Showing posts with label - - - - - Terminology - - -. Show all posts
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10/07/2013

shinza - seat of the deity

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shinza 神座 / 神籬 seat of the deity, divine seat, divine throne

It can be a real throne, or a sacred mountain or aother item where the deity can reside.


source : takaoka.zening.info

seated male deity 男神座像 at the shrine Futagami Imizu Jinja 二上射水神社 in Toyama
富山県高岡市の二上山南麓


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quote
Shinza
The place within a shrine where symbols of the kami (mitamashiro) are enshrined.

In Shrine Shinto, a building is constructed as a place to worship the kami. Within that building a shinza is established, decorated in a manner appropriate for a dwelling of the kami, and furnished with an object (called a shintai) representing the presence of the kami.

Accordingly, the form that the shinza takes may vary widely depending on the architectural style of the shrine's sanctuary (honden). In shrines of
the shinmeizukuri style, the preferred type of shinza is called ontamanai;
in the nagarezukuri style, the michōdai type is suitable, and
in the gongenzukuri style, the otoku type is appropriate.

The term ontamanai can also be written with characters meaning "a jewel is present," indicating a beautiful seat for the kami. Four pillars are built on bases set in each of the four corners, and these four pillars in turn support a decorated roof. Representative examples include the Grand Shrines of Ise, the Atsuta Shrine, and other shrines in the shinmeizukuri style.

The michōdai style consists of a raised seat surrounded by a screen and is based on the same structure found in the main rooms of shindenzukuri-style dwellings built by Heian-period nobles. Many shrines are constructed in this style.

The otoku style originates with the mitana (storage cabinets) used in the food-preparation room (mizushidokoro) of the palace. The divine seat here takes the form of a cabinet with two doors that open to the front. Examples include those found at Kashima Jingū and Dazaifu Tenmangū.
Other styles of shinza are also called takamikura, hirashiki, daishōji, omiya, and shin'yo.
source : Okada Yoshiyuki, Kokugakuin


Since the Japanese tenno 天皇 Tenno was considered a deity, his resting places are included.


Exhibition of Takamikura and Michodai


daishooji 大床子
hinoomashi 昼後座(ひのおまし)
hirashiki 平敷
mitamashiro, mitama-shiro 御霊代
michoodai 御帳台 Michodai
mitana 御棚 "honorable shelf"
omiya 御宮
ontamanai 御玉奈井(おんたまない)
otoku 御櫝(おとく)
shinyo 神輿 - mikoshi portable shrine
shintai 神体 "body of the deity", for example Mount Fuji, Fujisan 富士山
shooji 床子(しょうじ) throne with four legs
takamikura 高御座 "throne for the deity (Tenno)"



. Shrine, Shinto Shrine (jinja 神社) - Introduction .



michoodai 御帳台 Michodai, micho-dai, "throne for the deity" or for the Emperor or Empress
a nobleman's room for living or sleeping


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quote
In Shinto, shintai (神体, body of the kami), or go-shintai (御神体, sacred body of the kami) when the honorific prefix go- is used, are physical objects worshipped at or near Shinto shrines as repositories in which spirits or kami reside.
Shintai used in Shrine Shinto (Jinja Shinto) can be also called mitamashiro (御霊代, spirit replacement or substitute?).
In spite of what their name may suggest, shintai are not themselves part of kami, but rather just temporary repositories which make them accessible to human beings for worship.
Shintai are also of necessity yorishiro, that is objects by their very nature capable of attracting kami.

The most common shintai are man-made objects like mirrors, swords, jewels (for example comma-shaped stones called magatama), gohei (wands used during religious rites), and sculptures of kami called shinzō (神像), but they can be also natural objects such as stones, mountains, trees and waterfalls.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !


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神座の雪も落葉も掃かれけり
shinza no yuki mo ochiba mo hakare-keri

even from the divine seat
the snow and the fallen leaves
have to be swept


Murakami Haruki 村上春樹


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座布団を積みて神の座里神楽
zabuton o tsumite kami no za sato-kagura

the seating cushions
are piled up high at the divine seat -
Kagura dance in the village


Morio Akiko 盛生晶子


. WKD : Kagura Dance 神楽 .


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神の座を雲来て包む山開き
kami no za o kumo kite tsutsumu yamabiraki

the seat of the deity
is wrapped in clouds -
start of the climbing season


Fujitani Shie 藤谷紫映

Fujitani san has written more poems about Mount Fuji.


. WKD : yamabiraki 山開 "opening the mountain" .
start of the mountain climbing season - humanity kigo for late summer




source : hisasann.com/digital

five layers of clouds on Mount Fuji - a very special moment - June 2007 !
(The photo is a fake, it seems, but suits the poem . . .)

- CLICK HERE - for more Fuji photos -



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09/07/2013

otabisho resting point

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otabisho, o-tabisho 御旅所 / お旅所 sacred resting point


source : narajisya.blog - mahoroba
御旅所坐神社「大和稚宮神社」at Ooyamato Wakamiya Jinja, Nara



quote
Otabisho
Also called okariya or angū, a facility serving as the temporary destination or midway resting point during a kami's ritual procession (miyuki).

On the occasion of such processions, the kami's symbol is taken from its usual "seat" (shinza) in the shrine and is transferred to a portable shrine (omikoshi or shin'yo), then borne through the shrine parish district  until the procession reaches the otabisho, where rites are observed.

The otabisho is normally selected on the basis of some special relationship to the shrine and its object of worship (saijin), but it may be one of several types.

For example, some otabisho are special structures permanently dedicated for such use; in other cases, the otabisho may be an auxiliary shrine outside the main shrine's precincts (keidaichi),
or a shrine dedicated to a "consort deity" of the saijin. In still other cases, the home of a parishioner may be selected as the otabisho or a temporary structure may be built as required to serve the purpose.

In general, the traveling kami is thought to spend a predetermined period of time in the otabisho before returning to its main shrine, but the actual time spent at the temporary resting point may vary from no more than a brief stop during the procession to relatively long-term periods of enshrinement. Normally, the portable shrine used to bear the kami in the procession continues to serve as the kami's residence or divine seat during the duration of its stay at the temporary shrine.
source : Mori Mizue, Kokugakuin



. Shrine, Shinto Shrine (jinja 神社) - Introduction .



