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Ofuda (talisman)

July 30, 2011 / John D. / 13 Comments

The ofuda is the equivalent in the house of ‘the spirit body’ (goshintai) in the Shinto shrine. The word literally means an honourable tag or tablet, and it is usually purchased from a shrine. It acts as a symbol of the kami, and can be understood as containing the same essence. Placing an ofuda in the household altar (kamidana) is thus to welcome a spirit into the home. It’s as if it were a candle alight with the same energy as that in a Shinto shrine.

The ofuda consists of a piece of wood or a card upon which is written the name of the kami, or sometimes the name of the shrine. A ritual is performed which charges the ofuda with the power of the kami. It is as if something of the divine is transferred into it. In this sense the ofuda is sacred and should be treated with care. On no account should it be removed from the paper covering in which it is wrapped. Like a battery, it only has limited power and needs to be replaced each year.

The Association of Shinto Shrines recommends that three ofuda be placed in a household altar. These include one from Ise Jingu where Amaterasu is enshrined; one from a regional shrine that the worshipper frequents; and one from the ancestral shrine (ujigami) to which the family is attached. In the case of a single-doored kamidana, the ofuda are placed in the following order: that of Amaterasu goes on top, that of the ancestral shrine in the middle, and that of the local shrine at the back. If the household altar has three separate doors, however, then the ofuda of Amaterasu should occupy the centre, that of the ancestral shrine the right, and that of the regional shrine the left.

Adherence to the above is not common in practice, and many Japanese simply use ofuda from their favourite shrines. These are changed annually, usually around New Year when they are taken to the shrine where they were purchased and ceremonially burnt. In their place new ofuda are purchased and put in the kamidana (or simply attached to a wall). Those who do not live within reach of a shrine should make sure to replace their symbolic ofuda with a new one. For those who live abroad, it may be possible to obtain them through the post (those in the US may apply to http://www.tsubakishrine.org/). Where this is not a viable option, consideration could be given to creating one’s own.

(The above was written in conjunction with Timothy Takemoto of the Shinto Online Association, who provided the visuals. See http://nihonbunka.com/)

Kibune Jinja (Kyoto)

July 30, 2011 / John D. / 1 Comment

Shrine entrance

Kibune Jinja is small but special; in Heian times it was designated one of the top 22 shrines. It’s noted for being dedicated to a water kami and is located just above the river. There is water gushing all around and down through the rocks on the side of the mountain. It also practices ‘water divination’, whereby you place a piece of paper on the surface of the water and your fortune becomes visible.

Water omikuji (fortune paper)

Enshrined here are Kuraokami no kami and his wife Mizuhonone no kami, both considered water gods. After the capital was moved to Kyoto, the emperor would visit here for rain ceremonies. If rainfall was needed, a black horse would be offered to the shrine, if dry weather was needed, a white horse.

The shrine’s English language pamphlet is entitled The Water God (Okami no kami), and inside it says ‘This Kami is not the God of water itself (the God of water itself is Mizuhanome-no-Kami) but as the provider of water to others, such as in the form of rain and snow. As the plants and trees grow, the water is kept in the ground. Okami-no-Kami is in Mt Kifune and controls the mysterious works of nature.’

The pamphlet states that there are 2500 branch shrines around Japan. ‘While some areas have bountiful water, other areas suffer a shortage of water and still others are exposed to the dangers of floods. However, Okami-no-kami remains enshrined in all of those places today,’ concludes the pamphlet. Here, one feels, would be an ideal centre for a campaiging style of environmental Shinto to emerge.

Holy water

For me the most intriguing item is a rock formation in the shrine compound in the shape of a boat, with a pole sticking up to represent a mast (perhaps a himorogi descent for the kami). This is in reference to the legend of a court princess who came up the river in search of the source (probably in the Nara era). The place where she found it was where the original shrine was built. Afterwards she turned into a dragon and flew up into the sky. Her boat was covered with stones, placed in the shrine building and hidden from view. There is however a rock boat model in the present shrine grounds.

A boat made of rock might seem a most unsuitable vessel for river navigation! I believe this to be connected, however, with the ancient belief that the sky was made of rock and that gods sat in huge stone thrones in the heavens. Occasionally bits of the sky fell off and hurtled towards earth in the form of meteorites. When the gods wanted to descend, they used rock-boats. Similarly they used iwakura (sacred rocks) in which to manifest themselves. The princess turned kami would therefore have been at home in a rock-boat.

