The above angry dragon was displayed at Shimogamo Jinja prior to the change of year and seems very apt in retrospect, given the awful earthquake at the very outset of the year, Jan 1, in the Hokuriku area (Kanazawa and the Noto Peninsula in particular). Hopefully the uplifting attributes of the dragon will come to the fore in the rest of the year.
Meanwhile, there were enormous queues at the small dragon shrine that is one of the seven eto shrines at Shimogamo commemorating the twelve signs of the Chinese Zodiac. In the picture below, the left-side queue is for the dragon hokora (small shrine), the right-hand queue to pay respects at the main shrine. There’s a temporary roofing to keep off rain.
One of Kyoto’s numerous shrines is Takio Jinja, near Tofukuji Zen monastery. Takio means Dragon, which is why the small shrine was packed with New Year worshippers, eager to ensure they have a blessed year ahead. The queue spilled out from the shrine and along the adjacent road.
The shrine has one special attraction, and it made a killing by charging ¥500 to see it. The sculpture of a dragon, carved out of wood on the ceiling of the Maiden (Dancing Platform) was made in the Edo Period (eighteenth century) and is a quite unique work of art. There was a separate queue to view it…
In mythology, the dragon is associated with watery realms, and in paintings it is often surrounded by water or clouds. From watery depths it is able to soar upwards towards heaven breathing fire and overcoming all obstacles in an example that serves to inspire humans. In this way it is able to transition between this world and the other, a fictional creature that is the only unreal animal in the Chinese zodiac but one that has captured the imagination of both East and West.
The dragon’s affinity with water makes it a perfect figure for water purification at the temizuya, especially here at Takio Jinja. Such was the demand for dragon charms and amulets that the small shrine had to put up Sold Out signs – even though it had eleven years to prepare for this Year of the Dragon. May all Green Shinto readers have a good one!
On the left, the Chinese characters state that two types of ema (votive plaques) have been sold out. The amulets on the righthand side were in hot demand too. And yet the majority of Japanese claim to be non-religious. To the Western mind, it is a startling paradox and just one of the many ways in which the Japanese tradition baffles the need for clear categorisation.
Previously Green Shinto reported on plans for the establishment of ahokora shrine at Manla, Phoenecia in NY state. In an interview about the project, Fukiko Ostensen spoke of the origin of the project and how it was tied to Japanese cultural heritage and the production of traditional health food. Now comes news of the opening ceremony of the hokora shrine.
Fukiko Ostensen reports that, “The day of the ceremony was blessed with beautiful weather, and we successfully established the new hokora in which Sukunahikona resides. The ceremony was powerful and many people were really moved by witnessing it. And the teacher’s talk afterwards explaining about what it means to live according to the Shinto way of life was so beautiful, and touched our hearts deeply. We have a recording of this lecture, and Menla will edit it and make a webpage dedicated to Sukunahikona in the near future.”
In an extraordinary move, Tsubaki Grand Shrine of America shut down its operation on June 30th, 2023, and the grounds have been closed to the public. The kamisama and sacred items have been transferred to the newly restored and revived Shin Mei Spiritual Centre run by Shinto priest Ann Evans on Knapp Island off Victoria in Canada’s far west.
When Green Shinto visited Washington State and the Vancouver Islands in 2011 , the Tsubaki Shrine was flourishing under Rev Barrish and the Canadian shrine barely active, not responding to email or telephone. Now it seems the respective fortunes of the two shrines have been completely reversed.
The Tsubaki Shrine was Shinto’s leading light in America, representing a significant focus for practitioners throughout the mainland. Its closure looks like a failure to gain a foothold in the US. The shock to America’s burgeoning Shinto community of the surprise closure can be clearly felt in an article in Unseen Japan. (The report also gives a rare overview of Shinto origins in the US and its prewar history.)
Despite two decades of dedicated and pioneering work in setting up the Tsubaki Grand Shrine of America, including soliciting donations for improvements and additions, it seems that Rev Barrish has relocated to Kissimmee, Florida, which is located near Orlando International Airport. Apparently for health reasons he was unable to continue his work and has decided to continue with his aikido work, as well as setting up an ‘earthshinto’ website. The relationship of this is to the Tsubaki Shrine in Mie Prefecture is unclear.