Ooyamato shinkoosai 大和神幸祭 Festival at shrine Oyamato Jinja
. WKD : Festival at shrine Oyamato Jinja .


. mikoshi, o-mikoshi お神輿 and other festival floats .


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o-tabisho in the forest, where a lion dance with swords is performed to entertain the local deities.




- look at the Photo Album - Gabi Greve


. 一宮神社 Ichi no Miya Hachiman shrine in Ohaga, Okayama   .


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お旅所の夜はもろこしを焼く匂ひ
otabisho no yo wa morokoshi o yaku nioi

at night
at the sacred resting poing it smells
of grilled corn


Shimomura Hiroshi 下村ひろし



When the deity spends more time over night at the Tabisho, there is usually a night festival with a lot of food stalls.

. WKD : morokoshi もろこし maize, corn .
- toomorokoshi 玉蜀黍 - kigo for mid-autumn


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- Haiga by Nakamura Sakuo -

御旅所を吾もの顔やかたつぶり
o-tabisho o waga mono-gao ya katatsuburi

with a face
of owning the Tabisho . . .

this snail

. Kobayashi Issa 小林一茶 .


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お旅所のうしろ柱は海に立つ
otabisho no ushiro hashira wa umi ni tatsu

the back pillar
of the sacred resting point
stands in the sea


Nakatogawa Asato 中戸川朝人

This could be a shrine near the sea coast.

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autumn festival -
a streak of sunshine
on the priest




Gabi Greve, Japan, 2007
the mikoshi at the o-tabisho in our woods . . .


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iwakura sacred rocks

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iwakura 岩座 / 磐座 sacred rock, sacred boulder
iwaza 岩座 "stone seat"



source : veeten/iwakura
Achi Jinja Iwakura 阿智神社磐座


quote
A formation of rocks considered to be sacred to which a kami is invited to descend for worship.

Together with ishigami (stone-kami) and iwasaka, such forms of worship represent a type of rock-worshiping cult. As rites are repeated, the rocks themselves are worshipped as divine stones.

Archaeological sites throughout Japan point show traces of such worship, with many are related to ritual worship. Such sites may be referred to by a variety of suggestive vernacular expressions including "divine descent stone," "divine sitting stone," "divine appearance stone," and "kami' footprint stone."

The size and shape of the stones also vary widely. Such sites appear to have been worshiped since the neolithic Jōmon period, as suggested by such finds as the togari-ishi ("pointed stones") of Nagano Prefecture, and the sake-ishi ("salmon stones") of northeastern Japan, but rites were more frequently observed beside rock formations starting with the Yayoi-period sites of buried bronze bells (dōtaku), and especially in the tumulus (burial mound, or kofun) period. Large caches of mirrors, stone jewels, weapons, and earthenware utensils have been found at archaeological sites, in the same state as when they were when they were abandoned.

In shrine rituals, sites of stones believed to be related to the shrine's kami (saijin) are still used as "resting sites" (otabisho) for the kami's portable shrine (shin'yo) or for the presentation of food offerings to the kami.

At shrines called iwakura jinja, rock formations may be worshiped within or behind the shrine's sanctuary (honden), suggesting that such rocks were the focus of worship even before the formal establishment of the shrine.
source : Sugiyama Shigetsugu - Kokugakuin


Iwakura Jinja 岩座神村 Iwakura Shrine
for example in Hyogo 兵庫県 多可郡 加美町


. Shrine, Shinto Shrine (jinja 神社) - Introduction .


. iwasaka 磐境 stone altar, cairn .


Iwakura waterfall and temple Daiun-Ji 岩倉大雲寺

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In the legend, O-yama-gui-no-kami descended on a huge rock at the top of Mt. Matsuo at an ancient time, and the rock had been the religious site for local residents since then (usually this kind of holy rock is called Iwakura (磐座)).
. Matsu-no-o Taisha 松尾大社 Kyoto .


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お降りや磐座の石しめるほど
o-sagari ya iwakura no ishi shimeru hodo

first rain of the year -
just enough to wet
the divine rocks


Kawai Kazuko 河合和子

. WKD : o-sagari おさがり rain on January 1 .


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磐座は海から見えて花の雨
iwakura wa umi kara miete hana no ame

the sacred rocks
can be seen from the ocean -
rain on cherry blossoms


Ibaraki Kazuo 茨木和生
(1939 - ) Haiku poet from Nara


. WKD : "Rain on Blossoms" (hana no ame) .


At the shrine Hana no Iwaya Jinja 花窟神社 in Kumano, Mie, sacred ropes are hung from the divine rocks.


source : sakishimasuounoki.ti-da.net


O-tsunakake shinji お綱かけ神事
ritual of replacing the ropes at Hana no Iwaya Jinja
This unique rope ceremony is held twice a year in Feb. and Oct. A giant rope is suspended from a really big rock (45 m high), which forms an object of worship.
. WKD : Festivals of Mie Prefecture .



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07/07/2013

miyamori - Shrine caretaker

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miyamori, miya mori 宮守, 宮守り
shrine warden, shrine caretaker, shrine overseer

guardian of a Shinto shrine 神社の番人


. miya, guu 宮 shrine .


. Shrine, Shinto Shrine (jinja 神社) - Introduction .


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宮守よわが名を散らせ木葉川 / - - in 桜下文集
miyamori yo waga na o chirase konohagawa

宮人よ我が名を散らせ落葉川 / - - in 笈日記
miyamori yo waga na o chirase ochibagawa


shrine warden -
scatter my name
into the river of fallen leaves

Tr. Gabi Greve

This was a response to a hokku by Bokuin 谷木因 , which had made a great impression on Basho, so he felt, his own name could be "scattered among the fallen leaves in the river".

