Author: John D. (Page 58 of 202)

The curious case of San Marino

August 1, 2016 / John D. / 1 Comment

The San Marino entrance torii opens onto a wonderfully sylvan setting (all photos courtesy of the official San Marino shrine website)

The inauguration ceremony of the San Marino shrine in 2014. A hokora stands on a stone plinth, with the Japanese and San Marino flags to either side. Francesco Brigante, shrine priest, sits on the far left.

What’s happening in San Marino?

Green Shinto has received conflicting information concerning the curious case of a Shinto shrine in San Marino. Researcher Aike Rots, in an informative overview of the international outreach of Shinto, claims that the shrine is ‘officially sanctioned by Jinja Honcho’ [Association of Shrines].

However, a representative of Jinja Honcho, when asked about this said that according to the legal regulations it cannot ‘do anything official’ about a shrine in a different country with a different jurisdiction. On the other hand, Jinja Honcho has received the San Marino ambassador several times and the San Marino-Japan Friendship Society claims that Jinja Honcho has given its recognition (kounin). How far this can be taken as official sanction is unclear, but there are good reasons for suspecting that there is more here than meets the eye.

On the right is Francesco Brigante, priest of the San Marino shrine. The identity of the Japanese priest is unknown (from Tokyo Daijingu).

Origins

The shrine was officially inaugurated on June 22, 2014. A small wooden building on a large stone houses a spirit-body (goshintai), said to consist of a jewel. Accompanying the shrine is a torii, stone lanterns and cherry trees. The shrine is dedicated to the victims of the 2011 tsunami, and it acts as a site for Shinto weddings.

Though the shrine claims to be the first in Europe, Green Shinto friend Paul de Leeuw has been running a shrine in Amsterdam for over 30 years and was the first foreign priest ever. In addition, there is also a small shrine in a Buddhist temple in France.

The most curious aspect of the shrine, however, is the status of its priest, Francesco Brigante, a hotel owner, who as the photo indicates apparently has the official approval of his Japanese peers. He is promoting Shinto as an ecological religion with universal application, though how he acquired his qualification is unclear. Reports suggest that he can’t speak Japanese, which is usually enough to debar one straight away from training and qualification. The website for the San Marino shrine does not mention his training or qualifications, nor is information about this forthcoming from Japanese sites. It is therefore mysterious as to how he could be recognised as a head priest by senior members of Jinja Honcho (according to this site, he was ‘awarded a priest’s licence’).

In a video interview Mr Brigante explains how he came to be involved in the project through his friendship with the influential San Marino ambassador to Japan. He says that the reasons he took up Shinto were: 1) it is a spiritual path which has never had conflict [though kishaku haibutsu and State Shinto show its aggressive side]; 2) it is a nature religion in tune with the ecological needs of today. Part of his mission, Mr Brigante goes on to say, is to help young Japanese be proud of their heritage – a remark that makes sense in the light of what follows.

Political dimensions

One of the main people behind the project is Kase Hideaki, friend of the San Marino ambassador. His involvement is such that he wrote the English text for the official shrine website. Kase Hideaki is a founder of the flourishing Japan-San Marino Friendship Society (1000 members remarkably for a country of just 32,000). Kase Hideaki is also a prominent member of Nippon Kaigi, which boasts more members than the whole of San Marino and which wishes to reintroduce many of the features of prewar Japan.

A friend and ally of prime minister Abe Shinzo, Kase is a war revisionist who has denied that an atrocity was carried out at Nanking in 1937. (Wikipedia notes, “The denial of the atrocity is among the key missions of the influential lobby Nippon Kaigi, a revisionist organization of 35,000 members, including 15 of the 18 members of government in the 2014 reshuffle. [Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is also a member].”)

Kase Hideaki is not the only prominent rightwinger to be associated with the San Marino shrine, for amongst those attending the inaguration ceremony was the mother of Abe Shinzo. The shrine therefore is well connected with the highest nationalist circles in Japan. Priests for the ceremony were drawn from the high status Tokyo Daijingu, an Amaterasu shrine. With links to Jinja Honcho, it seems the influential Kase Hideaki has been able to push through a historic postwar first by opening up a Shinto shrine on foreign soil sanctioned by the authorities.

Does this open the gates to other foreigners wishing to become priests? Does it indicate a drive by nationalists to expand the influence of Shinto abroad? Does it, as Rots suggests, signify a trend towards rebranding the religion as environmental? (See a previous posting on greenwashing.)

