Author: John D. (Page 88 of 202)

California tea and torii

January 8, 2015 / John D.

Torii with a twist (All photos courtesy of Jann Williams)

Green Shinto follower, Jann Williams, has written in with this striking picture of a Japanese tea house at the Santa Barbara Botanic Gardens, California. It was made in Kyoto in 1949 for a wealthy Santa Barbara patron, from whom the city acquired it in the1990s. Jann writes, ‘It’s interesting that the teahouse was sent so soon after WW2 ended. Some strong connection must have been there.’

The teahouse was given the name ShinKanAn, meaning “Look Through the Heart,” by the 15th Oiemoto (Grand Master) of the Urasenke Tea School.

The gate to the teahouse is a clever cross between the form of a torii and the wabi-sabi architecture of the traditional teahouse, which uses stripped branch and pillars. Sometimes ‘found objects’ are used in their natural state. This is echoed in the branch used to create the second beam of the torii.

The addition of a gateway in the lower portion of course negates the whole ‘open gateway’ notion of the torii, but the purpose here is artistic rather than spiritual. On the other hand it’s tempting to see it as a Calfornia-style innovation, in similar manner to a California sushi. In other words it’s an adaptation, much in keeping with Shinto’s past.

There are two contrasting ways of viewing such innovations. Either one bemoans ‘the transgression’ and views it as a despicable straying from orthodoxy. Or one finds it an exciting break with tradition. Personally I’m inclined to the latter. We live in a postmodern world, and it would be reactionary to resist change simply for the sake of a ‘tradition’. As has been demonstrated by modern historians, tradition is a construct and usually a fairly recent one at that (in Shinto’s case, from the Meiji Restoration of 1868).

Shinto has evolved throughout its history, and there’s every reason to think that it will evolve further as it spreads overseas. The same has happened to Zen and shamanistic practices as they became popular in the West. California has long taken a lead in such matters, and personally at some point I would expect to see a similar type of Californication happening to Shinto. Which kami will they be praying to, I wonder?

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Further information about the teahouse, including opening times etc., can be had at this link.

Wood instead of bamboo for the fencing, but it's a very Japanese scene

Unbroken

January 8, 2015 / John D.

Mutsuhiro Takeuchi, Shinto priest and nationalist spokesman (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

One often comes across Shinto priests speaking out on matters that concern right-wing nationalism. Sadly this is not balanced by the number of Shinto priests who speak out in favour of environmentalism, human rights and universalism.

In the current controversy concerning the film Unbroken, Shinto’s voice has been prominent in attacks on the portrayal. Unfortunately the stance simply draws attention to Japan’s abysmal record of evasion concerning the wrongs of the past. In the report below a Shinto representative utters a barefaced lie in denying wartime cannibalism, since there is plenty of evidence of this being carried out by Japanese soldiers. Not only is it well documented, but there have been confessions by perpetrators.

There is an account of one such incident in Ian Buruma’s excellent The Wages of Guilt, which compares memories of the war in Germany and Japan. Commenting on the striking difference between the two countries, Buruma notes that the US never fully dismantled the trappings of State Shinto (which include Yasukuni and the emperor system) because of Cold War considerations.

One of the most moving incidents in Buruma’s book is an account of a handful of Japanese participants at a conference in Nanking to consider the infamous massacre of 1937. Afterwards one of the Japanese teachers present changed into the garb of a Buddhist priest and remorsefully prayed for the victims. Could one imagine a Shinto priest doing this? Buddhist sects have officially apologised for their compliance in Japan’s wartime actions. Shinto on the other hand is closely aligned with revisionists and nationalists.

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Angelina Jolie’s ‘Unbroken’ sparks Japanese boycott calls due to WWII torture claims
By Douglas Ernst – The Washington Times – Friday, December 12, 2014

Angelina Jolie’s film “Unbroken,” which depicts the life of World War II hero and U.S. Olympian Louis Zamperini, is facing a boycott campaign in Japan over claims made in the 2010 Laura Hillenbrand book it used for inspiration.