伊勢人の発句すくはん落葉川
Isebito no hokku sukuwan ochibagawa

let us hook the hokku
Ise poets left behind -
river of fallen leaves

Tr. Hideo Suzuki


Written in 1684 貞亨元年.
Basho had visited the shrine Tado Jinja 多度神社 in Kuwana, Mie to pay his respect to the Deity Tado Gongen 多度権現 and then moved on to Ogaki, to visit his friend
. Tani Bokuin 谷木因 .



source : itoyo/basho
Tado Jinja 多度神社 in Kuwana

HP of the shrine - 北伊勢大神宮
source : tadotaisya.or.jp

Tado Festival (May 4–5):
The largest of the events at the shrine, it involves young men riding horses up a hill and over a wall.
Chōchin Festival (Saturday and Sunday in late-July): A lantern festival.
Yabusame Festival (November 23): A horseback riding archery competition.
. WKD : Festivals of Kuwana .


. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 visiting Shinto Shrines .



Tado shrine 多度神社 in Gifu
built in 1573, (29 th September).
Deity in residence is Amatsu hikone no Mikoto アマツヒコネ /天津日子根命 / 天津彦根命
Son of Amaterasu.
He is the God of Rain.
- source : Aoi on facebook

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. Masaoka Shiki 正岡子規 . - - -and his miyamori haiku


宮守の賽錢ひろふ落葉かな
miyamori no saisen hirou ochiba kana

the shrine warden
picks up the money offerings
and fallen leaves . . .




宮守のはき集めたる椿かな
miyamori no haki-atsumetaru tsubaki kana

the shrine warden
rakes together
camellia blossoms . . .



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烏帽子着て加茂の宮守涼みけり
eboshi kite Kamo no miyamori suzumikeri

wearing an eboshi hat
the caretaker of Kamo shrine
looks so cool . . .






Two more about the eboshi hat by Shiki :

宮守の風折烏帽子桜散る

宮守の烏帽子直すや時鳥


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25/06/2013

shinkyoo - mirror of the kami

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shinkyoo 神鏡 Shinkyo - "mirror of the kami", divine mirror
sacred mirror, holy mirror

quote
The Imperial Regalia of Japan (三種の神器, Sanshu no Jingi / Mikusa no Kandakara), also known as the Three Sacred Treasures of Japan, consist of

the sword Kusanagi to Tsurugi (草薙劍),
the mirror Yata no Kagami (八咫鏡), and
the jewel Yasakani no Magatama (八尺瓊曲玉).

The regalia represent the three primary virtues: valor (the sword), wisdom (the mirror), and benevolence (the jewel).



Due to the legendary status of these items, their locations are not confirmed, but it is commonly thought that the sword is located at Atsuta Shrine in Nagoya, the jewel is located at Kōkyo (the Imperial Palace) in Tōkyō, and the mirror is located in the Grand Shrine of Ise in Mie prefecture.

The Yata no Kagami represents "wisdom" or "honesty," depending on the source. Its name literally means
"The Eight Hand Mirror," likely a reference to its width. Mirrors in ancient Japan represented truth because they merely reflected what was shown, and were a source of much mystique and reverence (being uncommon items). Japanese folklore is rich in stories of life before mirrors were commonplace.

In the Japanese mythology this mirror and the Yasakani no magatama were hung from a tree to lure out Amaterasu from a cave. They were given, with the sword Kusanagi, to Amaterasu's grandson, Ninigi-no-Mikoto, when he went to pacify Japan. From there the treasures passed into the hands of the Imperial House of Japan.

In the year 1040 (Chōkyū 1, 9th month), the Sacred Mirror was burned in a fire.
Whether that mirror was irrevocably lost or not, the current government claims that there are three Yata no Kagami held at different Shinto shrines: one is in Meiji Jingu in Tokyo, one in Ise Jingu, and one in Atsuta Jingu in Nagoya.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !


- - - Throninsignien Japans - Three Sacred Emblems - Three Sacred Treasures
drei Artefakte:
das Schwert Kusanagi no Tsurugi (草薙剣), („Grasschneider-Schwert“)
ein Krummjuwel Yasakani no Magatama (八尺瓊曲玉) und
ein Spiegel, Yata no Kagami (八咫鏡).

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quote
Sanshu no shinki
The general name for the three kinds of treasure said to have been granted to Ninigi by Amaterasu on the occasion of her heavenly grandson's descent to earth (tenson kōrin) and handed on as symbols of the imperial throne:

a jewel (yasakani no magatama),
a mirror (yata no kagami) and
a sword (ame no murakumo no tsurugi or kusanagi no tsurugi).

Nihongi (Chronicles of Japan) referred to them as three kinds of treasure (mikusa no takaramono). They were also called the divine seal (shinji) or the heavenly seal (tenji). The word for jewel (tama) was also written with the character for seal. It has been believed that the emperors have handed on the jewel down the generations to the present day.

Awed by the power of the kami, reproductions of the mirror and sword were made during Emperor Sujin's reign. The originals were sent from the palace and enshrined at the Ise shrines (Ise Jingū). Subsequently, during the reign of the twelfth emperor Keikō, the sword was enshrined at Atsuta in Owari province, in what is today called Atsuta Shrine (Atsuta Jingū).

The reproduction of the mirror (kagami), which is one of the two kinds of imperial regalia kept within the palace, and is said to have narrowly escaped destruction in disasters on several occasions. It is currently enshrined in the Kashikodokoro (also Naishidokoro: see kyūchūsanden, the three shrine buildings within the imperial palace grounds).

Since the sword was lost at sea with child emperor Antoku during the final battle of the war between the Minamoto and Taira warrior houses, the sword of Hi no omashi was used for a time in its place. Later the sword enshrined at Ise was designated as the sacred sword. Together with the seal jewel received from heaven, it continues to be revered by the emperor.
source : Fukui Yoshihiko, Kokugakuin


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quote
Kagami - Also written 鑑 - Mirror.
A device that reflects an image using the reflective properties of its surface. Mirrors may be made of copper, silver, iron, jewels, or glass, and can be found in many different styles, including round, square, elliptical, "eight-petal hollyhock" (hakkōkyō ), "eight-arch" (hachiryō), and handled. Mirrors have been put to a variety of uses in a variety of ways, depending on the era and purpose.

Together with swords and jewels, mirrors have been seen as having profound religious significance and have been used in ritual since ancient times, given their mysterious ability to reflect all things.

As demonstrated by the inclusion of the "Eight-Span Mirror" (yata no kagami) among the Three Regalia (sanshu no jingi), mirrors were used within ancient ritual as mitamashiro (objects in which the kami would reside), and thus also revered as objects of worship (shintai) within shrines.

