Author: John D. (Page 140 of 202)

Hinduism 1) Kami

May 28, 2013 / John D. / 3 Comments

Hinduism and Shinto seem to share a lot in common. They’re pre-Buddhist, animist and polytheist. The sun enjoys a special place in their pantheon. Their spirit-gods have animal familiars, and they need to be honoured and entertained. The religions are steeped in the mythological past, and worshippers practise ritual ablution and immersion in water.

As A.J. Dickinson has pointed out, there may well have been direct links between ancient India and Japan through the early trading routes, with holy men making their way up the Chinese coast. So why did Hindu gods end up in Japan mostly as Buddhist deities rather than kami?

The fire festival which originated in India has found a home both in Japanese Buddhism and Shinto

It’s a question that Green Shinto friend Anuradha put to Videshi Sutra, an expert on Hindu matters. “I’d say the reason the Devas and Kami never merged, is because Devas are embedded firmly in Buddhist cosmology,” he responded. It followed a lengthy article entitled ‘Hindu devas take a Silk Road trip to Japan‘.

The fact that Devas were adopted at all in Japan probably owes to their conceptual similarity to Kami. Buddhism in other places like Central Asia didn’t place nearly so much emphasis on the Devas. The other major factor is the presence of the esoteric Shingon sect of Buddhism, which placed a big emphasis on Devas. Esoteric sects typically brought a lot more from the Vedic tradition than more mainstream sects. Shingon also uses Sanskrit based Siddham script, and has a Goma (Homa) (Havan) fire ritual.

It’s in Shingon and early forms of Japanese Buddhism that one finds the closest links to Hindu deities in Japan. Mark Schumacher’s amazing onmark site has a list of over 80 such cases. Nearly every Buddhist deity has its Hindu counterpart, he writes, and there are an awful lot of Buddhist deities in Japan!

Nonetheless there are also some correspondences between Hindu deities and Japanese kami, the most notable being the Seven Lucky Gods where Benten, Bishamonten and Daikokuten can all trace their origins to India. In the posts that follow, we’ll explore some of these connections and the curious links between prehistoric India and modern-day Japan.

Back to the roots? A shrine with Sanskrit inscriptions in the top left and right

Alternative to Yasukuni

May 28, 2013 / John D. / 0 Comments

Even as fellow nationalist Hashimoto Toru is creating an international storm about remarks regarding comfort women, prime minister Abe shows that Japan has a way of honouring its dead without insulting other nations. One might think the lesson would be learnt, but nationalists are notoriously bull-headed and thrive on provocation… In the words of one commentator on the article:

“Given Chidorigafuchi’s lack of extremist undertones, unlike Yasukuni, I hope that this cemetery does increasingly come to replace Yasukuni as Japan’s Arlington National Cemetery, acting as a sacred place for Japanese government officials and others to honor those who have died for their country. Much healthier for the Japanese people, its economy, and the country’s relations with its neighbors.”

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In memory of WWII victims
MAY. 28, 2013 Japan Today

Abe shows there is a straightforward way to honour Japan's war dead (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe prepares to offer a flower during a ceremony commemorating Japanese World War II victims who died overseas, at Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery in Tokyo on Monday. The newly-repatriated remains of 1,628 unknown Japanese soldiers and civilians were buried in the facility on Monday.

Kawaii (Cuteness)

May 27, 2013 / John D. / 0 Comments

The cult of cuteness epitomised in ema

Britain’s Independent newspaper carries an article today about the fashion for ‘kawaii’ which has arrived from Japan (click here.)

I’ve written before of how the phenomenon of ‘kawaii’ might link to notions in Shinto (click here). There are two comments on the Independent article (see below) which pretty much sum up why ‘kawaii’ is unlikely to prosper in my opinion in the unreceptive climate of British culture.

gs: “ Yeucchhhh, cute is for children, children are cute, pets can be cute, the rest of us just get old and fat eventually or old and skinny.”
Jacksmilingblack: “ Japanese girls, when are they going to grow up and become women? ”

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Will Coldwell writing in The Independent 26 MAY 2013

Familiars of the kami can often take cute forms

Cats in leather jackets, polka-dot pinafores and pastel-coloured cartoons only begin to explain the aesthetic of Japan’s culture of kawaii. Roughly translating as “cute”, kawaii describes the adorable physical features of things like babies, small animals, and indeed anything that evokes feelings of love, nurture and protection.

