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 … Read the rest
Category: Origins (Page 6 of 7)
There is an Alan Watts podcast that is so good that I had to make a transcript. It’s from a series called Images of God (no. 1) and concerns the importance of Wonder, which lies at the heart of primal … Read the rest
She stands seductively at the water’s edge and speaks of poetry and music. In her hands a lute, and around her feet white snakes coiled in attendance. She brings good fortune to those who worship her, and she sails the … Read the rest
Miho Museum near Lake Biwa is holding a special exhibition of ancient clay figurines known as Dogu, dating from literally thousands of years ago. They’re weird and fascinating, possibly early fertility figures. The maple colours at this time … Read the rest
In an article for The Daily Yomiuri, Naoki Matsumoto of Waseda University raises the question to his fellow countrymen of ‘When did we become Japanese?’ and goes on to answer his question with reference to the myths of the Kojiki… Read the rest
When the Yoshinogari area in northern Kyushu was excavated in 1986, the extent of the ruins led to great excitement that it might be the site of an ancient Yamatai kingdom mentioned in Chinese chronicles. People flooded to visit, and … Read the rest
The Yoshinogari theme park in northern Kyushu offers the opportunity to visitors to make a magatama stone bead. (The beads were symbols of spiritual authority in Yayoi times.) It turned out to be much easier than expected. Like much else … Read the rest