As the combinatory religion of kami and buddhas (shinbutsu shūgō) gained momentum in the late Heian (Fujiwara) period, the practice of etching fine line-drawings of kami or their associated Buddhist figures on mirrors developed. These images were known as mishōtai. Such images were placed in shrines as objects of worship, and dedicated to shrines by worshipers (sankeisha) during rites dedicated to the establishment of personal "affiliations" (kechien) with the deities concerned.

Needless to say, mirrors were also dedicated to shrines as shrine treasures, as well as being thrown in bodies of water as part of rites of divination in cults devoted to water kami (suijin) and as implements in ground-breaking ceremonies.
source : Okada Yoshiyuki, Kokugakuin


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- quote -
Hidden world map discovered
on back of Shinto shrine's 19th-century mirror

Shinto priests at Kitano Tenmangu shrine here discovered a map of the world engraved on the back of a mirror at a time when Japan was emerging from centuries of isolation.

"The map on the mirror is very detailed,” said Hidenobu Shirae, a priest at the shrine. “It shows how the people at the time were starting to look beyond their own shores to the wider world."


The hanging scroll that bears the rubbing of an engraved map on a 19th-century mirror's backside

The mirror, which dates back to the early Meiji Era (1868-1912), is attached to the front of the shrine's main building, which is designated a national treasure. It measures 108 centimeters in diameter and weighs about 200 kilograms.
The shrine, located in the city's Kamigyo Ward, enshrines Sugawara no Michizane (845-903), a patron deity of learning.

The mirror, located high on the beam just below the roof, has been viewed by many visitors over the years. But the map was unknown and apparently forgotten because of its inaccessibility.
The hidden engraving was discovered after a hanging scroll bearing a rubbing of the map was recently found at the shrine.

After seeing the rubbing, priests there climbed a ladder to look behind the mirror, revealing the engraving.

The map contains Africa, Europe and Australia, but not the Americas.
- continued
- source : TSUYOSHI SATO - May 20, 2015 -

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. The Imperial Sword of the Billowing Clouds .

. Magatama 勾玉 Magatama jewel, curved beads .


. Shrine, Shinto Shrine (jinja 神社) - Introduction .





shinkyoo - This word also refers to the mirror at the altar of a Shinto shrine.


. WKD : kagami 鏡 mirror - Spiegel .


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mishootai, mishōtai 御正体 Mishotai


source : London Gallery

御正体 --鏡像から懸仏へ from Mishotai to Kakebotoke

- quote -
mishoutai 御正体
A term whose definition falls under three headings.
The first refers to representations of specific Shinto deities, often in the form of their Buddhist counterparts, *honjibutsu 本地仏, which are the Buddhist identities of the Shinto deities themselves.
Mishoutai may refer to a specific icon, as at Kasuga Taisha 春日大社, where the image of the deer with sakaki 榊 (Japanese cleyera) presented in many shika mandara 鹿曼荼羅 (see *Kasuga mandara 春日曼荼羅 ) and
in sculptures is also identified as the Kasuga mishoutai.
- source : JAANUS -



- quote -
Buddhist mirror
The Shinto mirror, symbol of Amaterasu
On my visits to Buddhist temples, I’ve sometimes noticed round mirrors on the altars and wondered whether this was the influence of syncretic shin-butsu (Shinto-Buddhism).
Yogācāra discourse examines how human experience is constructed by mind. One of the theorists, a fifth-century Indian called Vasubandhu, came up with the idea of eight levels of consciousness. The top level shines with the light of a wisdom like a great mirror… hence the expression in Buddhism of The Great Wisdom Mirror, or Great Perfect Mirror Wisdom, which reflects the universe as it really is, free of distortion from ego or ignorance.



The Buddhist deity, Emma, lord of the underworld, who uses a mirror to examine the souls of those who come before him
- source : green shinto Dougill -

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The origin of the votive plaque seems to have been closely related to the custom in which the actual Buddhist image was reflected in a mirror. This custom was initiated by Emperor Monmu (reign 697-707) upon a suggestion in his dream by a priest, although he had planned to build a Buddhist statue.

Here is a mysterious story I heared in a temple in Kamakura:

For special exorcistic rituals of esoteric Buddhism heated oil is poured over a Buddha statue. The statue in question was a secret statue, so the Kakebotoke substitue had to be used. Since the Kakebotoke statue of this temple had just been newly made and was quite pretty, the priest wanted to spare it this fate. He decided to reflect the statue in a mirror and poor the heated oil over the mirror. It seems the Gods accepted this sacrificial offer of a substitute with another substitute and peace returned to the poor soul for which the ritual was performed.

. kakebotoke 懸仏 "Hanging Buddha" .

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- quote -
hookyoo, Hōkyō 宝鏡 Mirror
智恵の眼. Draws forth intelligence to liberate the mind. It also reflects the lesson that life is illusion, for the mirror does not represent reality -- it merely provides a reflection of reality. The mirror is thus a metaphor for the unenlightened mind deluded by mere appearances.
Also see the famous Buddhist parable from China known in Japan as Enkō Sokugetsu 猿猴捉月. Translated as "Catching the Moon’s Reflection," it tells a similar story of the unenlightened mind deluded by appearances.T
he mirror is also one of Three Reglia of the Shintō camp.
- source : Mark Schumacher -



国宝『線刻千手観音等鏡像』
水神社(秋田県大仙市)の御神体

source : wikipedia


- quote -
寶鏡三昧 Hokyo Sanmai
The Historical Buddha talked about an original state of mind 寶鏡三昧 which neither arises nor perishes and is not subject to any change. This mind clearly reflects all existences without any mistake just as a clear mirror does.
- - The Baojing sanmei, by Dongshan Liangjie 洞山良价. A popular Chan text, which explains the five ranks 五位, stating that the eternal and the transitory are interfused. Its actual title is Baojingsanmeige 寶鏡三昧歌, and it can be found, among other places, in the Record of Dongshan 洞山錄.
- - A samādhi transmitted from the Buddha; refers to the original state of mind which neither arises nor perishes and is not subject to any change. This mind clearly reflects all existences without any mistake just as a clear mirror does.
[Charles Muller]
- source : Digital Dictionary of Buddhism -


. Our discussion on facebook - May 2015 .

