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Heirs to the Jinja

The 1st December issue of Jinja Shinpō contained the new instalment of Revd Tagawa’s column, picking up the story after her marriage. She opens by saying that, ever since she became chief priest at the age of 24, she had worried about who would look after the jinja if she became pregnant and gave birth. And then, almost before she knew it, she was in her thirties, had been married for two years, and the ujiko had started asking whether there were going to be children soon. She was feeling… Read More »Heirs to the Jinja

Dance Lessons

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the creation and introduction of two sacred dances, called “Saishimai (祭祀舞)”, for performance at jinja. These dances, Asahi-no-mai (朝日舞) and Toyosaka-no-mai (豊栄舞), were designed for priests rather than miko, and are designed to be performed by a single dancer, although Toyosaka-no-mai can also be performed in a pair or a group of four. Asahi-no-mai is known as “the chief priest’s dance” (Gūji-no-mai (宮司舞)), so I think that may be specifically designed for one person. The 13th October issue of Jinja Shinpō included an… Read More »Dance Lessons

Goddess Tour

OK, so “goddess” is a bad translation, but “female kami tour” doesn’t have the same ring. The July 14th issue of Jinja Shinpō had a short article about three jinja on Awaji Island and a neighbouring small island (in Hyōgo Prefecture, between Honshū, the main island of Japan, and Shikoku). These jinja all enshrine female kami, have female priests, and are quite close together, so they decided to team up. They created a set of three special goshuin (御朱印), along with a webpage, to encourage people to visit all three… Read More »Goddess Tour

Full-Time Chief Priest

Going back in time a bit, the June 23rd issue of Jinja Shinpō included the next article from Revd Tagawa about her progress as a priest. This article was about when she started working full-time as the chief priest of Fukumo Hachimangū (服母八幡宮), her family jinja. When she started, it was a good month if there were a handful of formal prayers, and as for goshuin the question was whether any would be requested in a year. Nobody wanted omamori at any time other than New Year, and there were… Read More »Full-Time Chief Priest

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

Starting to Serve

Revd Tagawa’s series of columns in Jinja Shinpō continued in the December 16th issue. This instalment covers the beginning of her service as a priest. As she mentioned in the previous column, she had found a place at Imari Jinja, fairly near her home, and she was soon given responsibility for gokitō (formal prayers). This was not just in the jinja itself, but also in their wedding hall. There, she had a problem. The miko were older than her, and their reaction was to laugh. “What? A female priest?” Now,… Read More »Starting to Serve