For the moment no answers are forthcoming to these questions, and the authorities are keeping their cards close to their chests. Perhaps more information will be forthcoming in due course. Meanwhile, it remains to be seen where the curious case of San Marino will lead. From one of the smallest countries in the world, perhaps big things will follow…

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Thanks to Paul de Leeuw for pointing out that the officiating priest at the inauguration was the president of Jinja Honcho, Tsunekiyo Tanaka, chief priest of Iwashimizu Hachimangu. Curiouser and curiouser. For those who read Italian, a report of the ceremony can be found here.

San Marino Jinja

Mitarashi at Shimogamo

July 29, 2016 / John D. / 2 Comments

MITARASHI MATSURI at Shimogamo Jinja from 5.30-22.30 (July 19-26) ¥300

Summer in Kyoto is hot, hot and humid! At this time of year all one wants to do is wade through cold water. Well, that’s just what you get to do in the Mitarashi Festival at Shimogamo Shrine. Considering that it promises a disease-free year, particularly for legs, then it’s easy to understand why the festival is so popular.

All dolled up to wade in the purifying water

Purification is Shinto’s raison d’etre, and the festival can be seen as a mini-misogi (cold water austerity). The idea is that it removes impurities and restores you to full vitality. In Shinto terms it’s a cleansing of your soul-mirror so that it shines brightly once more.

The water comes out of an underground stream, which is why it’s icy cold (painfully so!) and very invigorating. Participants pay Y300 for which they get a candle to wade with upstream and set before Mitarashi Shrine, dedicated to a purification kami. Thousands pass through the stream over the four days, with yukata and trousers hitched up for the knee-high water.

Afterwards you get to drink a cup of the purifying water. The idea is that the spiritually charged water will infuse you with the strength of the kami. Following this one walks past a display of black stones taken from the bottom of the stream, which are said to be a special deterrent for disease demons – particularly the one that causes temper tantrums in children!

In front of the shrine the newly furnished enmusubi shrine attracts groups of yukata girls, and amongst the stalls set up for the occasion are the popular Mitarashi dango (dumplings said to resemble bubbles gushing up out of the water).

Shimogamo Jinja is a World Heritage Site and Kyoto’s premier ‘power spot’. Here is a rare chance to see it lit up in spectacular fashion and in festive mode. This year the festival has been extended from three days to be a week-long affair, so that unlike the crowded Gion Festival this is on a more manageable scale. There’s little doubt about it: Mitarashi is the coolest festival in town!

(For a report on the 2014 festival, see here.)

Crowds place their candle in stands before the shrine

Afterwards there’s a chance to imbibe the sacred water, so that purification is both internal and external

Like other Shinto festivals, a spiritual core lies among all the jollity

Special foot ema are provided, on which one writes one’s name and age before supplicating the water deity

Some take advantage of the occasion to pray for a new partner at the shrine’s increasingly popular ‘enmusubi shrine’, where two branches of the sacred tree have merged into one

Cleansing the leg protectors before offering them up to the river kami

Aesthetic display of seasonal offerings

Sacred river stones that protect children against the supposed blight of 'kan-mushi'

Selecting a sacred river stone that protects children against the blight of ‘kan-mushi’

Taishi Kato, shrine priest

July 24, 2016 / John D. / 2 Comments

Gon-negi, Taishi Kato

Taishi Kato (加藤大志) is a young Shinto priest, who will be doing a postgraduate course at SOAS in London from September. His father is head priest of the Hattori Tenjingu in Toyonaka City, Osaka, recently featured in Green Shinto. While in the UK, Taishi is keen to give talks and presentations about Shinto.

1) How did you become a Shinto priest?

After graduating from Keio University (business course), I straightly enrolled in Kokugakuin University. I took a one-year course to obtain the license of Shinto priest.

2) What was it like growing up in the house of a priest?

I often ate the food which was offered to the kami, such as sea bream. During New Year’s holiday season, our family members helped to manage the Jinja, such as selling good luck charms.

3) How and when did your family first become associated with Hattori Tenjingu?

My great-grand father served as the chief priest of the Ikuta Shrine in 1945 and he tried to look for a Shinto shrine which the family could hand down to a descendant. He found Hattori Tenjingu which was ruined by the war at that time. He asked the priest who lived nearby whether he could take over the position of chief priest. And so the right of managing Hattori Tenjingu came to belong to my family. As my great grandfather was still chief priest at Sanctuary Ikuta, he let my grandfather become chief priest of Hattori Tenjingu. This is the story of how Hattori Tenjingu became associated with my family.