In mythology, Sarutahiko no okami, the chief Tsubaki kami, is the first Earthly figure to welcome the Heavenly kami after their descent. However, the naming of the shrine looks more like a statement of universalism than a link with Tsubaki. As the article in Unseen Japan puts it, ”The shrine, which he [Barrish] has named Earth Shinto Shrine (Kannagara Chikyū Jinja), has no apparent affiliation with Tsubaki Grand Shrine in Japan. Barrish asserts the Earth is this shrine’s kami. While there are many earthly kami (kunitsukami), enshrining the planet is certainly a new direction. No parent shrine by the name of Chikyū Jinja exists in Japan.’
In an indication of a new direction, the website for Barrish’s new project posits an ‘Earth Shinto’ (www.earthshinto.com), which sees the concern with an animating life force as central to the religion. The form of the rituals are viewed as a gift from ancient Japan to the world, while the talk of a ‘living earth’ recalls the Gaia theory of James Lovelock. Already up on the Earth Shinto site is information about amulets, rituals and membership, together with the price.
In acknowledging the deep ties of Shinto with Japanese culture, the website reflects the narrow line between the traditional insularism of Shinto with a contemporary universalism as it spreads to the West. Is Shinto a tribal, primal neo-shamanic religion, or a nature religion open to everyone everywhere? There may be different responses inside and outside of Japan, and it is Green Shinto’s supposition that a form of Neo-Shinto will spread amongst non-Japanese based on individual practice rather than community ties. In the current debates about the nature of the so-called ‘nature religion’ can be seen a struggle for its soul, and we look forward with anticipation to learning more about how this unexpected development works out.
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For a comprehensive interview with Rev Barrish from 2011, see here.
The previous Green Shinto posting announced a new hokora shrine planned for Upstate New York. One of the organisers, Fukiko Ostensen, has kindly agreed to answer questions about the project in the hope of helping others who may be similarly inspired.
A pond across from where the hokora is going to be established. The Dalai Lama said it houses a huge Naga spirit, and since Sukunabikona also has a dragon form it is thought to be appropriate.
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1) When and how did the idea for a hokora first arise? (Fukiko Ostensen) Last year, my dear friend and business partner, Mayumi Motoki (Mami), started receiving messages from above (Ten 天) saying we should create a shrine in Upstate New York. She often receives interesting spiritual messages, but this one felt like it was beyond our ability to facilitate at first. So, it remained just an idea for about a year.
Then this spring, we got together with local author, friend, and supporter Maya van der Meer, who was immediately on board with our vision. Maya has often felt there would be tremendous benefit from having an attended dragon shrine in our mountains, where stone serpent effigies that map the constellation Draco have been discovered. Dragons (ryū 龍) are highly respected in Japan, considered as benefactors and protectors of humankind; powerful and wise guardians. They are often associated with Shinto shrines.
The three of us meditated together, deepened our commitment to the project, and asked for guidance. Within a month, everything came together! We connected with Seiji Yamamoto sensei who generously agreed to come from Japan to consecrate the shrine with the powerful, healing deity Sukunabikona (少彦名神), who appears in both human and dragon form. We also found the perfect location at Menla Retreat Center in the heart of the Catskill Mountains.
2) What is the main purpose of your project? We do various activities based on our heritage to benefit the local communities, like serving Japanese style fermented foods, providing healing arts, hosting seasonal events, and volunteering at local schools and libraries. Our initial thought with this Shinto shrine was to create an auspicious bridge or portal between Japan and America to support our activities. On a larger scale, of course, our aspiration is that the hokora serves to facilitate peace and harmony on earth.
The natural rock that will house Sukunabikona. In the background are apple trees over 300 years old.
3) To start a shrine or hokora a priest is needed. How did you go about finding a sympathetic priest? This was the biggest obstacle at first for us. We didn’t know how to go about trying to establish a shrine on our own. When we connected with Seiji Yamamoto sensei through an acquaintance in Japan, all the problems we were facing were solved! Yamamoto sensei teaches Seitai body work and lucid mediation (明想) methods to the group of students at Aiko-ryu Kiko Seitai. He is also adept at Feng Shui, divination (易) and Old Shintō (Koshinto) tradition. Despite his busy schedule, he agreed to come to America to conduct the sacred ritual of welcoming the deity and properly enshrining him. His sincere interest in supporting this project has given us the energy and confidence to keep going.
4) How was the kami decided? Even though Mami received the message of making a shrine, we weren’t sure which deity to enshrine at the beginning. Another friend of ours in Japan, who is very knowledgeable about Shinto, advised us to enshrine Sukunabikona (少彦名神), knowing we work with medicinal plants, fermentation, and women’s health. Once the name of Sukunabikona came to us, we received many confirmations that it is the right deity for us.