But what was once simply an adjective is now an all-encompassing ideal, rearing its lovable wide-eyed head in all aspects of Japanese life. Increasingly, girls not only want to own things that are kawaii, they want to be kawaii too, adorning elaborate eye-catching clothing and intricately detailed accessories to transform themselves into the cutest kawaii characters they could possibly be. And you don’t have to travel to Tokyo to get a hint of this unique fashion; kigurumi animal onesies, cat cafés, and Hello Kitty are all examples of the steadily growing influence kawaii has in the West.

“In the UK and the States it appeals to the people who like the exoticism of it – it’s a new fresh culture,” says Manami Okazaki, author of Kawaii! Japan’s Culture of Cute, a book published this month that takes a holistic look at the trend. “It’s cute, innocent and different to the mainstream pop cultures in the West,” Okazaki says. “It might be appealing to those who don’t feel an affinity to the more sexy and glamorous mainstream styles. A Japanese girl would prefer to be called kawaii than sexy or pretty.”

For Grace St John, a 21-year-old drama student and kawaii convert from Birmingham, this is one of the key appeals. “A lot of UK fashion is low-cut tops or short skirts, designed to look sexy, but kawaii fashion tends to focus more on a fantasy and cute style,” she says. “I like to wear puffy dresses, wigs and lots of bows in my hair to bring in all the cute colours! It’s fun and makes me feel really good about myself, the fashion has an ability to make you feel excited to go out and get dressed up – I don’t think I’d feel particularly excited to put on a pair of jeans.”

A Tenjin ox with Winnie the Pooh bib

She is already looking forward to this July’s Hyper Japan expo in Earls Court – a showcase of all aspects of Japanese pop culture. One of the main attractions is the kawaii fashion catwalk, which gives a chance for British fans to parade their take on Tokyo street style.

In the UK, kawaii fashion and accessories are often popular with the comic-book and gaming community. At the MCM Comic Con event, which took place at the weekend, there was an entire section dedicated to Japanese and Asian culture. Along with manga and anime, kawaii products are a popular purchase.

One stallholder at Comic Con was Thomas Andersson, owner of Artbox, the UK’s leading retailer of kawaii products, which has shops across London. He started distributing kawaii bags in 2004 and now stocks a range of more than 2,500 products from around 70 different brands. He sells everything from 50p stickers to a metre-high, £200 stuffed version of the popular character Rilakkuma the bear.

“We actually sell quite a few,” Andersson says. “I think that kawaii will continue to spread; we have customers such as Claudia Schiffer, Dave Grohl and even Jude Law sometimes comes into the shop, well, with his kids.”

But while interest in kawaii is growing around the world – it is particularly popular in France and Mexico – it is unlikely to infiltrate daily life in Britain the same way it has in Japan. As Okazaki explains: “In Japan it’s not a subculture thing, it’s the norm.”

St John, however, lives in hope: “I think there are a lot of people who will never understand or accept the fashion, as you do get people shouting at you in the street, but I hope that with the growing community and exposure of kawaii people will be more accepting about getting a little kawaii fashion in their lives!”

Shichi-go-san is an occasion when the Japanese proclivity for cuteness is allowed full rein

One of those cute 'characters' manages to get on stage at a Shimogamo shrine event

Daigo-ji’s shrines

May 27, 2013 / John D. / 0 Comments

The Benten Pond at the World Heritage site of Kyoto's Daigo-ji

Daigo-ji is one of Kyoto’s many treasures, and deserves to be better known. It’s a Shingon temple with an upper and lower part on a hill one hour’s walk from each other. Amongst the many structures, it boasts a wonderful pagoda, a picturesque Benten pond, and a striking Momoyama garden (in a subtemple called Sambo-in). As is usual with Shingon temples, it has protective Shinto shrines – in Daigo-ji’s case, rather a lot of them. Some are simple hokora (small shrines), but some are substantial.

