything, they did not need to pay fares for ferries, palanquins and/or horses almost and could get foods and drinks without much difficulties on the way.

It was said that some enthusiastic traveling groups attacked wealthy merchants, rushed into magistrate’s offices and made unreasonable demands, and/or forced their ways through barrier stations without any passing licenses sometimes. Among the such situations some residents along the highway enjoyed merrymaking hilariously with the travelers.

People believed that they could travel safely and delightfully to Ise Grand Shrines due to divine protection. And they called the travel to Ise “OKAGE MAIRI (literally Travel due to thanks to God’s divine protection)”.
The popular folk song, ’Ise-Ondo’, which was sung on the way to Ise by travelers, has the following words: ”I would like to go and to see Ise at least once in my lifetime.”

A ritual in the courtyard of the Geku (Outer Shrine).

Haguromo

February 25, 2014 / John D. / 0 Comments

The headdress of the costume in the Noh play Haguromo suggests shamanic connections (photo by Jun Sato/WireImage)

The shamanic connections of early Shinto are often overlooked, but an item in the excellent website on Noh, from which the passage below is taken, suggests how strong a part shamanism played in the formation of Japanese culture. Haguromo is one of the most famous Noh plays and a well-known story to Japanese, concerning a feather robe worn by a celestial maiden. Bird, other worlds and a female speaks strongly of the miko-shamaness of ancient times, for whom the bird-costume would have been a symbol of flight and transcendence, as in other shamanic cultures. (No doubt the tengu in its guise as a bird is a similar relic of shamanic times.)

**************************************************

One spring morning, a fisherman named Hakuryō, sets out to go fishing with his companions and finds a beautiful robe hung on a pine branch at Miho-no-Matsubara.

The pine on the beach at Miho no Matsubara on which according to legend the feather-cloak was hung. Now part of the Fuji World Heritage Site, since the beach offers fine views of Japan's most sacred mountain.

When he attempts to take it home as a family heirloom, a celestial maiden appears and asks him to return the robe to her. At first, Hakuryō refuses to return it. However, he is moved by the celestial maiden, who laments that she cannot go home to heaven without it. He therefore decides to give her the feather robe in return for seeing her perform a celestial dance.

As the celestial maiden in the feather robe performs the dance, which describes the Palace of the Moon, she praises the beauty of Miho-no-Matsubara in spring. She eventually disappears in the haze, beyond the peak of Mount Fuji.

This noh drama is based on the well-known legend of the celestial feather robe. In the folk tale, the celestial maiden is compelled to become the wife of the man who hides her feather robe. However, in this noh drama, the generous fisherman, Hakuryō, soon returns the robe to her.

Hakuryō suspects that if he gives the feather robe back to her, she will fly back to the heaven without performing the dance. But the maiden responds that such doubts belongs to the earth but there is no deceit in the celestial world. Honest Hakuryō is impressed by her words and returns the robe to her.

The dance of the celestial maiden is the pillar of this drama and is called Suruga-mai in Azuma-asobi in later years. Zeami’s book shows that he considered the dance of the celestial maiden as special. In later generations, the celestial dance is recognized as the archetype of dances; however, the form has been dramatically changed since then.

A calm spring sea, white sand beach, lush green pine trees, exquisite dance of a celestial maiden, and Mount Fuji at the horizon. Both the performers and audience are filled with happiness whether performing or watching this noh drama.

***************************************************************************

For a somewhat different folktale version of the Robe of Feathers, see here. This links the robe with the Strange People (a shamanic clan, perhaps) and says that “In the robe were feathers of all the birds that fly, every one; the kingfisher and the golden pheasant, the love bird, the swan, the crow, the cormorant, the dove, the bullfinch, the falcon, the plover, and the heron.”

