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Refurbishing Jinja

Many jinja are centuries old, and it is not uncommon for them to date back more than a thousand years. Obviously, the structures in the precincts do not last that long without some sort of intervention, either repair or rebuilding. Sometimes jinja do this after a disaster destroys or badly damages the existing buildings, while others do it on a significant anniversary when the need for repairs has become pressing. A few jinja, mainly larger and wealthier ones, do it on a regular cycle, often of around twenty years. Whatever… Read More »Refurbishing Jinja

Sustaining Tradition

The November 4th edition of Jinja Shinpō had an article about a tradition of sacred dance at two jinja in Gifu Prefecture, Hakusan Jinja and Matusno’o Hakusan Jinja. Looking at the maps, these jinja seem to be in a very rural area, in a mountain valley. The sacred dance is called “Sugōjishi”, because the area is called “Sugō” and it is a form of Shishi dance, in which the dancers “dress” as “lions”. The scare quotes are because the shishi do not look much like lions, and the costumes are… Read More »Sustaining Tradition

Yakudoshi

One Shinto tradition that seems less well-known outside Japan is that of “Yakudoshi”. These are years (doshi) when people are thought to be particularly susceptible to misfortune (yaku). For men, they happen at the ages of 25, 42, and 61, while for women they are at 19, 33, and 37. These are both measured by “counted years”, according to which you are born at the age of one, and become two at the first January 1st after that.  There are a lot of theories about the original meaning of these… Read More »Yakudoshi

The Missing Myths

There are many myths in the Kojiki and Nihonshoki. However, one class of myths is notable by their absence. There are no myths of great floods, or of the world being overturned in a great earthquake, or of a volcanic eruption. Even when we do get a myth about the kami cursing the population, the curse is an epidemic. As with most absences, this is hard to notice, but once I did, it struck me as in need of explanation. If there was ever a country that you would expect… Read More »The Missing Myths

Another Oversight Council Meeting

On October 24th, Jinja Honchō held the regular autumn meeting of its Oversight Council. A couple of years ago, I commented that these meetings used to be boring events at which everything was rubber stamped without debate, but that things had changed! Now, they are boring because everyone argues about the presidency, and no progress is made… OK, that is slightly unfair. As normal, all the resolutions necessary to keep Jinja Honchō going were passed, without any noticeable opposition. A regulation needed to be changed as a result of Tsurugaoka… Read More »Another Oversight Council Meeting

Harvest and the Kan’namësai

The October 21st and 28th issues of Jinja Shinpō included numerous articles on harvest matsuri and the related Kan’namësai, a matsuri celebrated at Isë Jingū. The harvest matsuri are called “nukiho” or “nuiho” matsuri. Both readings are written the same way, with characters that mean “pull out rice”, and this may mean that the origins of the tradition go back to before rice was harvested with sickles. Whatever may be the truth of that, sickles are used now. Nukiho matsuri are carried out at the actual rice field, with the… Read More »Harvest and the Kan’namësai