This prompts a number of questions. Are they included in the 80,000 or 90,000 shrines commonly cited as the total number in Japan? Who looks after them and in what way? And can we categorise them as World Heritage shrines – according to what I understand, the whole of Daigo-ji is included in the World Heritage registration, which means the shrines are too. So that would add a good number to the list of W.H. shrines, because I can recall passing at least five or six on my last visit.

Because of its location, Daigo-ji is not as visited as some of Kyoto’s other sites, yet within its wooded grounds are 18 National Treasures. Most famous is the Sanboin subtemple with its magnificent garden. Amongst the other attractions are an unusually well-stocked Treasure House, Kyoto’s oldest standing structure (a pagoda from 951), as well as a picturesque pond popular with photographers. For those who wish to escape the crowds, here just 20 minutes from downtown is an opportunity to hike in the hills while enjoying World Heritage properties.

The temple was founded in 874 by a monk of the Shingon sect after a spring near the summit was revealed to him in a vision. The building he erected became the basis of Upper Daigo. Imperial patronage led in 926 to more substantial structures at the base, which formed Lower Daigo. Though the complex was destroyed on several occasions by fire, a tenth-century pagoda survived together with the paintings it contained.

In the late sixteenth century the languishing temple was restored, thanks to the ruler, Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He lavished particular attention on Sanbo-in, ordering construction of an unusual garden based around a pond which used ‘dry landscape’ techniques. Boulders were brought from around Japan, some with a unique history, and arranged with precise care to produce what can only be described as a rock extravaganza.

The subtemple was used by Hideyoshi in 1598 as the base for an extravagant cherry-blossom event, when accompanied by some 1000 people he was carried up the slopes to admire the views (which on a clear day extend as far as Osaka). It’s an occasion recalled each spring by the temple in a colourful recreation of the procession – evidence that Daigo-ji’s treasures are not just in the material realm.

Gateway to Upper Daigo; from here it's one hour walk up the hill to the other part of the temple

One of the wayside shrines that are passed on the path leading up to Upper Daigo

The Seiryudo (Pure Dragon Hall), a magnfiicent platform-style Worship Hall that is now a National Treasure. It was first built in 1088, rebuilt in 1434, for worship of the holy spring that led to the foundation of the temple by a monk called Rigen Daishi.

Worship at the holy spring with which Daigo-ji originated

A protective shrine that didn't do its job - this small shrine was the protector for a large temple building that stood in the space before it - and which recently burnt down

Shrine at Upper Daigo, amidst the shugendo buildings. The temple has close connections with practitioners of mountain austerities.

Daigo-ji's trademark tenth-century pagoda, oldest one in Kyoto

Shinto Shrines (book reviews)

May 25, 2013 / John D. / 0 Comments

Torii tunnel at Fushimi Inari, one of the 57 shrines given detailed attention in 'Shinto Shrines'

I’m happy to be able to report that Shinto Shrines has been garnering good reviews, and I’m especially pleased for the main author Joseph Cali who put in an inordinate amount of effort into the book. Here are two of the reviews so far, the first being by one of the best writers on Japan now that Donald Richie has passed on. The other is from a reviewer for the British Chamber of Commerce, who seems to be (surprisingly) well-informed on the subject.

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A double dose of guidance offers more than usual information
BY STEPHEN MANSFIELD APR 28, 2013 Japan Times

SHINTO SHRINES: A Guide to the Sacred Sites of Japan’s Ancient Religion, by Joseph Cali with John Dougill. University of Hawaii Press, 2012, 328 pp., $24.99 (paperback)

Irrespective of whatever faith you might hold, or if you count yourself among the growing ranks of the agnostic, shrines can be appreciated as much as a cultural experience as a religious one. For native religions to flourish, an appropriate national character or mind-set has to exist.

Accordingly, the writers of this new and much needed guide, two well-established authors on Japanese culture, examine the fertile socio-psychological ground that made it possible for Shinto to secure a firm purchase in Japan.