The shrine is well worth a visit for anyone coming to Kyoto, offering in addition a pleasant forty minute walk over the hill to ancient Kurama where tengu roam the woods and the warrior-hero Yoshitsune grew up while plotting to take revenge against his enemy, Taira no Kiyomori. Kurama Temple incidentally, and very oddly for a Budddhist temple, worships a spirit descended from the planet Venus thousands of years ago called Mao-son. Since this was most likely a meteorite, there are links to the rock-boat of Kibune. It’s proof positive of the close links that in the past combined Buddhist and Shinto faiths. Both you might say were rooted in the rock of ages!

(For further information on the nature worship of Kurama and Kibune, see the separate posting under Shrine Visits.)

Kibune shrine noticeboard

Power animals

July 28, 2011 / John D. / 4 Comments

Inari's fox

In Shinto animals are seen as spirit messengers, and I take this to be derived from shamanism where they aid the shaman in taking flight to the spirit world. Particular animals are associated with certain kami. The fox with Inari, pigeon/dove with Hachiman, cockerel with Amaterasu, the rat with Okuninushi, deer with the Kasuga deity, the dragon with Ryujin, the ox with Tenjin and the white snake with Benten. In addition, komainu guard the shrines and white horses mediate between the human and spirit world (connections here with horseriding cultures in Puyo and Mongolia).

In tribal communities the shamanic power animal was adapted as a totemic ancestor, and it’s my feeling that ancient affinities in Japan originated in similar manner. The Kamo for instance were the crow tribe and claim the three-legged crow as their clan ancestor (see separate posting on yatagarasu). The Fujiwara clan whose tutelary shrine was Kasuga at Nara were the deer people; the Hata who founded Fusimi Inari were the fox clan; and the Ainu seem to have been the bear people.

Ise cockerels

If you visit Ise Jingu, you’ll find cockerels walking around the grounds as a familiar of Amaterasu, the sun goddess. According to folklore, they act as her assistant and wake her every morning. In the mythology they play a part in the Cave myth where they feature in the enticing of the sun goddess to come out. Some experts suggest they may be the bird referred to in the torii (bird’s roost), since villages in ancient times kept their chickens on crossbeams at the boundary of the settlement. In this respect I found it of interest when I was in Korea that in villages it was customary to keep a pair of sotdae at the village entrance (poles with a sculptured bird on top, which communicated with the gods).

Just as the cockerels lead one back to continental origins, I think too the power animals of early Shinto can be traced back to the continent. There were dog tribes, deer tribes, fox tribes in ancient China and Korea. Immigrant groups as they moved into Japan no doubt brought their traditions in with them. Over time the shamanic power animal morphed into an emissary of the Shinto kami.

White horse at Fushimi Inari

As an animal rightist, I would have hoped that the fondness for animal familiars would translate into compassion in every day life. Sadly this is far from the case, and I’ve witnessed animals cooped up on shrine properties in conditions that in the West would be condemned as cruel. There is too a Shinto festival where horses are beaten so severely to make them climb a steep hill that it has aroused international condemnation. How is one to explain this? I think Joseph Campbell provides an answer when he highlights the tendency of paleolithic people to worship the spirit of the animal they kill. The spirit is sacred; the physical creature is not.

i can’t help wondering if there is a connection here between the cult of cute animals so evident in Japan and the indifference to suffering. Toy dogs and koala bears are fawned over, whereas whales are mercilessly harpooned and dolphins ruthlessly slaughtered. Japanese zoos are notorious for their cruel conditions, and it’s common to see dogs tied up on concrete all day with barely room to move. One might have hoped that Shinto would be in the vanguard of those speaking out against such practices. More power to the animals!

Wild boar at Goo Jinja in Kyoto

Shinto: Ways of Being Religious

July 28, 2011 / John D. / 0 Comments

Shinto Ways of Being Religious by Gary E. Kessler NY: McGraw-Hill, 2004. 62 pages
ISBN: 0073016896 Selling around $20.00

This is a college textbook which provides a series of reading texts with questions for discussion. However, that does not mean it is of no use to the general reader. In fact, it is highly informative for anyone with more than a passing interest in Shinto. The book is organised into eight chapters from prehistory to the present (with an
extra chapter on the role of women). In each case there is a clear overview followed by a key reading passage to illustrate the thinking of the times. Examples include a passage from the History of the Kingdom of Wei about Himiko for prehistory, to a passage on possession in The Tale of Genji for the Heian period, and The GHQ Directive for the abolition of State Shinto for the post WW2 period. Overall the book is solid, authoritative, and the texts well chosen. This is rewarding study for someone who is coming to Shinto with a keen interest but little knowledge. The author works at California State University, Bakersfield.