A publicity shot from Angeline Jolie's 'Unbroken'

Mutsuhiro Takeuchi, a nationalist-leaning educator and a priest in the traditional Shinto religion, is part of a campaign to get the film — and possibly the director — banned in Japan because of claims that some Japanese resulted to cannibalism during the war. “There was absolutely no cannibalism,” Mr. Takeuchi said, The Associated Press reported Friday. “That is not our custom.”

In Ms. Hillenbrand’s book, she says, “Japan murdered thousands of POWs on death marches, and worked thousands of others to death in slavery, including some 16,000 POWs who died alongside as many as 100,000 Asian laborers forced to build the Burma-Siam Railway. Thousands of other POWs were beaten, burned, stabbed, or clubbed to death, shot, beheaded, killed during medical experiments, or eaten alive in ritual acts of cannibalism.”

Mr. Takeuchi’s message for Ms. Jolie was for her to study history, AP reported. He asserted that Japanese war criminals were charged with political crimes — not torture. “Even Japanese don’t know their own history so misunderstandings arise,” Mr. Takeuchi said, AP reported. He currently heads a research organization called The Japan Culture Intelligence Association.

“Unbroken” will be released in the U.S. on Dec. 25.

Kami return

January 7, 2015 / John D.

There was a happy Christmas at Ujigami Shrine near Kyoto, for the kami there were restored to their home after being relocated during the extensive repairs carried out. There is often speculation about the nature and location of kami since they are spirits and thereby immaterial. However, Shinto tradition ascribes their unseen presence to ‘spirit-bodies’ (goshintai) within the shrine. These are sacred vessels of some kind into which the spirit descends, typically a mirror but anything from a rock to a doll to a sword.

Relocation of the ‘spirit-body’ is done with great veneration and in secrecy, typically involving a white sheet to shroud the objects from view. What made the occasion special in this case is that the relatively small Ujigami Shrine is a World Heritage Site because of its sanctuary (honden) being the oldest such building still in existence.

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Kyoto shrine celebrates return of venerated religious objects after repair work
December 25, 2014 By TAKU KOYAMA/ Staff Writer, Asahi Shinbun

UJI, Kyoto Prefecture–Ujigamijinja shrine, a World Heritage site, held a ceremony Dec. 24 to celebrate the return of sacred deities to its main hall following year-long restoration work.

The torii entrance to the small shrine of Ujigami and a World Heritage Site

The shrine is dedicated to Emperor Ojin and his sons, the imperial prince Uji no Wakiiratsuko and Emperor Nintoku.

The main hall, believed to have been built in the late Heian Period (794-1185), is the oldest example of Shinto shrine architecture.

The latest repairs included the re-thatching of the cypress bark roof, its first restoration in more than 30 years, and the re-painting of walls.

The restoration work follows the completion in September of major repairs at Byodoin temple’s Phoenix Hall, which is located on the opposite shore of the Ujigawa river. Byodoin temple, founded in 1053, is also a World Heritage site.

The festival at Ujigamijinja shrine began shortly after 7 p.m. when chief priest Toru Miyamura, 65, quietly carried the three sacred objects, symbolizing Ojin and his two sons, to the main hall.

“I cannot put my feelings into words,” Miyamura said. “With major repairs completed here and at Byodoin temple, it is as if spring has come at once.”

Ujigamijinja was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site as one of the “Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto” in 1994.

People queue up at New Year to pay respects at the Honden, the country's oldest

Hatsumode in the snow

January 4, 2015 / John D.

I’ve been told that the New Year snowfall in Kyoto has been the largest for over 50 years. It may have created discomfort for some, but it gave the city a suitably wintry garb and made this year’s ‘first visit to the shrine’ (hatsumode) something special.

I paid a visit to nearby Shimogamo Shrine, which was comfortably crowded and full of atmosphere (unlike the more popular Fushimi Inari which by all accounts is most uncomfortably crowded). Steaming stalls set up beneath the sheltering Tadasu no mori trees beckoned visitors as they made their way into the shrine, which unusually boasts shrines dedicated to the animals of the Chinese Zodiac cycle. The queue to pay respects to the two main kami stretched out of the inner compound, and there were long queues too both at the ‘enmusubi‘ (love connection) shrine and for the warming hot sweet saké laced with ginger (amazaké). The good mood was contagious, as if the white purity of the snow helped provide an extra element of joy.