Then, Yamamoto sensei received a message from the deity directly (goshintaku) when he visited the Sukunabikona shrine in Osaka a couple of days after our first virtual meeting. Sukunabikona gave direct guidance, saying, “I will come where the land is red, looking up a black mountain.”
There is already a torii gate at Menla leading to the spa facility that was built many years ago.
We soon found the location for the hokora in a pristine forest in the middle of the Catskill State Park, surrounded by unspoiled wilderness. The land, considered sacred by Native Americans, contains red clay, and faces the peak of Panther Mountain. It is the site of the Menla Retreat Center in Phoenicia, NY. The leadership and staff there have been open and welcoming to the project because Menla means “medicine” and the shrine’s purpose aligns with the spiritual and healing retreats offered year-round at the center. The idea of having a dragon companion for Menla’s resident naga, a serpent creature the Dalai Lama saw during one of his visits, is also very exciting.
Nena Thurman, the owner of Menla Retreat Center with the rock that will act as hokora.
5) How about the size of the hokora, and where will it come from? Initially, we thought we had to find a specialized carpenter who could build a small shrine in Japanese style, and were struggling to find one in our area. Then, we learned we could enshrine the deity in a natural rock according to the Koshinto tradition. We searched the Menla property and found a relatively small rock to become a hokora. Yamamoto sensei confirmed the rock, naturally deposited during the time of glacier melt, has a very good energy.
Side shot of the proposed hokora, with reddish soil visible over the flat rock in the foreground. In the distance is Panther Mountain.
6) What are the costs and how have you funded the project? We have organized a grassroots effort to raise the funds for this project. The major expense is the transportation cost for Seiji Yamamoto sensei, his wife, and disciple from Tokyo, Japan. They are staying here for 3 nights and 4 days as the teacher’s schedule is tight. Other expenses include preparation for the ceremony, a large wooden sign about the hokora and the deity, offering materials, and the cost for future maintenance.
We have launched a GoFundMe campaign, but it has been difficult to reach people who share the same interest and passion as we do. Additionally, we have also been organizing events in our local areas to raise funds. We are having fun with it, but would love more international support!
7) Your shrine will not be part of Jinja Hocho (Association of Shinto Shrines? Is that a concern, or not? It is not a concern for us, mainly because having a shrine/hokora in the United States is a unique situation that needs to function outside of ordinary Japanese formalities.
8) Finally, do you have any advice for others thinking of doing something similar? Mami says “You have to be almost an idiot (あほ) or extremely optimistic to think of doing a project like this.” She advises that if you are called to do something like this, “Surrender to your passion and do not overthink it. Also, it is very important to have a group of like-minded, good friends and supporters to work together. A project like this is large and serves the community in the long run.”
Organisers: from left Fukiko, Mami and Michael, the executive director of Menla Spiritual Center.
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To donate or contribute to the project, please click here.
Welcoming the Shinto deity Sukunabikona to USA, orgnaised by Shoko Mani
News has come of an exciting new project on the American mainland, which will certainly be of interest to Green Shinto readers and may even be inspirational for those considering their own shrine (hokora) projects. Watch this space for further posts about the development of the project, for its final outcome is yet to be determined. Here is the public announcement by the group…
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Welcoming Sukunabikona, the shinto deity of “medicine” and “fermentation” in theCatskill area in upstate New York
Our mission is to bring the beauty of Japanese culture, cuisine, and tradition to the US and the Catskill Mountains of the Hudson Valley, where we are blessed to be surrounded by incredible natural beauty. One of our prime objectives is to promote good health through fermented foods. We feature a fermented beverage called Omiki- which comes from Okinawa and Amami Oshima. In addition to a restaurant and shop featuring dishes and items made with Omiki and other ferments, we hold workshops to teach how to make and enjoy this traditional health-promoting beverage.
Another offering is the ancient therapy, “mugwort steaming”, which is said to enhance health and beauty. Mugwort, known as the queen of the herbs, grows in abundance in this region. We combine this powerful medicinal plant with other native plants to customize steams for our clients. The full body herbal steam allows naturally occurring beneficial microbes to be absorbed externally and internally to enhance the microbiome, and thereby promote health and wellness.
We also add “Makomo” to our mix- a sacred medicinal plant that is a relative of wild rice from Izumo in Shimane prefecture, where it is known as “the grass where the gods reside”. Makomo is filled with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and silicon. It is known for its ability to cleanse and purify water- in nature and in our bodies, and is used as both food and medicine.
Our goal is to promote health and wellness of the planet and its inhabitants through Japanese tradition and knowledge of plants and fermentation. Now we are also embarking on a project to introduce the deity Sukunabikona to the beautiful Catskills.