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. kagami ema 鏡絵馬 votive tablet as a mirror .
You can paint the part of your face that should improve its beauty.


. ekagami, e-kagami 柄鏡 mirror with a handle .

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. Hookyooji 宝鏡寺 Hokyo-Ji . - Kyoto

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磨なをす鏡も清し雪の花
togi-naosu kagami mo kiyoshi yuki no hana

freshly polished,
the sacred mirror too is clear:
blossoms of snow

Tr.Barnhill

Visiting 熱田神宮 Atsuta Jingu :
. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .


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夏まつり神鏡に母うつりゐる
natsu matsuri shinkyoo ni haha utsuri-iru

summer festival -
my mother is reflected
in the divine mirror


Taguchi Toyomi 田口とよみ


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神鏡に成人式の雪降れり
shinkyoo ni seijin-shiki no yuki fureri

in the divine mirror
at the Coming-of-Age ceremony
snow is falling . . .


Eguchi Chikutei 江口竹亭


. WKD : seijin shiki 成人式 coming of age celebration .
second Monday in January


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神鏡に樫の若葉の照り映ゆる
shinkyoo ni kashi no wakaba no teri-hayuru

in the divine mirror
the new leaves of the oak tree
reflect sparkling


Yamada Setsuko 山田節子


. WKD : kashi 樫 all kinds of oak trees .


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八咫鏡梟に皺ありにけり
yata kagami fukuroo ni shiwa ari ni keri

divine mirror -
the owl really has
wrinkles


Kagami Taeko 各務耐子


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[ . BACK to DARUMA MUSEUM TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]

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20/06/2013

shinboku - divine tree

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shinboku 神木, shinju 神樹 sacred tree, divine tree

kami no ki, kaminoki  神の木、神ノ木 tree of the deity, tree of God
go shinboku, goshinboku, go-shinboku, go-shin-boku 御神木 "honorable sacred tree"
reiboku 霊木 divine tree, "tree with a divine soul"
shaboku 社木 sacred tree in a Shinto shrine
. moriki 杜樹 tree of a shrine .

kamisugi, kamusugi 神杉 divine cedar tree


source : s-hoshino.com
等々力渓谷の近くにある神社 at a shrine near Todoroki Keikoku Valley in Kyoto


quote
Shinboku, Shinju
Literally, "divine tree," a tree regarded as sacred, as the symbol of sacred territory or a place in which the kami dwell. When viewed in this way, the cutting or polluting of such trees is avoided. On the other hand, in some cases the term is used to denote the lumber dedicated for building shrines. During the Heian period, the sacred nature of certain trees was exploited for political ends, as when priests (jinin) of the Kasuga Shrine in Nara carried a sacred sakaki tree when making demands in Kyoto.

Since ancient times certain trees or entire groves within shrine precincts were regarded as sacred, as attested by expressions such as "the cryptomeria revered by the priest (hafuri or hōri) of Miwa," or "the sacred forest (kannabi)" (both expressions found in Man'yōshū), or from the records of Emperor Kōtoku in Nihongi, "he despised the way of the kami by felling the trees at the Ikukunitama Shrine." Sacred trees are seen frequently today, encircled by sacred border ropes (shimenawa) or enclosures.

In most cases such trees represent very old or large specimens. In other cases, certain specific trees may be linked in some way to the kami of the shrine, such as the shirushi no sugi at Kyoto's Fushimi Inari Shrine and the Ōmiwa Shrine, or the pines of the shrines Ōharano Jinja, Kitano Tenmangū and Sumiyoshi Taisha, the cryptomeria (nagi) of Kasuga Taisha and Kumano Taisha, the tataegi of the Suwa Taisha, and the "flying plum tree" (tobiume) at Dazaifu Tenmangū.
source : Sakurai Haruo, Kokugakuin 2005


Kannabi, kamunabi, iwasaka, himorogi and other names refer to a place in nature where the gods are believed to reside, a "purified place". It is also a kind of yorishiro resting place for the god.
. kannabi 神奈備 sacred forest .

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imiki, imi ki (imigi) 忌み木 "taboo tree"
忌む木
. imi 忌み / 斎み / 禁忌 imi - taboo - Introduction .

Sacred trees where deities come to reside during their travels in this world and the other.
Forest workers, charcoal makers and local villagers found special trees in the forest that were not to be cut down, because 山の神 the Deity of the Mountain resides in them. Sometimes a 天狗 Tengu uses this tree to take a rest. It they were touched improperly, that person would hurt himself, get ill and eventually die. There are many legends of this kind of punishment of the Deity.
If for some special reason a taboo tree had to be cut down, there need to be a ritual first performed by a Shinto or Buddhist priest to ask for forgiveness and understanding.

-- The following is an ABC list (to be updated) of vocabulary related to these trees:

aioi matsu アイオイマツ(相生松)"mixed pine tree"
赤松と黒松 red and black pine tree grown together, in 幡多郡十和村 Towa village, Kochi.
. bifurcated pine tree and the Takasago legend .

aogi アオギ(和名クロガネモチ / 黒鉄黐 kuroganemochi no ki)Ilex rotunda
Grows low in valleys. People often say
une no kasamatsu ni tani no aogi ウネ(尾根)の傘松に谷のアオギ Kasamatsu on the ridge and Aogi in the valley

engi エンギ(縁木)"trees bound by fate"
One tree with one more different type of 寄生 parasite
enmusubi no ki 縁結び木 Tree to come for finding a good partner (or other kind of EN)

hidarimakigi ヒダリマキギ(左巻木)"left-winding tree"
at 北川村 Kitagawa village, 安芸市上尾川 Kochi

hookigi ホーキギ(箒木)"broom tree"
The branches have the form of a broom. Often observed in mountain cherry trees 山桜 (hookizakura 箒桜), also called hotegi ホテギ.

source : kkakehi.cocolog-nifty.com/photos
For example in 十和村 - 鏡村 Towa and Kagami village, Kochi.

kasamatsu カサマツ(傘松) "umbrella pine tree"
The branches have the form of an umbrella.
In 吾川村寺村 Agawa village Teramura, Kochi, people say
山の神の性根の入った木 (the strong personality of the Mountain Deity resices here)
or 天狗の休み木 A tree where the Tengu take a rest.
. Tengu to matsu 天狗と松 Legends about the Tengu pine .