4) Legally speaking, who does the shrine and its land belong to? How does the shrine manage to finance itself?

Taisha Kato will be a postgraduate student in the coming year

Taishi Kato will be a postgraduate student from September

My father has the right to manage the shrine, but legally speaking Hattori Tenjingu is registered as a religious corporation which owns the land and buildings. If we have to rebuild the sanctuary, basically Hattori Tenjingu and the ‘soudaikai’ (see below) are responsible for that. And generally speaking, some of the parishioners and local companies donate money to rebuild the Jinja.

5) Please tell us about the parish association (‘ujiko’). How is it organised, how many members are there, and what role does it play?

In the case of Hattori Tenjingu, it is complicated. It is true that there is an ujiko area and it consists approximately of 300 people. But, Hattori Tenjingu is not regarded as a parish shrine but ‘Sukeigata Jinja’, which means the area supporting the Jinja is not limited. People throughout Japan can become a member or supporter of the Sukeidantai (support organisation). In the future I would like foreigners to become supporters too and participate in the development of Hattori Tenjingu.

With regard to the Sukeidantai, there are six different groups:
① Representatives of the parish, i.e. members belonging to the ujiko.
➁ Association of Toyonaka Ebisu, people who have made special contributions to Toyonaka City)
➂ Association of Hattori Inari, which consists of people who live in Toyonaka city.
④ Women’s Association of Hattori Tenjingu, i.e. female members of the ujiko (parish)
⑤ Association of Hattori Tenjin, with people from throughout Japan
⑥ Service Association of Hattori Tenjingu. Members consist of company presidents and celebrities.

All of the groups play an important role in supporting Hattori Tenjingu. Basically, their role is to help prepare for ceremonies and manage the sanctuary.

6) How do you see the future, both in terms of Shinto as a whole and for yourself personally?

Most people assume that it will be hard to manage Jinja in the future. However, from an international perspective, Shinto has infinite possibilities to contribute to Japan as well as the international field. With the advance of global society, all sorts of things will become homogenized. On the other hand, historically speaking, Shinto has been developed by the Japanese aesthetic sense and sensitivity of the general public. In other words, as far as the history of Shinto is concerned, the dependence on Japanese culture is quite high. Therefore, there are some differences from the global context. If Shinto priests can explain the essential aspects of Shinto which have roots deep in Japanese culture, such as Harae (祓え) and Kegare (ケガレ), in a global context, there is a strong possibility that Shinto will develop internationally.

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Taishi Kato can be contacted at <k.taishi0926[at mark]gmail.com>

Taishi Kato demonstrates the leg protecting stone chair in his father’s shrine of Hattori Tenjingu,

Meiji Shrine repairs

July 23, 2016 / John D. / 0 Comments

The Meiji Shrine south gate – or is it?

Meiji Shrine gate just an illusion as undercover repairs proceed
By KAZUHIRO NAGASHIMA Asahi, July 22, 2016

At first glance, the south gate of Tokyo’s Meiji Shrine, which is currently undergoing extensive renovation, doesn’t look out of the ordinary.

Although the gate is shrouded to hide the work, a giant mesh screen has been erected in front offering a full-scale color image of the Taisho Era (1912-1926) gate in all its glory.

It took three months to produce the sheet, which measures 14 meters in height and 20 meters in width. “We want to work on the construction without it being noticed by anyone,” said the head of the Shimizu Corp. construction crew that was commissioned to carry out the restoration. “To make it discreet, we chose a cloudy sky for the background instead of blue skies.”

The south gate of the historic Shinto shrine was constructed in 1920. The restoration of its copper-sheet roof and cleaning of the woodwork is expected to continue until the end of August.　The restoration of the shrine’s east and west gates will be carried out as well.

The renovation at the Meiji Shrine complex is scheduled to continue through October 2019.

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For a short video (less than a minute) showing the compound inside the south gate, see here.

Gion Ato Matsuri 2) Kanko-sai

July 21, 2016 / John D. / 2 Comments

Turning the mikoshi round and round while shouting ‘mawase’ is a highlight of the event

From last year July 24 has become a busy day for Kyoto. In the morning 10 mighty floats parade through the city centre. They are joined by a Hanagasa procession from Yasaka Jinja to make a pleasing spectacle for the enjoyment of the kami – and the thousands of people who come to watch.