It is said that the story of Issumboshi is based on Sukunabikona. According to the legend, though small in stature, Sukunabikona had many powers – and worked alongside Ookuninushi to create the land, and is known to be a god of healing, agriculture, plant medicine, sake, fermentation, micro-organisms, hotsprings, and magic. We believe that this deity will be of great ally for us here in the Catskills.
We are collaborating with Dr. Seiji Yamamoto (a practitioner and representative of Aiko-ryu Kiko Seitai in Japan) to locate the perfect place to welcome and house the deity. He will travel from Japan to conduct the ritual to invite the deity to reside in the new home, and we are grateful that he has been very supportive of this project.
This project will serve as a bridge between Izumo – a land known for its many deities – and the Catskills. It is our hope that the creation of a shrine for Sukunahikona-no Mikoto will offer spiritual support and many benefits for the Japanese and local communities in the area, and that it will become a “power spot” for those who strive to bring harmony to the planet.
Recently the perfect location for the project was found within the beautiful grounds of Menla in Phoenicia, NY. Menla is a retreat facility and a renowned spa surrounded by pristine mountain forest which were revered as sacred place by its natives, the Esopus and Mahicans. Menla operates under the wing of Tibet House in NYC, and it has committed to bring peace and spiritual awakening through their offerings. Their welcoming attitude to bring the shinto deity, Sukunabikona has been very moving. Menla’s grounds and its land are open to the public, and visitors who wish to pay homage to Sukunabikona are welcome anytime.
Our wish is to have many people participate in this project. All proceeds will go towards this project. Please enter your information on our mailing list to receive updates on the project. We appreciate your support from the bottom of our hearts. Thank you for reading until the end. Sincerely, Friends of bringing Sukunahikona to the Catskills
Corporate sponsors: ● Oh Mammy LLC ● Kannon Herbs and Steam LLC ● Menal / Tibet House US ● Tanma! Ramen Tavern ● Bon Odori Dance Festival for Peace
This is the concluding excerpt from a book to be published by Stone Bridge in Novemer 2023 entitled Off the Beaten Tracks in Japan. It concerns the kamikaze museum at Chiran, on the way between the most southerly manned station at Ibusuki and the most southerly unmanned station at Nishi-Oyama. As well as kamikaze, Chiran is notable for its collection of well-preserved samurai houses and gardens.
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A short taxi ride away from Chiran’s samurai houses lies the Peace Museum for Kamikaze Pilots. Why is it located in such an out of the way place, one may well wonder? The answer is simple: the site was once a wartime training school for pilots, which in the later stages of the war served as a base for kamikaze missions. The museum is generously funded, and the spacious rooms are able to house a collection of planes, with pride of place going to the Mitsubishi Zero fighter favoured by the kamikaze.
The exhibits are all in Japanese, save for one major exception; the translation of a touching farewell letter written by a teenage pilot to his mother. Despite its name, however, the Peace Museum seemed more like a celebration of self-sacrifice. Never again was the message at Nagasaki. I did not get that feeling here.
The ethos of samurai and kamikaze is rooted in the suppression of self, and the cultural values which stem from that are what make Japan so comfortable a place to live. Donald Richie wrote of the paradox this presents to foreign residents like himself, for the very qualities they find praiseworthy derive from darker elements in a feudalistic past – conformity, repression, obligations. It is a great irony that the Vietnam War draft dodgers who headed for Kyoto in search of liberation took up Zen and found themselves undergoing a taming of the ego similar to that implemented by drill sergeants in the US military.
Torii entrance to sanctified space
Outside the museum are the inevitable cherry trees, for the truncated lives of kamikaze youth are seen poetically in terms of falling blossom. There is too a reconstructed barracks where the young men spent their final days. The most poignant element is a sparse wooden dormitory with beds set close to one another. The neatly folded bedding is set out in a row, Zen-like in its precision.
Cherry blossom – kamikaze – samurai – Zen. At journey’s end I was being presented with a stereotype, but it is an image that Japanese themselves have been keen to promote. It is one that sustains the status quo and makes Japan a deeply conservative country. For all the fervid Westernisation of the past 150 years, the inner core of Japaneseness remains intact. The words of Lafcadio Hearn, written over a hundred years ago, still contain a large measure of truth. ‘The nation has moved unitedly in the direction of great ends,’ he wrote, ’submitting the whole volume of its millions to be moulded by the ideas of its rulers.’ And the engine driving this unified force was what Hearn described as ‘the absence of egotistical individualism’. He credited this to the moral power of Shinto on the one hand, and on the other to the mastery of self promoted by Buddhism.