Summary: A college textbook that would be suitable for someone who wishes to progress beyond an introductory book to more serious study. Can be bought separately or coupled together with Kessle’s Eastern Ways of Being Religious.

Shinto in History (book review)

July 28, 2011 / John D. / 0 Comments

‘Shinto in History: Ways of the kami’ ed. by John Breen and Mark Teeuwen US: Univ of Hawaii, 2000 368 pages, medium size. ISBN 0-8248-2363-X

This is a weighty collection of academic essays aimed at showing that there is no such thing as one orthodox Shinto, but that historically there have been and continue to be several forms. In other words, as the subtitle suggests, there is not one ‘way of the kami’ but a plurality of ways. In pursuing the thesis, the book challenges conventional notions such as that of continuity since ancient times, and indeed that the religion is indigenous and unique to Japan. The writing is academic throughout, and though the book proceeds chronologically, many of the articles cover pet hobby-horses rather than being central to the theme or the historical development. The content is sometimes recondite and difficult reading, aimed presumably at those working in Shinto studies and Japanese history. On the other hand,it gives assurance that the information is authoritative and some of the chapters are well worth the reading: there is an unusually lucid account of Yoshida Shinto, for example. The book has sixteen chapters in all, beginning with Shinto and Taoism in early Japan and ending with State Shinto. Unlike other books, it suggests that while the structure of post-Meiji Shinto has been dismantled, the ideology most definitely has not.

Summary: Likely to appeal most to the scholarly minded and those with a historical interest. Others would likely enjoy Breen and Teeuwen’s more accessible A New History of Shinto.

Contents:

Chapter One Shinto past and present

Chapter Two Shinto and Taoism in early Japan

Chapter Three Shinto and the natural environment

Chapter Four The state cult of the Nara and Heian periods

Chapter Five The economics of ritual power

Chapter Six The kami in esoteric Buddhist thought and practice

Chapter Seven Reading the Yuitsu Shinto myobo yoshu

Chapter Eight The death of a shogun: deification in early modern Japan

Chapter Nine Changing images of Shinto: Sanja takusen or the three oracles

Chapter Ten Mapping the Sacred Body: Shinto versus popular beliefs at Mt Iwaki in Tsugaru

Chapter Eleven Nativism as a social movement: Katagiri Harukazu and the Hongaku reisha

Chapter Twelve Ideologues, bureaucrats and priests: on ‘Shinto’ and ‘Buddhism’ in early Meiji Japan

Chapter Thirteen Shinto as a ‘non-religion’

Chapter Fourteen The structure of state Shinto

Chapter Fifteen The disfiguring of nativism: Hirata Atsutane and Orikiuchi Shinbou

Chapter Sixteen Tanaka Yoshito and the beginnings of Shintogaku

Of innocence and cynicism

July 28, 2011 / John D. / 1 Comment

A British observer in the early 1860s recorded an interesting encounter in his diary. He and some other foreigners were traveling though the streets of Edo (Tôkyô). As they neared a public bath, someone inside the bath noticed that exotic foreigners were in the vicinity and let the other bathers know. They all came running out of the bath house, completely naked, to look at the British travelers, who no doubt did some staring of their own. According to the diary: “Men and women were all bathing together. They all came running out of the bath hut to gawk at us as we passed by. Not a single one made any attempt to cover up. They were like Adam and Eve before the fall, appearing to us just as they had been born”

Running out naked like Adam and Eve shows a wonderful ‘innocence’ that can still be felt I think in contemporary society with its cult of cuteness and childlike ignorance of the ways of the world. For anyone from Britain, where cynicism runs rampant, it is a striking phenomenon. I can’t imagine an adult in Britain saying that her chief ambition is to go to Disneyland. Of course you could say there is a downside to the trusting innocence… the almost blind acceptance of authority.

In searching for the roots of this cultural characteristic, one place to look is surely Shinto which since ancient times has placed an emphasis on sincerity and purity. Kamo no Mabuchi (1697-1769), a Shinto scholar, is only one of many who has stressed the importance of makoto (a sincere heart) as the ideal virtue. Makoto is linked too with the samurai, and the Shinsengumi famously adopted the word as their slogan. As sincerity was stressed too in Confucianism, it became an important part of samurai thinking.