In the afternoon and evening of the same day, the three mikoshi (portable shrines) bearing the kami of Yasaka Jinja are borne aloft and carried back to the shrine in an event known as Kanko-sai. The three mikoshi travel three different routes through the town’s back streets to reach their destination, taking over four hours in all. There are some 1000 men involved, hoisting the massively heavy mikoshi aloft and jostling them up and down as they shout out ‘hoitto‘ and other ejaculations. Many of the participants had been drinking beforehand, making it a wild frenzy of an event, capturing something of the primal connections of mankind and the life-force.

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For an overview of the Gion festival, click here. For the main parade, see here, and the evening before here. For an in-depth 28min NHK programme in English, click here.

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Carrying the mikoshi is so heavy people have to take it in turns to bear the weight

The mikoshi even enter the shopping arcade, heading for the covered food market

Learning to be Japanese at a young age

The priest resisted the lure of Liption tea

Some participants dressed the part but had other things on their mind…

… while others just displayed bare-bottomed cheek!

Gion Ato Matsuri 1) Yoiyama

July 21, 2016 / John D. / 0 Comments

Star of last year’s festival – the Ofune float representing the ship in which legendary Empress Jingu sailed for Korea. Rebuilt after 150 years, following its destruction in the Great Fire of 1864, it is the last in the July 24 parade of floats. On its side it carries sixteenth-century fabrics from Portugal.

The Hachiman float bears a torii, pine tree and shrine dedicated to the kami

It’s been a busy week for Kyoto.

The second parade of the Gion Matsuri, which takes place on July 24, celebrates the return of the Yasaka Shrine kami from their week-long ‘holiday’ in the city centre where they reside in a resting place known as otabisho. The parade of floats takes place in the morning to entertain the kami, who are moved in an afternoon procession of mikoshi known as Kanko-sai.

In the evenings before the parade people are able to walk around the floats and view the treasures on display as well as pray at the shrines. Religious goods are on sale, and there is a general atmosphere of festivity. As this is the second time for this to happen within a week, crowds are far fewer than for the Saki Matsuri (Preceding Festival).

The occasion offers the perfect opportunity to view the floats in greater detail and to talk with some of the participants. It brings one close to the neighbourly nature of the festival. And according to old-timers, it’s much more like the Gion Festival of old when one could wander around at leisure rather than be crushed by the tourist throngs in the sweltering heat.

The three mikoshi from Yasaka Jinja that stand at the spiritual heart of the Gion Matsuri, resting in the centre of town at the ‘otabisho’ where they are on display

Musicians play at the otabisho of the mikoshi in Shijo Street, downtown Kyoto

The quiet conditions of the Ato Matsuri allow leisurely access to the float buildings where the religious purpose of the festival is apparent.

The diversity of float subjects can be seen at the Kurunushi yama, which honours a Heian-era poet, Otomo Kurunushi. One of the Six Saints of Poetry in the Heian Era, he is represented by a sacred figure which dates back to 1789.

The Kurunushi float has cherry blossom, of which the poet was fond. Since Kuronushi means black lacquer, the float is different from others in not being bare wood but black-lacquered.

A political festival fan – and for once it’s not nationalist but a message to Protect the Peace Constitution that Japan has had since WW2 (‘Protect Article 9 – Don’t turn Japan into a war-capable nation’)

Self-build Shinto shrine

July 21, 2016 / John D. / 0 Comments

old_abandoned_houses_on_the_back_side_of_the_shrine

Self-build Shinto Shrine / Kikuma Watanabe
Photographs Courtesy of Kikuma Watanabe

From the architect:

This is the self-built temporary Shinto shrine in a depopulated village in the mountainous area of Kochi in Japan. For over 200 years the village used to have nine houses making up the Kanamine Shinto community, with a shrine set up in the upper part of the forest. However, the village started to lose its population, resulting in only one house and a neglected shrine that in 2015 was deeply injured by a heavy typhoon. In 2016 the worship structure faced a crisis and collapsed, so the inhabitants, together with the Kochi University of Technology located nearby, decided to construct a temporary shrine in the houses area.

Because the community was only inhabited by one person, the expenses of the construction were extremely limited. Furthermore, the road to the site was really narrow, obliging the team to carry the construction materials for one kilometer. This led the temporary shrine to be self-built, with little money and with limited materials. The team consisted of ten students plus architect and in five days they erected the worship space with steel pipes for the scaffolding, wooden lumbers, and wooden boards.

The triangular shape of the shrine symbolizes not only the sacred mountain but also the tunnel that leads to it. In the fall of 2016 a Shinto festival will be held by the inhabitants and members of Kochi University of Technology. The new construction aims to become the core of the community consist of both inhabitants of the community and members of the university.