. kuri no ki 栗の木 sweet chestnut tree .

kusegi クセギ(癖木) "tree with a special habit"
A tree which grows in strange, unnatural ways. Some are quite elegant and tasteful.


madogi マドギ(窓木)"window tree"
Trees with two stems, that parted at some point and were re-united further up again.
Trees with this "window" opening facing east-west were especially auspicious.

source :blog.livedoor.jp/thbigthree/archives

Yamanokami no ki 山の神の木 tree of Yama no Kami
yama no kami no yadorigi 山の神の止り木 / 山の神の宿り木 Yamanokami
yama no kami no yasumigi 山の神の休み木
yama no kami no oshimigi 山の神の惜み木
yama no kami no tomarigi 山の神の泊木
Also called renriboku, renrigi 連理木(れんりぼく、れんりぎ)


. Aoki アオキ / 青木 Aucuba japonica, Japanese laurel .

oyadakigi オヤダキギ(親抱き木)tree like a "parent embracing a child"
In 東律野村大古味 Tsuno willage, Okomi

. sakaki 榊 Sakaki tree, Cleyera japonica .

sashieda サシエダ(差し枝)tree with very long branches
In 北川村 Kitagawa village, Kochi.

shakujoogi シャクヂョーギ(錫杖木)"walking staff tree"
The stem is parted in the middle like a walking staff.
In 香北町 Kahoku village, Kochi.

. ryuujinboku 龍神木 Ryujinboku, Dragon God Tree / Chichibu .

Tengu no tomarigi テングノトマリギ(天狗のとまり木)a tree where Tengu take a rest
Their legends are handed down in the villages. If someone tries to cut a tree town, he will be flipped in the air or falls under the tree.
At night such a tree sometimes makes a loud, painful sound, or falls down all by itself 天狗の倒し木 (tree cut down by a Tengu),
If villagers check in the morning, sometimes there is nothing special to be seen.

toriigi トリイギ(鳥居木) Torii tree
Tree grown in the form of a Torii Shinto gate.
In Yamanashi this tree is used by the Deity of the Mountain or a Tengu.
Sometimes a tree falls down by itself. Villagers then cut some branches and ask the deities to enjoy them instead.

tsurugi ツルギ / tsurigi ツリギ tree with two branches growing together 癒着.
tsurugi, tsurugu means 交合 copulation in the local dialect of 池川町椿山、十和村 Towa village, Kochi.

yutoo ユトー(湯桶)tree like an earthen pot
in 土佐山村 Tosayama village, Kochi. The branches look like 土瓶の取手 the handle of a dobin pot.


- reference : geocities.jp/kyoketu -
- reference : nichibun yokai database 妖怪データベース -

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. WKD : ki, jumoku 木 - 樹木 .


. tachikibutsu 立木仏 trees with carved Buddha statues .  

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source : Michihito on facebook
at 大阪の門真市

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- - - - -  H A I K U  - - - - -

神木は釘を打れて時雨けり
shinboku wa kugi o utarete shigure keri

a nail pounding
into sacred wood...
winter rain

Tr. Lanoue



shimboku wa kugi o utarete shigurekeri

a god's tree --
as a nail is hammered in
it drops cold rain

Tr. Chris Drake

This winter hokku is from the 10th month (November) of 1823, five months after Issa's wife Kiku died and two months before his ailing infant son Konzaburo will die. The hokku is about someone doing what is called "nailing a curse during the hour of the cow (1 a.m.-3 a.m.)." The most sacred time in Shinto is the middle of the night, when most of the important secret ceremonies are carried out, and curses were also popularly believed to be more powerful if made at that time, though they had nothing to do with Shinto. Those who made the curses, however, dressed in white pilgrim's robes, put candles on round holders on their heads, and wore other clothes as if they were doing austerities. The person making the curse secretly goes to a Shinto shrine between 1 and 3 a.m. night after night until s/he believes the curse is beginning to take effect. The curse itself is made by nailing a straw doll in the shape of the person being cursed to the trunk of a tree at a shrine with a long five-inch nail. Something owned by the person can also nailed to the tree.
The "god's tree" here could refer to any tree within precincts of the shrine, although in some contexts it means the tree-body of a god. Since a tree embodying a god usually had a fence or sacred barrier around it and was hard to approach, I take this to be an ordinary shrine tree sacred to the god.

In the hokku someone goes stealthily into the precincts of a Shinto shrine well after midnight and nails a straw doll to a shrine tree with a long iron nail, no doubt driving the nail through an area of the doll that would be fatal if actually driven through the person the doll represents. However, Issa evokes the tree responding to the nail as if to punish the person making the curse. The hard hammering shakes the tree and causes the nearly freezing raindrops still on its limbs after a day and evening of passing showers to fall down. Cold raindrops soak the nailer's head, perhaps putting out the candles s/he is wearing.

Chris Drake
. WKD : Kobayashi Issa 小林一茶 in Edo .





. Wara ningyoo 藁人形 straw dolls for curses .
At midnight, a nail is hit through the heart of the doll to fix it to a tree in a shrine.
ushi mitsu, the old double-hour of the ox beginning at one o'clock. mitsu signifies the third part of this time slot.

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宿木も共に神木小鳥来る
yadorigi mo tomo ni shinboku kotori kuru

the mistletoe too
is part of the divine tree -
small birds come here


Kawasaki Keiko 川崎桂子

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神木を遊び場にして鴉の子
shinboku o asobiba ni shite karasu no ko

this divine tree
is the playground
for baby crows


Takazawa Ryooichi 高澤良一 Takazawa Ryoichi


. karasu no ko 鴉の子 children of the crow, baby crow .
kigo for all summer


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注連さげし杉の神木花粉撒く
shime sageshi sugi no shinboku kafun maku

the sacred cedar tree
with the sacred rope
scatters its pollen . . .