Journey’s end – Japan’s most southerly station, Nishi-Oyama, with departing train and Mt Kaimon in the background
This is part of an ongoing series about travelling the length of Japan by train, and consists of passages with a Shinto or spiritual flavour. They are extracted from a longer book version due to be published by Stone Bridge in January 2024.
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Amaterasu statue in Ise Museum (All photos by J. Dougill)
For those so inclined, Japanese mythology is fascinating. The stories are the stuff of fantasy, yet the myths continue to sustain the ruling class by fostering mystique about heavenly origins. Emperor Hirohito may have renounced divinity at the end of WW2, but the coronation of the present emperor included a rite symbolising descent from the sun goddess (Amaterasu). The country’s premier shrine, Ise Jingu, still honours her as ancestor of the imperial family.
The myth of heavenly descent is known as Tenson Korin. It tells of how the sun goddess instructed her grandson to descend to earth, and how he touched down on a mountain peak called Mt Takachiho in southern Kyushu. This has long puzzled me. It is generally assumed that the early rulers of Japan, the Yamato clan, emigrated from the Korean peninsula. If that is the case, then surely they would ‘descend’ onto a mountain in northern Kyushu. Why should Mt Takachiho be singled out for this momentous event?
Ascending Mt Takachiho
Faced with this puzzle, I concocted my own theory. It was sparked by the arrival of the first Europeans to Japan, for three Portuguese traders were caught in a storm while travelling along the coast of China, and their badly damaged ship was swept along by the Kuroshio Current to the Japanese island of Tanegashima. The same current flows towards Kinko Bay, in which Kagoshima is situated, and at the end of the bay Mt Takachiho is visible.
Because of the current, there are many links between coastal China and southern Kyushu. Japan’s earliest rice cultivation, imported from China, is found here, and archeologists have unearthed skeletons from around this time resembling those of Jiangsu Province. In addition, early myths about Amaterasu and silk weaving are similar to those of the Yangtze River delta.
Xu Fu, known in Japan as Jofuku
At this point enter Xu Fu, a Chinese alchemist. According to accounts, he was sent by China’s first emperor in search of an elixir for immortality. The first mission ended in failure, following which around 210 BC he was granted sixty large boats, together with soldiers, crew and 3000 boys and girls equipped with various skills, This time he never returned, and in later years it was assumed that he had reached Japan. How intriguing, I thought. Could the Kuroshio Current have taken Xu Fu’s armada to the foot of Mt Takachiho? Could he be the inspiration for the heavenly descent?
Not far from Mt Takachiho lies the town of Miyazaki and access to the Inland Sea. This prompts thought of the route of conquest taken by the Yamato clan, who migrated from Kyushu to the Nara basin. The mythology related in Japan’s earliest written works tell how Emperor Jimmu, Japan’s legendary first emperor, led the expedition.
Kashihara Shrine picture book story of Jimmu: here he sets out on his expedition
Now here is a very odd ‘coincidence’. If you travel to the small town of Shingu on the Kii Peninsula, there are sites associated with the arrivals by sea of both Jimmu and Xu Fu. Just south of the town is a beach where Emperor Jimmu supposedly landed. And in the town itself is a creek where Xu Fu is said to have arrived. In Japanese Xu Fu is known as Jofuku, and in Jofuku Park is a grave where the Chinese alchemist is allegedly buried.
Chinese style gate at the entrance to Jofuku Park in which is supposedly the grave of Xu Fu, aka Jofuku
The legends of Xu Fu and Jimmu both date from early Yayoi times, when Japan underwent great cultural change. Could it be in fact that the two legendary figures were modelled on the same person? It would mean that Japan’s imperial ancestors came from China in search of immortality, landed beneath Mt Takachiho, made their way across the Inland Sea to Shingu, then proceeded overland to Yamato in the Nara Basin.
The more I thought about my idea, the more convincing it seemed. But when I tried it out on specialists in mythology, I found little support. Alas and alack, there Is nothing new under the sun, and I discovered one day that a Japanese professor by the name of Ino Okifu had come up with the very same theory. Wikipedia claims the idea has been discredited, though it offers no explanation why, and as far as I am concerned the theory remains a tantalising possibility. To the world at large Kagoshima may be a volcanic city where the Last Samurai died, but to me it is a gateway to the mythological past.
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For more on the same subject, see postings for the China connection (Parts 1-3) by starting here.