With no central book, the religion must be practiced and well supported to thrive. Shrines are generally very well maintained in this country. It is a rare case to come across a truly dilapidated one. It would be like abandoning the gods.

While the book covers well-known places of worship like the Meiji and Ise shrines, there are structures that may not be familiar to all readers, like the modest Aiki Jinja in Yoshioka, Tsubusumu Jinja, a shrine located on a small island in Lake Biwa, and Yukoku Inari Jinja in Kyushu, its main structure built on vermilion-colored scaffolding. The guide provides detailed background information on architecture, customs and rituals, clothing, symbolism and much more. It also gives the reader a rundown of all the major deities, a necessarily short list given that there are a whopping 8 million of them.

I’ve always thought of Shinto as a pantheistic belief, the mother faith in many ways of all people, the religion having its roots in the animism and shamanism that defined the practices of many ancient communities in the world.

And with no founders, prophets, miracles, or divine channeling of messages, Shinto may be one of the more credible of today’s faiths, it’s reverence for nature sitting well with the concerns of a green age. Predicated on the idea of coexisting with the forces of nature, rather than exploiting them, there is much to be learned from this non-doctrinal faith and this fine guide to all its intriguing aspects.

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– British Chamber of Commerce in Japan: Acumen (Feb. 2013)

Shinto is the indigenous and older of Japan’s two main belief systems (the other being Buddhism, a 6th-century import). It rests on faith in kami (spirits) – although gods is the usual, though slightly misleading, translation – that are to be found in everything, from people and animals, to places and even inanimate objects such as rocks or trees. Thus. it is a faith that is at the same time polytheistic. pantheistic, animistic, and something that is surely special. Shinto rites and practices are very much alive in today’s Japan. so much so that most Japanese take them for granted and many would be surprised if reminded that they were practising Shintoism.

For the majority of non-Japanese. the most obvious encounter with Shinto is at the many shrines that are all around us (an estimated 80.000 nationwide). Cali and Dougill’s impressive book, presenting itself as a guide to just a select few of these, is far more than that. The introduction is easily the clearest and most accessible explanation of Shinto that I have read. There is an immense amount of detail about the history of Shinto, the types of kami, and how this most Japanese of faiths interrelates with Buddhism, Confucianism and Christianity, among other belief systems.

There are numerous helpful illustrations, including ones of the most important features of a typical shrine, as well as of the clothing worn by priests and shrine attendants. In addition, of great interest is the way that the authors pose the question: “What benefit might there be in visiting a shrine for someone who has grown up in another country with different cultural and religious values?” Their answers are compelling.

The authors’ enthusiasm is infectious and the depth of their knowledge, and obvious love and respect for the subject, is evident on every page. Thoroughly researched, well written and cleverly illustrated, the book should be a must-read for anyone wishing to delve into this most fascinating aspect of Japanese culture.

Kasuga Taisha, another of the 57 shrines described in detail in the book

Florian Wiltschko

May 22, 2013 / John D. / 8 Comments

The young Austrian, now working as a Shinto priest (photo source unknown)

Details are emerging now of the breakthrough Austrian priest, who has been appointed through Jinja Honcho to a position at a shrine in Shibuya.

The 25 year old is from Linz in Austria, and first became interested in Japan and Shinto when seeing a picture at age 4 or 5 of the ‘asagutsu‘ black wooden shoes used by priests. It was the beginning of a lifelong fascination.

By the age of 14 Wiltschko had a kamidana in his room and was keen to know more about Japanese culture and history. He studied Kojiki, and by high school he had already formed a resolution to become a Shinto priest. Accordingly he went to do Japanese Studies at Vienna University, to become proficient in the language.

In 2001 Wiltschko got to know Handa Shigeru, the head priest of Ueno Tenmangu Shrine in Nagoya after making enquiries through their English-language website. The head priest later commented that while many foreigners asked questions about Shinto, those of Wiltschko were unusual in being particularly detailed and persistent. Their exchanges lasted for six years, before Handa Shigeru invited the young Austrian to become an apprentice.

