Mt Koya, or more affectionately Koyasan, is widely known for its temple complex. But not so many people realise how important a part Shinto shrines play there. Indeed, as a World Heritage site there are two temples, two … Read the rest
Category: Animism (Page 17 of 19)
One of the attractions of Shinto for Westerners – perhaps ‘the’ attraction, indeed – is the sense of a divine creation. We do not need to yearn for Eden: we’re already living in it! Shinto is not much interested in … Read the rest
Green Shinto friend Anuradha Gupta has started an excellent blog introducing Hinduism, from which it is clear how much it shares with Shnto. Indeed, as A.J. Dickinson pointed out, there may even have been direct links through the early trading … Read the rest
Kumano is a land of legends, and together with Yamato and Izumo it’s one of Japan’s spiritual heartlands. It’s also part of the Kii peninsula World Heritage site boasting three shrines, two temples, pilgrimage routes and a hot spring. … Read the rest
Good news for some animals in Japan… One might have hoped that a country whose culture derives from a part-animist religion might be leading the way in such matters, but sadly it seems that it only reacts to developments elsewhere.… Read the rest
Woods were mankind’s earliest temples, and trees pointed the way to heaven. Wooded mountains held spiritual mystique, for the abode of the gods was shielded by a forest of leaves. As a country of forests, it’s no wonder that … Read the rest
Is Shinto animism plus ancestor worship? Or is it ancestor worship plus animism?
There’s a big drive these days to pass Shinto off as a nature religion, but wherever you turn you’ll find the ancestral aspect can’t be ignored. Look … Read the rest