The influence of Shinto on Zen has not been much written about, but the simplicity, naturalness and aversion to rationality (and hence cynicism) was already a part of Japanese thinking before Zen arrived. Striving to be spiritually pure could be seen as necessarily being free of cynicism. This is abetted by the notion that humans as children of the kami have natural goodness and purity. Since cynicism supposes an ability to distance oneself, it is clearly out of place.

One of the teachings of Shinto is that one should keep one’s heart/mind clean as a bright mirror, pure and shining. The mirror reflects everything faithfully and captures the pure truth. It has no place for cynicism. Writing in 1339, Chikafusa Kitabatake noted that, ‘The mirror hides nothing. It shines without a selfish mind… The mirror is the source of honesty… It points out the fairness and impartiality of the divine will.’

Japanese innocence is nothing to be cynical about.

Holding up a bronze mirror to reflect the purity of soul

Yatagarasu (the three-legged crow)

July 25, 2011 / John D. / 7 Comments

My favourite Shinto motif is yatagarasu, the three-legged crow, and not just because it’s been adopted as the mascot of the Japanese soccer team. It’s an inspiring bird of fancy that carries with it all kinds of association. It first appears in the mythology as a messenger sent by the sun goddess Amaterasu to guide Emperor Jimmu when he gets lost in hostile territory in Kumano on his way to Yamato. Writing in the Huffington Post, Katherine Marshall, senior fellow at Georgetown University, has this to say:

Yatagarasu noren at Kumano Hongu

“[Yatagarasu] is seen as a messenger of the gods. Why three legs? Kumano’s priests confessed that no one really knows, but told us they may represent the three ancient clans that dominated Kumano’s history. Or perhaps the three main virtues of the gods: chi (wisdom), jin (benevolence) and yuu (valor). Then again, the three legs may stand for heaven, earth and mankind. [As in the Taoist triad]

Why is the crow, often seen as an evil omen, Kumano’s symbol and protector? Legend points to the crow’s skill as a navigator, always able to find the way in unknown lands. Yatagarasu was said to have guided an emperor who had lost his way to the place. A sign at the shrine notes that the Japanese soccer association has adopted the crow as its mascot to make sure the ball finds its way into the goal. Helping those who are lost to find a path is the essence.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/katherine-marshall/seeking-enlightenment-fro_b_896914.html

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When I was in Kumano, I also asked one of the priests about the bird’s association with Amaterasu, and in reply he suggested it was to do with the black spots that appear in the sun. I asked him too about the shamanistic connections with the crow-raven of Siberian and Native American tribes, but to my surprise he said he knew nothing of that. It struck me as wilfully insular, given the widespread renown of the crow as a shamanic aide. In Siberia I remember seeing a shaman do a crow dance, and at the Kamigamo Shrine here in Kyoto the priests hop and caw like a crow at the Karasu Sumo festival in September each year. What’s that about?

Priests hopping like crows in the Karasusumo Festival at Kamigamo Jinja

Both the Kamigamo and Shimogamo Shrines carry yatagarasu associations and proudly sell yatagarasu T-shirts and other items. Why? Well, according to their folklore yatagarasu was in fact the clan founder Kamo no Taketsunumi. It’s said the Kamo may have been an immigrant clan, in which case they could well have brought shamanism in with them from Korea. (The three-legged crow originated on the continent.) It’s an intriguing idea and makes me wonder whether in fact yatagarasu was not originally a shaman adviser to Emperor Jimmu who took cosmic flight on the wings of a crow (or even dressed in crow feathers).

Triple tomoe

But why three legs? Well, three is a magic number in religions around the world. Shinto itself has the triple tomoe as an emblem. Father-mother-child represents the essence of life. Past-present-future is stamped into the human brain. Beginning-middle-end is the way we see things and how we make sense of the world in narrative terms. Heaven-earth-mankind was how Taoists envisaged the universe. It seems the mind has a tripartite nature, and a three-legged bird would reflect that. In addition, shamanism sees the exceptional as a mark of the divine. White snakes. Trees split by lightning. Cows with two heads. The most celebrated shaman living today in the Lake Baikal area has six fingers on one hand. A crow with three legs would be something special indeed!

Petrified crow at Kumano Hongu, said to be where yatagarasu turned into a rock