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
Category: Shamanic connections (Page 7 of 8)
The thunder kami
It takes place on May 12. It’s held in secret. And it’s one of Japan’s oldest continuous rites. It’s the little known, and mysterious, Miare sai held by Kamigamo Shrine in Kyoto.
The rite is carried out … Read the rest
Walking down the Kamogawa river the other day in Kyoto, I passed a wayside Jizo shrine (see above). Nothing very unusual – you see them all over the place. Jizo has to be the most popular deity in Japan, … Read the rest
The Japan Times today carried an article about the appointment of an Ise special priestess (see below), which relates to the old custom of ‘saigu‘ (unmarried royal princess}. The practice probably started in the late seventh century, around
… Read the rest
If one can presume that ancient Japanese had close links with Korean shamanism, and that Korean shamanism derived from that of Mongolian/Siberia through southern migration, then it would be surprising if there were not close affinities between Shinto and Mongolian … Read the rest
In Navaho cosmology all beings have a natural place, and when they are in balance the universe is a place of beauty. However, aspects of the universe have a tendency to fall into disharmony, and ceremonies need to be held … Read the rest
For the Toltecs energy is called teotl and is seen as divine. It’s been translated as God, though it’s more akin to ‘kami’ in Japanese… It’s just one of the common points between Shinto and the shamanism of the native … Read the rest