Murakami Tatsuyoshi 村上辰良


. WKD : sugi no kafun 杉の花粉 cedar pollen .
kigo for late spring


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神木も倒して隠岐の野分かな
shinboku mo taoshite Oki no nowaki kana

this typhoon
has even blown down the divine tree
at Oki island


Yoshikawa Umeko 吉川梅子


. WKD : nowaki 野分 "parting the fields" "field-dividing" wind, "field-divider" typhoon .
kigo for mid-autumn


Oki Islands (隠岐諸島, Oki-shotō, or 隠岐群島 Oki-guntō)
are a group of islands in the southwestern part of the Sea of Japan and belong to Japan.
Already under the Nara period the islands were used as an exile for persons from the mainland.
From the Kamakura period the islands were administrated as "Oki no kuni" (Oki Province) and primarily governed by the shugo (governor) from Izumo Province.
Under the Edo period the Tokugawa family took control over the islands and they were put under the direct control of the Shogun through a governor. Later they became part of the Matsue Domain. During that time the islands were a stopover point for trading boats traveling to and from Asia.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !


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天の木といふ涼しさの未来より
ten no ki to iu suzushisa no mirai yori

coolness
called a celestial tree
from the future

Tr. Fay Aoyagi

Sanuka Masami 佐怒賀政美


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餅焼いて神木の箸こがしけり
mochi yaite shinboku no hashi kogashikeri

as I grill rice cakes
the chopsticks of divine wood
get burned . . .


Suzuki Yaeko 鈴木ヤエコ



Hinoki wood chopsticks from Ise Shrine

Some shrines, especially the Grand Shrine at Ise, prepare special chopsticks from the divine trees for rituals or sell them as amulets to people.

. Ise Jinguu (伊勢神宮 Ise Jingu, Ise Grand Shrine .


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kamisugi, kamusugi 神杉 divine pine tree



神杉や三百年の蔦紅葉
kamisugi ya sanbyakunen no tsuta momiji

divine pine trees -
and the red leaves of ivy
for three hundred years


. Masaoka Shiki 正岡子規 visiting Nikko 日光 .


The tsuta vines are fond of old pine trees and like to grow around them.
. WKD : tsuta momiji 蔦紅葉 red leaves of Japanese ivy .


. Matsuo Basho in Nikko .

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神の杉ましろき藤をかけにけり 岸風三楼 往来
神の杉焦げんばかりにどんと燃ゆ 大坂十縫
神杉に沿ひ昇る日やほととぎす 柳沢仙渡子
神杉に礫のごとし初雀 安川幸里
神杉に耳あててみる盆休み 朝妻力
神杉に谺し雪のびんざさら 伊藤いと子

神杉のもとに庖丁始の儀 黒田晃世
神杉の上をとびゆく滝しぶき 栗山渓村
神杉の千年の黙冷まじや 森戸光子
神杉の太根を頼み雪残る 林 翔
神杉の実の真青なる手向山 福井貞子
神杉の年縄寂ぶる若葉雨 中村祐子
神杉の明暗負ひて種下ろす 有働亨
神杉の根を踏み虞る梅雨豊前 井口荘子
神杉の樹齢を仰ぐ淑気かな 東 天紅
神杉の百尺に夏来たりけり 小村陽子
神杉の秀へ火の粉舞ふ八朔祭 佐藤栄美
神杉の秀を押上ぐる大初日 村上誠子
神杉の葉を添へて売る三輪暦 大島民郎

神杉やあまりちひさき秋の蝶 高橋淡路女

神杉を射て砕けたる初日かな 稲岡長
神杉を少し揺さぶり風光る 稲畑廣太郎
神杉を突いて鉄砲宮相撲 茨木和生

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. Legends and Tales from Japan 伝説 - Introduction .

shinboku 神木 legends
Yamanokami no yadorigi 山の神さんの宿り木 sacred tree for Yamanokami
- collecting -



................................................................................ Akita

. bakko sugi バッコ杉 Bakko cedar of the youngest daughter .



................................................................................ Gifu 岐阜県

Yamanokami likes the following trees
-- madogi マドギ "window tree" - trees with two stems
-- hookigi ホウキギ broom tree / Kochia scoparia
-- kamoeda カモエダ
These trees are not to be cut down.



................................................................................ Gunma 群馬県
.......................................................................
利根郡 Tone district みなかみ町 Minakami

The following trees are know as trees where Tengu take a rest:
「峰の三つ股、沢の二股」
A tree with three main stems on the top of a mountain and a tree with two main stems near a swamp are sacred to Yamanokami.
These trees are also sacred to Yamanokami in Ibaraki 茨城県.

- - - - -

. Suwa sama no shinboku 諏訪様の神木 sacred tree of the Suwa Deity .
in 渋川市 Shibugawa city 赤城町 Akagi cho town




................................................................................ Fukui 福井県
.......................................................................
三方郡 Mikata district 美浜町 Mihama

In the forest using trees for making charcoal, the biggest tree is 山の神さんの宿り木 sacred to the Yamanokami and never cut down.

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遠敷郡 Onyu district 名田庄村 Natasho

山の神のケヤキの木 Keyaki tree of Yamanokami
Once there was a sacred tree in the mountain forest.
Once a man tried to cut it down, but he heard a loud voice:
"Do not cut this tree! If you cut it your wife will have a severe accident!"
He did not listen to this warning and cut the tree anyway.
When he came home he found his wife on the kitchen floor with a deep cut wound in her leg.

. Yamanokami legends from Fukui .


source : hitozato-kyoboku.com/mikawa-yamanokami-keyaki...
A sacred Keyaki tree in Yamagata 山形県東田川郡三川町押切新田

. keyaki 欅と伝説 Legends about the Zelkova tree .



................................................................................ Fukuoka 福岡県
太宰府市 Dazaifu city

shaboku no tatari 社木の祟 the curse of the divine Shrine tree
大弐として太宰府に赴任した清原岑成は、倉屋の破壊が著しいので神社の木を伐って修造に充てたところ、岑成は社木の祟りを受けて死んだという。




................................................................................ Fukushima 福島県
.......................................................................
耶麻郡 Yama district 高郷村 Takasato mura

. hoo no ki 朴の木 Magnolia hypoleuca tree .




................................................................................ Ibaraki 茨城県

. yadorigi 宿り木 in many villages .