The shrine stands amongst woodland at the junction of the Kamo and Takano rivers

There was a festive feel for this year's hatsumode...

... and the woods looked pristine

An attractive temporary temizuya was set up...

... and a large fire kept people in a warm and jovial mood

There were queues for the Chinese zodiac shrines

... and young people at the enmusubi (love connection) shrine

Fortune-telling was a big draw (literally!)

Some needed help reading their fate

Meanwhile, the Mitarashi subshrine was a haven of tranquility in the afternoon sunlight. The purity of the water it stands over was enhanced by the fresh chill of the melting snow.

Baskets of white stones told of the coming ceremony this year to complete the 'shikinen sengu' cycle of repair and restoration currently being carried out at the World Heritage shrine.

And to finish off the visit a couple of cups of delicious warm ginger saké. The year of the sheep promises to be a good one!!

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For more photos of the shrine in snow, see the Deep Kyoto post here.

Mochi blessing

January 3, 2015 / John D.

Kagami mochi offered to the kami at Yabuhara Jinja in Nagano Prefecture

Kagami mochi (mirror rice cake) is traditionally associated with the New Year. It consists of two rice cakes, a small one atop a larger one, surmounted by a daidai bitter orange. Rice was traditionally Japan’s sacred food, and it’s thought mochi was a food which gives strength for the coming year. It is offered to the kami in homes and shrines, and Green Shinto is delighted this year to have been honoured by the Yabuhara Shrine with a kagami mochi in the name of its owner, John Dougill. Also honoured was conductor Douglas Bostok, whose Shinto interests and altar were featured in an earlier posting. Our thanks to Masatsugu Okutani for this special privilege, who writes as follows:

Kagami-Mochi is the round shaped rice cakes which are traditionally offered to sanctuaries in Japan on the occasion of the New Year to wish all the happiness and good health among families (“Kagami” means mirror, and the white color of round rice cakes indicate pureness). This year, there were Kagami-mochi offerings from France and UK which is the first time since the foundation of the sanctuary in 680. We thank you very much for all the offers from France and UK as well as local offers.

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Wikipedia has this to say on the subject:

The kagami mochi first appeared in the Muromachi period (14th-16th century). The name kagami (“mirror”) is said to have originated from its resemblance to an old-fashioned kind of round copper mirror, which also had a religious significance. The reason for it is not clear. Explanations include mochi being a food for sunny days, the ‘spirit’ of the rice plant being found in the mochi, and the mochi being a food which gives strength.

A kagami mochi offering from France at the Yabuhara Jinja

The two mochi discs are variously said to symbolize the going and coming years, the human heart, “yin” and “yang”, or the moon and the sun. The daidai, whose name means “generations”, is said to symbolize the continuation of a family from generation to generation.

Traditionally the kagami mochi was placed in various locations throughout the house. Nowadays it is usually placed in a household Shinto altar, or kamidana. It has also been placed in the tokonoma, a small decorated alcove in the main room of the home.

Contemporary kagami mochi are often pre-moulded into the shape of stacked discs and sold in plastic packages in the supermarket. A mikan or a plastic imitation daidai is often substituted for the original daidai.

Variations in the shape of kagami mochi are also seen. In some regions, three layered kagami mochi are also used. The three layered kagami mochi are placed on the butsudan or on the kamidana. There is also a variant decoration called an okudokazari placed in the centre of the kitchen or by the window which has three layers of mochi.

It is traditionally broken and eaten in a Shinto ritual called kagami biraki (mirror opening) on the second Saturday or Sunday of January. This is an important ritual in Japanese martial arts dojos. It was first adopted into Japanese martial arts when Jigoro Kano, the founder of judo, adopted it in 1884, and since then the practice has spread to aikido, karate and jujutsu studios.

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For more about New Year decorations, click here. For New Year customs in general, see here.

A Wikicommons picture of a gorgeously decorated kagami mochi such that the actual rice cakes are barely visible, defeating the purpose one might say

French Foreign Legion ritual

January 3, 2015 / John D.

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.

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!