The Atago Shrine in Fukuoka isn’t a famous shrine, but it’s well worth the effort of visiting. It’s on the top of Mt Atago, in the west of the city, a small but fairly steep slope. Visitors are rewarded … Read the rest
Category: Shrine visits (Page 16 of 21)
Kego Shrine in the midst of Tenjin, Fukuoka, is a sorry-looking place, swamped as it is by concrete, consumerism and car parks. It’s like a vision of the degradation of spirituality in modern life. A religion whose roots lie … Read the rest
Scouts are something one associates with Christianity. That was certainly Baden-Powell’s intention when he founded the boy scout movement in 1907 in the UK. But on an early morning visit to Shimogamo Jinja I came across a Shinto scout group … Read the rest
Imamiya is not one of Kyoto’s foremost shrines. But it’s atmospheric, boasts some unusual features, and hosts an interesting festival. it stands next to the temple of Daitokuji, famous for its Zen gardens and historical associations (such as with … Read the rest
Iseyama Kotai Jingu is Yokohama’s main shrine. I expected it to be an ancient affair, but found instead it was a nineteenth-century construction and one that typified the politics of early Meiji times. For someone who enjoys history, like … Read the rest
Shrine approach
The Creation of Japan is closely connected with Awaji Island, and the guardian shrine for the myth is Izanagi Jingu (see Part One). The last time I visited the island was in 2002, at the time … Read the rest
Japan’s Creation Myth
The Creation of Japan myth (kuniumi shinwa) goes something like this. The deities of heaven (Takamagahara) ask a male and female pair to descend to the unformed land below and create order there so people … Read the rest