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Shinto

Starting with Trees

The 24th February issue of Jinja Shinpō had two front-page articles about the Shikinen Sengū at Isë Jingū, both closely connected with trees. The first announced the determination of the dates for the first two matsuri of the Shikinen Sengū. There are 33 matsuri (on the official count) involved in the Shikinen Sengū, and they take place over the course of eight years. This is why the Shikinen Sengū is not referred to by a year, but by a number — this one is the 63rd. (For accessibility, I am… Read More »Starting with Trees

Tree Surgery

The 10th February issue of Jinja Shinpō had a couple of articles about sacred trees in it. The one I want to write about today was concerned with the practical problems that arise, an issue I have mentioned before. The article was by the chief priest of the jinja concerned, Wakamiya Hachimangū in Yamanashi Prefecture (to the west of Tokyo, up in the mountains). This jinja is some distance from the local village, up a flight of 70 stone steps, with a flat area of about 350 square metres where… Read More »Tree Surgery

The Tennō and the Secular State

One of the readers of my blog asked a very good question in the comments a couple of weeks ago. The Tennō is deeply involved in the process of the Shikinen Sengū at Isë Jingū. That is clearly a religious event. However, the Constitution of Japan prohibits the state from conducting religious activities, and the Tennō is the head of state. So how does that work, then? This is an issue that gets raised within Japan occasionally, as well, and it is a little complicated. The first complication is that… Read More »The Tennō and the Secular State

Ritual Cleaning

Cleaning is a very important part of the life of a priest (or miko, for jinja that have them). The article from Isë Jingū in the 27th January issue of Jinja Shinpō was about the ritual for cleaning the outside of the sanctuaries there. The ritual is carried out on the day before the major annual matsuri, and on the 10th, 20th, and final days of each month. Six priests are involved: one negi (a senior priest), two gon-negi (also quite senior at Jingū), one gūshō, and two shusshi (junior… Read More »Ritual Cleaning

Records of Matsuri

The 27th January issue of Jinja Shinpō included a long article by a Revd Saitō, a priest in Akita Prefecture who played an important role in a large project to record unique matsuri in the prefecture. The immediate trigger for this project was the Great East Japan Earthquake. It inspired Revd Saitō to think again about the importance of preserving jinja and their traditions for the future, and within that he felt that the preservation and restoration of matsuri and other rites was a particularly difficult problem. This was not… Read More »Records of Matsuri

Three Sacred Mountains

The 27th January issue of Jinja Shinpō reported on a meeting between the chief priests of three important jinja: Shirayama Himë Jinja in Ishikawa Prefecture, Oyama Jinja in Toyama Prefecture, and Fujisan Hongū Sengen Taisha in Shizuoka Prefecture. Each of these jinja is central to the veneration of a particular mountain: Mt Shirayama in Ishikawa, Mt Tateyama in Toyama, and Mt Fuji in Shizuoka. The reason for this meeting was that, from 2023, the three prefectural governments have been cooperating to attract tourists on the basis that they are the… Read More »Three Sacred Mountains