Two types of tengu: the one on the left has bird-like features and a covering of feathers

Tenkawa power spot

February 24, 2014 / John D. / 0 Comments

Entrance torii to Tenkawa Shrine, which lies on the slope of a hill

Tenkawa is a notable shrine in Nara Prefecture, which has long had an association with the performing arts and has recently won a reputation also as a ‘power spot’ with a strong sense of spiritual energy. The information below comes from an excellent website dedicated to Noh, which contains information in English about every single detail of the medieval art form. For anyone with the slightest interest in Japanese culture, it’s an invaluable resource and a true gem of the internet.

********************************************************************************************************

Why are Tenkawa shrine and Noh closely connected?

Tenkawa shrine in Yoshino, Nara Prefecture, is famous as the scene of a popular mystery novel by Uchida Yasuo and has recently become one of the popular “power spot” spiritual places thought to give people health and more energy.

The shrine's Worship Hall stands above the main compound

The shrine, which dates from the Asuka period (592-710), is dedicated to Benzaiten (known in Hinduism as Sarasvati, the goddess of fortune and arts). It is closely connected to Noh, having been used for performances since olden times, to ward off evil spirits and worship ancestor spirits. The fine items owned by the shrine include a mask of Akobujō (old man) that was allegedly used by Zeami and a gorgeous brocade kimono dedicated by Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

Zeami’s son, Jurō Motomasa, took part in some pieces there for dedication to the goddess of performing arts and also offered prayers. The author of a number of masterpieces, including “Sumida-gawa” and “Yoroboshi,” he was also a master performer who compared favourably with his father. Nevertheless, he was barred from places involved with showy activities after the then-shogun Ashikaga Yoshinori shifted his favour to Motomasa’s cousin and Zeami’s nephew, Onami.

In the face of adversity, Motomasa devoted himself to further practice. He performed “Tōsen” for dedication to Tenkawa shrine and offered a Jō mask (one of an old man), hoping to extricate himself from his situation. The wish did not come true, however, and he died suddenly at the age of 30. The cause of his death remains a mystery, but some say he was involved in a political confrontation between the Northern and the Southern Imperial Courts.

Tenkawa Noh stage, facing towards the kami

The photo above was taken by ‘groundnetbreaker’, who also posted the piece below to tripadvisor. I’m re-posting it here because it gives a good indication of what a ‘power spot’ means to young Japanese.

**********************************************************

This shrine is so special. I must say this is where original and traditional area of any religion in Japan. In first, this area is very deep to anyone to walk in from NARA flat area when there are no road to walk. but this shrine established since 7th century. I could imagine how sacred and devine place when 7th century. since then, those ancestors had lived for long long time.

The rocks at Tenkawa radiate with spiritual presence and are the object of worship

high altitude around 700m. deep like snowing here… When you enter this area, you will feel this area has been shrine forever human exsist. So, special air. high vibe. best you do practice for higher freq meditaion. but if you touch with ground or put your feet into river, you feel connection of difference.

There are many GODS lived inside of shrine. Some from earlier era of shrine, some I guess old around 15-16 centuries. but most of GODS you can not see. Some GODS can review only sepcial day. most centered GODS here in this shrine are SARASVATI (Hindu’s GODS).

Gods of water. Water is Talent. Talent is Fortune. So many known artiest came this shrine and pray and perform in this shrine. and also, This shrine has NOH stage as well.

This NOH stage is awesome. Right across to stage where GODS are staying. So, you perform to GODS which means you do for yourself. This has something to do with very deep philosophy of life… I love it.

Anyway, I would suggest you visit this area for 1-2 nights. Because you should go morning practice around 6:45AM for 20min. Lovely to start your new life of day by practice at shrine.

Tenkawa (Heavenly River) flows past the shrine and has an energy of its own

From the Tenkawa power spot you can walk along the river for a couple of hours to the Shugendo hotspot at Dorogawa Onsen

Shrines 3) Main items

February 22, 2014 / John D. / 0 Comments

The splendid romon gate entrance of Imamiya Jinja in Kyoto

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

************************************************************************************

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

Typical dragon spout at a shrine water basin

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Shinto weddings

February 21, 2014 / John D. / 0 Comments

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

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

*****************************************************************************

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

******************************************************