Sweeping at Ueno Tenmangu, a vital part of the Shinto lifestyle

While at the Ueno Tenmangu shrine, Wiltschko studied for the basic ‘chokkai‘ licence, then decided to go further and study for the full priest’s licence at Kokugakuin University. As a graduate, he was able to take the two-year course in Shinto, and on May 1, 2012 he was appointed ‘gon-negi’ (lowest rank of priest) at Konno Hachimangu in Shibuya.

Talking of his situation there, Wiltschko said that it was good he was in the middle of Tokyo as it was easier to be accepted as a priest there. His work schedule begins at 6.30 when he has to open the shrine, sweep the grounds, purify himself and then perform rituals and private ceremonies. At 5.30 the shrine shuts, then he cleans up and prepares for the next day.

Regarding the future, he said that his biggest problem was how to overcome the thinking of those who find it difficult to be instructed in Shinto by a foreigner. But he is determined to continue resolutely, not to give in to doubt, and to do his best in helping the locality and fostering a sense of community.

Many have dreamed of such a path. Wiltschko is the first non-Japanese to make it a reality. Our congratulations to him! It’s really a remarkable achievement – even for a native Japanese. Of the roughly 20,000 Shinto priests, only about 25% are full time.

Cleanliness is next to godliness, in Shinto as in Zen.(photo source unknown)

The peculiarly shaped priest's shoes that first caught the imagination of the young Austrian as a child

Yoshida – a hidden jewel

May 16, 2013 / John D. / 0 Comments

View of the main shrine at Yoshida, with its symbol incorporating the Fujiwara wisteria (fuji)

Yoshida Shrine is alluring, attractive and one of the reasons I came to live in Kyoto. It also happens to be one of the most significant shrines in history, for it was from here that Yoshida Shinto was propagated by Yoshida Kanetomo (1435–1511). Some scholars believe that it marks the first time in history that expression was given to a self-conscious religion called Shinto.

The shrine was set up in 859 by Fujiwara Yamakage, who wanted to enshrine in Kyoto the ancestral kami of his clan which were housed at Kasuga Taisha in the old capital at Nara. The hill he chose had long been considered a spiritual place, and the new shrine soon became a favourite of the court (in the tenth century it was chosen as one of 19 shrines to be awarded imperial favour).

Some four hundred years later Yoshida Kanetomo built the Daigengu octagonal structure on the hill, and enshrined there all the kami of Japan as mentioned in the Engishiki (927). It was a visionary move to unify the kami of the country under the Yoshida roof, and it was said that a visit to Daigengu conferred the same blessings as visiting all the shrines around Japan.

The hill is adjacent to Kyoto University and an oasis of greenery with views over the city. The wooded slopes and many subshrines make for atmospheric surrounds. It’s one of the city’s most pleasant spots, often overlooked for more famous sights, and given its illustrious history it’s surprising how few people come to visit. All the better, one might say!

Entrance to Yoshida Shrine with the characters for Sun and Moon pasted on the stone lanterns. "Heaven and Earth are the scriptures of Shinto; the Sun and the Moon are the demonstrations thereof,' said Nakatomi Kamatari.

The main shrine at Yoshida, housing four honden for the four kami from Kasuga

Vehicle of the gods: the Kasuga kami arrived on the back of a deer, and by traditon the kami travelled by deer from Nara to Kyoto

Ema in Arabic, a sign of Shinto's international appeal – and the cosmopolitan university next door.

Paul de Leeuw, a priest of Yamakage Shinto, here in front of the Yamakage Shrine at Yoshida (dedicated to founder Fujiwara Yamakage)

Worshippers of 'the eight myriad kami' at Yoshida's Daigengu. (For details of the architecture, see Cali's 'Shinto Shrines'.)

The unique architecture of Yoshida's Daigengu, in which 3,132 kami are enshrined.

The 'chigi' on the roof of the Daigengu. Those at the front are cut horizontally for female kami, and those at the back are cut vertically for male kami

Stairway to Heaven: Shinryu shrine at the top is dedicated to Yoshida Kanetomo, claimed by Breen and Teeuwen in A New History of Shinto to be virtual founder of the religion