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Jinja in Fiction

Jinja Shinpō has an irregular short column on the front page (always the front page) written and signed pseudonymously by one of the reporters, giving their personal view of an issue related to Shinto. As they are written internally and not generally time critical, I suspect that the needs of layout are an important factor in whether they appear. There was one in the 25th May issue. This one was by “Shima” and they start by saying that whenever they see a jinja in a film, they look in the… Read More »Jinja in Fiction

Karimihishirogibassaishiki

The Karimihishirogibassaishiki (仮御樋代木伐採式) is another ceremony leading up to the Shikinen Sengū (式年遷宮) at Isë Jingū (伊勢神宮), and was held on May 17th in the mountain forests in in Kiso, Nagano Prefecture that are supplying much of the timber for the rebuilding process. It was reported in the 25th May issue of Jinja Shinpō. In Japanese, parts of the name are self-explanatory. “Shiki” is “ceremony”, while “bassai” means “felling (a tree)”, and “gi” is “tree”. “Kari” means “temporary” or “substitute” or “provisional” — it is the character used in the… Read More »Karimihishirogibassaishiki

The Shikinen Sengū Interval

Issue 278 of Shintō Shūkyō included an interesting article speculating on the reasons why the Shikinen Sengū at Isë Jingū is held every twenty years: “The Foundations for Determining the Year for Transfer of a Deity (Sengūshiki): Sakutan usui and the Regulations for Official Storehouses”, by Ōno Yoshiyuki. The Shikinen Sengū is held every twenty years. Today, that means that the last one was in 2013, and the next will be in 2033. Originally, however, the year in which it was held was year one, and it was held again… Read More »The Shikinen Sengū Interval

Photography at Jinja

The new series of Komorebi has started, with a new set of authors. (The authors change every two years.) The May 18th issue of Jinja Shinpō included the first column from Ōmichi Haruka, an assistant professor at Kokugakuin University. She starts by saying that she always finds it difficult to take photographs at jinja and Buddhist temples. She feels that there is something disrespectful about photographing the sacred, whether kami or Buddha, and so she is always a bit reluctant, even though she has permission. She does not think she… Read More »Photography at Jinja

The Future of Shinto

The May 11th issue of Jinja Shinpō includes a two-page spread reporting on a discussion between the chairman of Jinja Honchō, Revd Takatsukasa, and its president, Revd Tanaka. Long-term readers of this blog may remember that there have been tensions between these two, but they seem to have kept it civilised. The occasion for the discussion and article was the 80th anniversary of Jinja Honchō, and since they are both just over 80 a great deal of it was reminiscences. Revd Takatsukasa grew up where the main offices of Jinja… Read More »The Future of Shinto

Kozukuri Hajimesai

The next of the important ceremonies in the Shikinen Sengū (式年遷宮) at Isë Jingū (伊勢神宮) took place on April 21st, and was reported in the May 4th issue of Jinja Shinpō. This was the Kozukuri Hajimesai (木造始祭), or “matsuri for the beginning of making the wood”. This is one of the ceremonies for which the date and time are decided by the Tennō, meaning that it is one of the most central. (There are records from a couple of centuries ago of discussions back and forth over the best day… Read More »Kozukuri Hajimesai