One of the most attractive areas in Japan is around Hakone and Lake Ashi. It’s a popular resort in summer, but pleasant out of season when the crowds have gone. Like many lakes in the region, it has shrines … Read the rest
Category: Syncretism (Page 17 of 17)
Last week I went to an exhibition of kami statues at Otsu History Museum. The statues came from Shiga prefecture – ‘land of gods and buddhas’ – together with mandala and photographs of Hiyoshi Shrine’s Sanno festival. There were … Read the rest
Today I witnessed a fully fledged Shin-buddhist ritual. It was carried out by priests of the Nichiren sect of Buddhism at a small shrine in the woods dedicated to the kami, Shichimen Daimyojin. Fascinating!
If, like me, you love the … Read the rest
It’s the last day of Obon, and the spirits of the dead are preparing to leave Kyoto on their journey back to the otherworld. What is it with Japanese and spirits? Ghostly figures haunt their imagination, and Noh is filled … Read the rest