tenjin-no-shinja

[tenjin-no-shinja]

frozen (Nonomiya shrine, Kyoto) by Marser on Flickr.

[tenjin-no-shinja]

Hey, Snowball!

[tenjin-no-shinja]

Introduction

Types of Festivals

Another typical form of matsuri involves a cart (dashi), usually on large wooden wheels, which is pulled and pushed through the streets. In most cases the carts will contain musicians and performers, who are pulled slowly along as they play traditional music. The carts are often very large, with as many as fifty people inside and another fifty or so pulling them. They go by different names in various parts of the country (such as danjiri, yama and hoko). Many are unique, historic, or simply fascinating. A type of cart called a yatai used in the Takayama matsuri contains a number of men hidden from view who manipulate mechanical puppets that appear from the top. The yama and hoko of the Gion Matsuri in Kyoto are up to eighty-two feet tall. Some of them were built as early as the eighteenth century (incorporating materials from the fifteenth century) they are covered with priceless tapestries and decorations that are designated Important Cultural Properties. The Danjiri Matsuri of Kishiwada City near Osaka is a wild event in which thirty-five four ton danjiri carts are pulled through the streets at a breakneck pace by teams of five hundred or more. The extensively carved, thirteen-foot-tall danjiri are loaded with as many as twenty people playing flutes and drums or urging on the teams.  As the danjiri whip around corners, they often go crashing into buildings, telephone poles, and anything else in their way, sending team members tumbling and scrambling for dear life.

—Page 55

Some of the more delightful matsuri are those where light plays an important role. Large carts, like those mentioned above, are often illuminated as festivals continue into the night. For example, the danjiri of the Isono Jinja Sairei in Saijo City, Shikoku, are festooned with lanterns. It is a marvelous sight when all of the sixteen-foot-tall danjiri are brought together with the large number of mikoshi (for a combined total of eighty pieces and groups of supporters). At the Mantoro Lantern Festival at Kasuga Taisha in Nara, three thousand standing and hanging lanterns are lit. The Isshiki Giant Lantern Festival of Aichi Prefecture is a display of paper lanterns that are twenty feet tall and thirteen feet in diameter, each painted with fabulous designs. The Mitama Matsuri of Yasukuni Jinja in Tokyo involves 30,000 small paper lanterns with the names of the enshrined war dead written on them, creating a massive corridor of light. But nothing compares with the lights of the Nebuta Festival of Aomori.  Here mammoth floats are made of colored paper over wire and wood frames shaped to resemble demons, gods, and historical figures.  Some floats are as large as sixteen feet tall and fifty feet long, and each is filled with up to eight hundred fluorescent lights.

—Page 57

Isono Jinja Saijō Matsuri

Kasuga Taisha Mantoro Festival

Aomori Nebuta Festival

[tenjin-no-shinja]

Mitarashi Festival 2023 御手洗祭

I went to the Mitarashi Festival at Kitano Tenmangu Shrine.  They also had a bunch of Tanabata Festival decorations up.

Like at Shimogamo Shrine, we walked to the creek and lit candles. The colors of candles have various meanings. Blue candles are used to improve one's artistic ability and sports performance, red candles are used to bring good luck and family happiness, yellow candles are used to improve one's financial fortune and bring good luck and fortune, white candles are used to fulfill one's wishes and find employment, and purple candles are used to ensure one's safety and prolong one's life.

The festival got its start at Shimogamo Shrine, and is where the famous Mitarashi Dango were invented.  The name comes from the place where you perform ritual hand washing before entering the shrine, hence "Hand Washing Festival". The festival itself is to pray for good health and a long life, while you wade through a stream.  I've included pictures from the Shimogamo Mitarashi Festival below as well!

[tenjin-no-shinja]

”神域”

[tenjin-no-shinja]

Kadomatsu Making

So I made my own Kadomatsu 🎍門松🎍, which is a common decoration during the New Year, to welcome in Toshigami-sama. They're placed in pairs representing male and female at the front doors to homes and businesses. The 3 main motifs are bamboo, pine, and plum blossoms which represent prosperity, longevity, and steadfastness.

I made mine out of cardboard. I forgot to mirror the bamboo parts so I decided to make the plum branches the mirrored element instead.

See the progress pictures below the cut

[tenjin-no-shinja]

DOG is Just GOD Spelled Backwards! (OKAMI Fanart)

Can video games ever be considered a "work of art"? Well, if you ever played a game like Okami, then the answer should be a resounding YES! Easily one of the best games ever made, and for good reason too! Here's some "sumi-e" inspired fanart of the lupine sun goddess herself, Amaterasu (a.k.a. "Ammy" to the fans!) Enjoy!

[tenjin-no-shinja]

how would you recommend going about 'finding' your own kami? i'd assume it's quite a personal journey, but would you have any tips or anything to help out the average (new) practitioner? thank you!

