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| Marta Jones at Itsukushima-jinja, Hatsukaichi |
Yesterday, The Jones visited Itsukushima Shrine on the island of Itsukushim. They wanted to know more things about shinto, the traditional Japanese religion. The family enjoyed this spiritual trip and discovered how Japanese live their spirituality.
Itsukushima Shrine or Itsukushima-jinja is a Shinto shrine on the island of Itsukushim, popularly known as Miyajima, best known for its floating torii gate. It is in the city of Hatsukaichi in Hiroshima Prefecture. The shrine complex is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Japanese government has designated several buildings and possessions as National Treasures.
More information: Visit Miyajima
The shrine has been destroyed several times, but the first shrine buildings were probably erected in the 6th century. The present shrine dates from the mid-16th century, and is believed to follow an earlier design from the 12th century. That design was established in 1168, when funds were provided by the warlord Taira no Kiyomori.
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| Víctor, Merche & Paqui Jones in Itsukushima-jinja |
The shrine was devoted to the worship of goddesses to whom Kiyomori owed thanks, he felt, for his success in life.
Originally it was a pure Shinto shrine where no births or deaths were allowed to cause pollution. Its treasures include the celebrated Heike Nōkyō, or 'Sutras dedicated by the Taira House of Taira'. These consist of thirty-two scrolls, on which the Lotus and other sutras have been copied by Kiyomori, his sons, and other members of the family, each completing the writing of one scroll. Kiyomori lavished great wealth upon Itsukushima, and he liked to show the place to his friends and colleagues, or even to royal personages..."
More information: Japan Guide
The shrine was designed and built on pier-like structures over the bay so that it would appear to be floating on the water, separate from the sacred island, which could be approached by the devout.
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| Claudia Jones in Itsukushima-jinja, Hatsukaichi |
Near the main shrine is a noh stage which dates from 1590. Noh theater performances have long been used to pay homage to the gods through the ritual acting out of key events in Shinto myth.
The dramatic gate, or torii, of Itsukushima Shrine is one of Japan's most popular tourist attractions, and the most recognizable and celebrated feature of the Itsukushima shrine, and the view of the gate in front of the island's Mount Misen is classified as one of the Three Views of Japan, along with the sand bar Amanohashidate, and Matsushima Bay.
More information: Visit Hiroshima
Although a gate has been in place since 1168, the current gate dates back only to 1875. The gate, built of decay-resistant camphor wood, is about 16 metres high. The placement of an additional leg in front of and behind each main pillar identifies the torii as reflecting the style of Ryōbu Shintō, dual Shinto, a medieval school of esoteric Japanese Buddhism associated with the Shingon Sect.
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| Ana Bean-Jones in Itsukushima-jinja, Hatsukaichi |
The torii appears to be floating only at high tide. When the tide is low, it is approachable by foot from the island. Gathering shellfish near the gate is also popular at low tide. At night, powerful lights on the shore illuminate the torii.
On September 5, 2004, the shrine was severely damaged by Typhoon Songda. The boardwalks and roof were partially destroyed, and the shrine was temporarily closed for repairs.
The shrine is dedicated to the three daughters of Susano-o no Mikoto, Shinto god of seas and storms, and brother of the sun goddess Amaterasu, tutelary deity of the Imperial Household. Because the island itself has been considered sacred, commoners were not allowed to set foot on it throughout much of its history to maintain its purity.
More information: UNESCO
To allow pilgrims to approach, the shrine was built like a pier over the water, so that it appeared to float, separate from the land. The red entrance gate, or torii, was built over the water for much the same reason. Commoners had to steer their boats through the torii before approaching the shrine.
Retaining the purity of the shrine is so important that since 1878, no deaths or births have been permitted near it. To this day, pregnant women are supposed to retreat to the mainland as the day of delivery approaches, as are the terminally ill or the very elderly whose passing has become imminent. Burials on the island are forbidden.
More information: Atlas Obscura
Go
to any Shinto temple in Japan and you'll see it: a simple stand from
which hang hundreds of wooden postcard-size plaques with a colorful
image on one side and, on the other, densely scribbled Japanese
characters in black felt-tip pen, pleas to the gods for help or succor.
Hanya Yanagihara
Shinto or Shintō or kami-no-michi, among other names is the traditional religion of Japan that focuses on ritual practices to be carried out diligently to establish a connection between present-day Japan and its ancient past.
More information: Japan Guide
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| Eli Jones & The Grandma in Itsukushima-jinja |
Shinto practices were first recorded and codified in the written historical records of the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki in the 8th century. Still, these earliest Japanese writings do not refer to a unified religion, but rather to a collection of native beliefs and mythology.
Shinto today is the religion of public shrines devoted to the worship of a multitude of spirits, essences, kami, suited to various purposes such as war memorials and harvest festivals, and applies as well to various sectarian organizations. Practitioners express their diverse beliefs through a standard language and practice, adopting a similar style in dress and ritual, dating from around the time of the Nara and Heian periods, 8th–12th century.
More information: Tofugu
The word Shinto, Way of the Gods, was adopted, originally as Jindō or Shindō, from the written Chinese Shendao, combining two kanji: shin, meaning spirit or kami; and michi, path, meaning a philosophical path or study, from the Chinese word dào. The oldest recorded usage of the word Shindo is from the second half of the 6th century.
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| Silvia & Joaquín Jones in Itsukushima-jinja |
Kami is rendered in English as spirits, essences, or gods, and refers to the energy generating the phenomena. Since the Japanese language does not distinguish between singular and plural, kami also refers to the singular divinity, or sacred essence, that manifests in multiple forms: rocks, trees, rivers, animals, places, and even people can be said to possess the nature of kami. Kami and people are not separate; they exist within the same world and share its interrelated complexity.
As much as nearly 80% of the population in Japan participates in Shinto practices or rituals, but only a small percentage of these identify themselves as Shintoists in surveys.
More information: Ancient
I've always loved the idea of mythologies linked to or underlying everyday life, like the kami gods of Shintoism, where every rock,
tree and stream has its own little god associated with it.
Charles Soule
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