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Shinto

Japanese Silk

Silk is a product strongly associated with Japan. However, the June 30th issue of Jinja Shinpō included an article by the head of the Dainippon Silk Foundation, bemoaning the collapse of domestic production of silk fibre. Last year, domestic silk farmers produced 38 tonnes of silk thread, a drop of 99.97% since the peak in 1968. Recently, the amount produced has been halving every five years. Three quarters of active silk farmers are 70 or older, and 86% of them have no successor. The reason for this is a drop… Read More »Japanese Silk

Delivering the Sacred Trees

After the trees that will be used to make the Mihishiro (御樋代) have been felled, they need to be transported to Isë, a couple of hundred kilometres from both the forests where the trees are harvested. Historically, they were floated down the river, and then pulled on carts. These days, most of the journey is done by truck, but there are still a number of ceremonial and celebratory elements, which were reported in the June 23rd issue of Jinja Shinpō. The only departure ceremony described was for the trees felled… Read More »Delivering the Sacred Trees

Nagoshi no Ōharaë

Twice a year, most jinja carry out Ōharaë (大祓), a purification ceremony for all the impurity that has built up over the previous six months. “Ōharaë” means “great purification”, and the one in summer is held on June 30th, and called “Nagoshi no Ōharaë” (夏越の大祓), which means “great purification crossing summer”. The winter one, held on December 31st, is called “Toshikoshi no Ōharaë” (年越の大祓), which means “great purification crossing the year”. The summer one tends to be more of an event, at least in part because it includes the chinowa… Read More »Nagoshi no Ōharaë

The Tennō and the Shinto Establishment

The Tennō (天皇) is the symbol of Japan and of the unity of the people, according to the current Japanese constitution. For all intents and purposes, he is also the head of state, although the constitution doesn’t actually say that. However, historically the Tennō has played an extremely important role in venerating the kami, and Jinja Shinto was restructured in the late nineteenth century to focus on venerating the Tennō. This has made the Tennō extremely important to the contemporary Shinto community. This can be seen in the articles in… Read More »The Tennō and the Shinto Establishment

Gender Balance

As of today, the entire staff of the Public Relations and International Section of Jinja Honchō’s Edification Center is female. Admittedly, there are only three of them, but I do think this is significant. While the section has been entirely male many times in the past, this is the first time it has been entirely female. This is because the section includes a section head, and this is the first time a woman has been appointed to this role. I think it is only the second time a woman has… Read More »Gender Balance

Misomayamahajimesai

The Misomahajimesai (御杣始祭), an early ceremony of the Shikinen Sengū (式年遷宮) of Isë Jingū (伊勢神宮), was held on June 3rd, and reported in the 16th June issue of Jinja Shinpō (神社新報). This event marks the beginning of the process of harvesting timber for the Sengū, and took place in Kisodani National Forest (木曽谷国有林) in Nagano Prefecture. I wrote about these forests a few weeks ago. The matsuri was first held in its present form in 1902, in preparation for the 1909 Shikinen Sengū. (The 1953 Sengū was originally scheduled for… Read More »Misomayamahajimesai