The answer to this depends on if you have Japanese heritage, and if so, how much you are able to find out about them. My family immigrated recently, and I was able to do some pretty comprehensive family research. Things to look for here are:

Family crest, as some crests are associated with specific kamisama

Location, as every prefecture (formerly their own countries) have a head shrine

Profession, as some kamisama are associated with specific professions (i.e. Ebisu-sama with fishermen)

My initial approach to worshiping kamisama was, like many people raised in the West, pagan-flavored, so I wouldn't really recommend it.

If you have no Japanese heritage, look for:

Profession: What kamisama are associated with your professions? This may not be readily available in English, so feel free to ask around about this. I hope to make this information more readily available with my Patreon.

Interests: If you like to study, Tenjin-sama may be of interest to you, even if you are no longer a student.

Being moved: If you read a myth about a kamisama or a shrine's history and feel particularly moved, this is a pretty solid lead on which direction you should go.

Honestly, simply being intrigued by a kamisama is a pretty good reason, especially if your interest lasts through some research and is consistent.

[tenjin-no-shinja]

Review: The Essence of Shinto

I have written before of Yamakage's authorship of multiple antisemitic conspiracy theory books. That said, given that there are not a lot of English language books about Shintō, I find this book is often recommended. It should not be recommended to anyone, not just because of the authorship, but for its misinformation. There is very little actual information that can be salvaged from this trainwreck of a book.

Koshintō is not an ancient practice - it's a new religious movement; an attempt to imagine an ancient Shintō, which is, in my opinion, inherently paradoxical, as the concept of Shintō as the name of a religion (and indeed the concept of a religion itself) were consciously constructed as recently as the Meiji Era, which is the 19th century. The archaeological and historical truth is that we do not know what Yayoi or Jomon period peoples believed, and Shintō is likely very distinct from that, and that is okay. While I understand the impulse to try to reconstruct Yayoi or Jomon era religions, I find the impulse to remove foreign elements like Buddhism to contain elements of xenophobia, and have found the idea of Shintō as truly ancient to be misleading at best. We do not actually have an ancient practice handed down to us. Japanese religious practice, first, is diverse -- regions do things differently. Kyushu area graves, for example, bear continental Chinese influence and have 土神 enshrined at their sides. Secondly, while I do think there is a necessity to undo the damage that State Shintō has done, it is not helpful to do so in a way that, at best, ignores and at worst, contradicts history.

Secondly, Yamakage Shintō is barely attested outside of Motohisa's writings. Many of the practices allegedly specific to Yamakage Shintō are common Japanese New Age theories, along with some condescension of traditional practices. One way to recognize this is his repeated use of the word "spiritual" (which presumably was either written スピリチュアル in the original text). It's ironic, then, that he puts down "bizarre cults and sects" (p.13). The aforementioned paragraph should explain why I am so skeptical of the Yamakage school when there is no such thing as ancient Shintō by definition.

Crucially, there is some dangerous and typical New Age medical misinformation here. He claims that certain chants or practices can heal different physical and mental health symptoms, which is not something anyone should say, much less someone who claims to be a religious teacher. This is a sidenote, but I am hoping that Paul de Leeuw did not absorb any of this, but am concerned as he trained under Yamakage.

Yamakage states "...Shinto leaders have been at the forefront of campaigns to restore the forests..." As much as Westerners want Shintō to be the Green Religion that saves the world, I've had very little luck actually encountering any shrine websites or articles that back this up, outside of the traditional practices of keeping very small sacred forests known as chinju no mori. If anything, the opposite has been documented. See Sacred Forests, Sacred Nation for more on this subject. I would be open to correction on this, but Yamakage provides no sources whatsoever; in fact, he provides no sources throughout his book for any of his factual or historical claims. Presenting the Showa Emperor as a source does nothing but reinforce fascist rhetoric about the emperor being the religious head, as he was at the time of State Shinto, and likely says more about his personal convictions than his religious ones. There is something eerily dystopian and fascistic in Yamakage's description of the people cheerily following the Showa Emperor's example.

I have noticed a tendency in some Japanese people to do what I think of as self-orientalism; an exoticization of your own body and culture to appeal to whites. It seems to me that Yamakage is doing such a thing, while simultaneously appealing to Japanese nationalistic sympathies, by saying it is an ancient, mysterious religion untainted by materialism. Demonizing materialism, in fact, goes against the actual practice of most Japanese -- many, many businesses regularly pray for prosperity and dedicate lamps to shrines, or will get ritual decorations for prosperity known as kumade during the November Tori-no-Ichi festival.

"Ajimarikan" is a chant that is, at best, shoddily derived from Buddhism, as is his use of mudra hand gestures. At worst, he completely fabricated this chant and doesn't even attempt to provide a meaning for this phrase. The Five Great Vowels Chant and the Heavenly Counting Chant are both chants that do not exist outside of this book.

Yamakage Motohisa also repeatedly uses Okinawan/Ryūkyūan religion as examples as if it is a part of Shintō, which it most decidedly is not. There was forced assimilation because of colonization, to my understanding, but the practice is entirely different from Shintō.

This is kind of a briefer overview than I originally intended, but I hope this provides some information on why I dislike Yamakage and this book so much. My hope is that he stops being recommended as any sort of resource and a better one is translated soon.

