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David Chart

Virtual Jinja

Another research report in Issue 277 of Shintō Shūkyō was about jinja and kami in the digital world: “The Metaverse and Shrines: The Case of Torikai Hachiman Shrine in Fukuoka Prefecture”, by Takeda Atsushi. In 2023, Torikai Hachimangū (鳥飼八幡宮) created a digital version of the jinja in Zepeto, a virtual world. In-world avatars can (or could — I am not sure whether it is still active and do not have time right now to find out) enter the jinja, purify themselves at the purification font, and pay their respects in… Read More »Virtual Jinja

Bring in the New

The front page of the April 13th issue of Jinja Shinpō had a report of the annual study meeting of the national association of young Shinto priests. The theme was, roughly, looking at tradition to prepare for the future. That is a very Shinto idea. The editorial in the same issue picked up on this point, and was rather more radical about it. The opening is conventional enough for the Shinto community. There are certain things that should not change about Shinto practice, and others that can, and indeed should,… Read More »Bring in the New

Association of Sengen Jinja

The back page of the April 6th issue of Jinja Shinpō was devoted to the foundation of the National Association of Sengen Jinja (全国浅間神社連合会). Sengen Jinja are those that enshrine Konohananosakuyabimë-no-mikoto (木花之佐久夜毘売命), the kami of Mt Fuji, and the article estimates there to be about 1,300 of them across Japan. (This may include subsidiary jinja in precincts — the study that Kokugakuin University did in 2007 based on the names of primary jinja only found 397.) The meeting to launch the group was held at Fujisan Hongū Sengen Taisha (富士山本宮浅間大社)… Read More »Association of Sengen Jinja

Jinja at the Centre

Issue 277 of Shintō Shūkyō includes a research report entitled “Hiroike Chikurō’s “Shrine-Centrism” at the End of the Meiji Period”, by Hashimoto Tomitaro (I think that should probably be “Tomitarō”, but it is written without the macron in the English contents page of the journal). “Shrine-Centrism” was the idea, pushed in the late Meiji and early Taishō eras (roughly 1900-1920), that jinja should be at the centre of regional communities, leading the improvement of local society. The priests should be good examples, and guide the local people into being better… Read More »Jinja at the Centre

Gagaku for Diplomats

Last week, I interpreted at a seminar held by Jinja Honchō for the diplomatic corps in Tokyo. Attendance was not great because it was Easter weekend and the weather was foul, but some people did come, and they said that they enjoyed the seminar. The subject was gagaku. Gagaku is the tradition of court music that is now played at many Shinto matsuri, and that accompanies miko kagura, the sacred dance performed by miko. The seminar started with a lecture from the head of the oldest non-governmental gagaku group in… Read More »Gagaku for Diplomats

New Book

I’ve just published another collection of essays from the Patreon on Amazon: Myths from Fudoki Fragments 2. (Affiliate link!) This book includes three essays on Shinto-related myths found in fragments of the eighth-century Fudoki, texts compiled by Imperial order to describe the regions of Japan. Not all of the fragments are genuine, but it is impossible to be sure which are real, which are later paraphrases, and which are entirely spurious. This is something I discuss in the book. This collection includes the original version of the Urashima Tarō story.… Read More »New Book