[tenjin-no-shinja]

I love videos of people performing religious ceremonies for small animals. Especially if it’s not something a small animal could participate in theologically.

[tenjin-no-shinja]

The Seiryu-e 青龍会 according to Kiyomizu-Dera's website: "One of the legends of the temple says that a blue dragon (Seiryu in Japanese), an incarnation of Kannon, flies to drink from the waterfall every night. Furthermore, Yasha, originally a demon-god, is enshrined in a small shrine in the south side of Okuno-in Hall. Yasha has been worshiped as a match-making god who guards the ground of Seiryu and the principal image as well as a disruptor of evil karma. At this event, with a 18-meter long figure of the blue dragon leading the way, a wide variety of performers adorned with gorgeous costumes parade through the grounds and the temple town, praying for regional peace and expelling bad luck. Observing the incarnation of Kannon performing, the audience chant “Namu-kannon” in chorus and pray for good luck." [x]

京都　清水寺　🐲青龍会🐉　2024年３月15日

kyoto kiyomizudera templ 🐲seiryue🐉

[tenjin-no-shinja]

Household Festivals in Shinto

Shinto festivals are usually celebrated at shrines. For those who do not live near a shrine, here is my adapted festival calendar. The dates for these festivals may vary due to astronomical or calendrical reasons.

New Year's Day (Oshogatsu):

On New Year's Day, eat and make lucky foods known as Osechi. Some recipes are listed here. Many Japanese people go to a shrine or temple for the first time in the new year, a practice called hatsumode. Instead of this, worshipers abroad could try offering sake at the kamidana.

Setsubun

Setsubun marks the beginning of spring. This is celebrated on either February 3 or 4. The date for Setsubun moves one day every 20 years. On this day, children throw roasted soybeans out the door or at an adult wearing an oni mask and chant "(鬼は外! 福は内!" (Oni go outside, luck come inside!). You can also eat roasted soybeans equivalent in number to your age.

Hinamatsuri

Hinamatsuri is held on March 3 at home by families who often are gifted hina dolls. These are carefully laid out, with votive miniature mochi in front of them. Special lanterns are laid out on both sides. Sometimes there are many dolls to play music and entertain the main couple. The purpose of this holiday is to pray for a good marriage for your daughter. Of course, this is quite heteronormative, but I wanted to include this just in case.

Haru Higan

Haru Higan is usually celebrated around March 20 for seven days. On this day, those with Japanese ancestry can worship their ancestors. Everyone can appreciate the coming warmth of spring as well.

Tanabata

Tanabata is usually celebrated on July 7, though some celebrate it on August 7. This commemorates the day that two literally star-crossed lovers, an oxherd and a weaver, can meet by crossing the Milky Way. If it rains, it is said that the weather prevents them from meeting until the next year. If it is clear, they are able to be reunited. You can write wishes on pieces of paper and hang them on bamboo stalks.

Obon

Obon is a major summer holiday held in honor of ancestors on July 15 or August 15 depending on the family. This one is often more Buddhist-flavored. You can make a small fire (real or symbolic -- and please be mindful of fire safety) as a landmark for your ancestors to find your home. Traditionally, specific altars just for the ancestors who return during Obon are constructed. A common practice is to construct horses and cows out of cucumbers and eggplants, respectively. The method for this is simple -- simply stick toothpicks in for their legs! It is said that this is to make ancestors come faster and leave slower. Bon Odori (Bon Dances) are held where slow traditional songs are played, and locals dance in a circle around a high platform with a drummer on it. This is a time of much fun and games. Fires are also lit at the ancestors' departure.

Tsukimi

Tsukimi is the moon-watching festival held on the eighth month of the lunar calendar on the 15th day. Traditions for this festival include making tsukimi dango (recipe here) and offering them on a sanbo tray by a window. You can also offer seasonal fruits and vegetables, and sprigs of susuki, or pampas grass.

Aki Higan

Aki Higan is the fall festival on September 22 or 23 marking the beginning of fall and cooler seasons in Japan. This is another day for worshiping one's ancestors.

Preparing for the New Year

At the end of the year, get mochi, shimekazari and any other items you need in preparation for the New Year. You may also wish to clean your home at this time.

*I may update this list later!

[tenjin-no-shinja]

Snow-covered shrines

Oishida, Yamagata, Japan

[tenjin-no-shinja]

Shinto

Jorge Luis Borges

When sorrow lays us low for a second we are saved by humble windfalls of the mindfulness or memory: The taste of a fruit, the taste of water, that face given back to us by a dream, the first jasmine of November, the endless yearning of the compass, a book we thought was lost, the throb of a hexameter, the slight key that opens a house to us, the smell of a library, or of sandalwood, the former name of a street, the colors of a map, an unforeseen etymology, the smoothness of a filed fingernail, the date we were looking for, the twelve dark bell-strokes, tolling as we count, a sudden physical pain. Eight million Shinto deities travel secretly throughout the earth. Those modest gods touch us — touch us and move on.

[tenjin-no-shinja]