................................................................................ Iwate 岩手県
.......................................................................
軽米町 Karumai

. sugi no tatari 杉の祟り curse of the Japanese cedar tree .



................................................................................ Kanagawa 神奈川県

. Yamanokami and Tengu trees .



................................................................................ Kagoshima 鹿児島県

. Yamanokami trees .



................................................................................ Kochi 高知県

. Yamanokami 山の神 - 榊 Sakaki tree .

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幡多郡 Hata district // 吾川村 Agawa village // 土佐郡 Tosa district // 中村市 Nakamura // 宿毛市 Sukumo // 高岡郡 Takaoka district

madogi 窓木(マドギ)"window tree"
Sacred to Yamanokami. They may not be cut down to make charcoal.



................................................................................ Kumamoto 熊本県

. Higo no Nohara Hachimangu 肥後の野原八幡 - shaboku 社木 .



................................................................................ Oita 大分県

. Yama no kami no tomarigi 山の神の泊木 .



................................................................................ Okayama 岡山県
川上郡 Kawakami district 備中町 Bitchu town

. Koojin 荒神 Kojin, Aragami, "Wild Deity" .




................................................................................ Saitama 埼玉県
.......................................................................
秩父市 Chichibu city

The 17th day of each month is the day of Yamanokami and the forest workers take a rest.
If one cuts down a tree on that day, he will be cursed.
Yamanokami is also inspecting the kikkabu キッカブ(木株 kikabu)stumps of the trees. If a human is in the forest, he will be counted and changed to a tree.
...
A pine tree with wide branches is sacred to Yamanokami, where he comes to sid down 山の神様の腰かけ木.
This tree is never to be cut down.
...
Yamanokami no ki 山の神の木
A tree with two trunks or two branches from the same spot is sacred to Yamanokami and may not be cut down.
A woodcutter once cut one tree down and later when he was home his house was shaking and the whole family was in great fear.

.......................................................................
比企郡 Hiki district

. enoki 榎木 / 榎 nettle tree .
Celtis sinensis var. japonica.
武州比企郡鎌形村の農万右衛門の家で、享保末頃のある夏の日の午後、木の枕のようなものが突然家の中に転げ込んできたのを下女が怖がり、庭の榎木の空洞の中に入ってしまった。人々が空洞の中を探しても何も見つからなかったが、後にこの木を伐り倒そうとすると、木から血が流れて止まらなかったので中止したという。




................................................................................ Shizuoka 静岡県

. keyaki 欅 zelkova and fuji 藤 wisteria tree .
and - kashi no ki カシの木 / 樫 oak tree
and - hyoorayama ヒョーラ山 Hyora mountain : A mountain with a tree sacred to Yamanokami



................................................................................ Tochigi 栃木県

. A tree 三又のナラノキ / 楢 with three stems from the family of Quercus .




................................................................................ Tokyo 東京

. shinboku no matsu 神木の松 sacred pine tree .

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- reference : nichibun yokai database 妖怪データベース -
88 神木 to explore (00)

. Yamanokami no ki 山の神の木 The Tree of Yamanokami .
Legends from Ehime
28 山の神の木 (02)

. 山の神さんの宿り木 - Fukushima .
山の神の止まり木

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03/06/2013

saiden - shinden - Shrine paddy

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saiden 斎田 ritual Shrine paddy

shinden 神田 "divine rice field"
iwaida 祝田 "field for celebrations"
nukihoden, nukihoda 抜穂田 "field to pull out ripe rice ears"

suki saiden 主基斎田 divine rice paddy in the auspicious West
and
yuki saiden 悠紀斎田 divine rice paddy in the auspicious East


The Japanese Rice Culture - die Reiskultur Japans.

Imperial Rituals in Japan
The Emperor, embodying the god of the ripened rice plant, plants the first rice of the spring and harvests rice from the plants of the autumn. In one of the most solemn Shinto ceremonies of the year the Emperor, acting as the country's chief Shinto priest, ritually sows rice in the royal rice paddy on the grounds of the Imperial Palace.



There is also a set of harvest festivals in November carried out at the imperial palace and shrines throughout the country,
Niiname sai 新嘗祭 "Celebrations of the First Taste" .
. WKD : Rice as Japanese Food .


The Grand Shrine at Ise is closely related to the rice culture of Japan, with its own rice fields for ritual purposes and a "sacred dining hall" for the deities.
Shinguu shinden 新宮神田 Shingu rice fields for the deities (at Shingu shrine)
mikeden 御鐉殿 "the sacred dining hall".

. WKD : Ise Jinguu 伊勢神宮 Ise Shrine and its KIGO .


. WKD : Daijoosai, Daijōsai 大嘗祭 Daijosai Thanksgiving Harvest Ritual .


. WKD : Rice plant (ine, sanae 稲 ー 早苗 ) .


. Shrine, Shinto Shrine (jinja 神社) - Introduction .


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quote
[Sai den]
Literally, a "dedicated" or "tabooed" paddy field, namely, one specially reserved and dedicated to the production of sacred rice for use in offerings of grain and ritual sake (miki) to the kami of a shrine.

While saiden are sometimes found at ordinary shrines as well, the term is specially used to denote those fields where rice is harvested for offerings of food and wine on the occasion of the Grand Festival of Firstfruits (Daijōsai).
Also called iwaida or nukihoden.

In the case of the Daijōsai, two dedicated fields, called Yuki 悠紀 and Suki 主基 , are designated somewhere within the country in preparation for the ritual. In ancient times, the fields were selected on the basis of ritual divination, but in 1909, an Imperial Household Ordinance called Tōkyokurei ("Ordinance Regarding Accession to the Throne") was issued, laying out the ritual procedures accompanying the accession of a new emperor. The eighth article of that ordinance states,
"When selecting saiden for the Daijōsai, a region to the east and south of Kyoto shall be selected as the Yuki Region, and a region to the north and west of Kyoto shall be selected as the Suki Region; these regions shall be so designated by imperial proclamation."

The ninth article of the Ordinance goes on to stipulate that from among the regions so designated, the Imperial Household Minister was to select specific fields as saiden.

On the occasions of the Daijōsai for the Taishō and Shōwa emperors, traditional tortoise-shell divination (kiboku) was used in 1914 and 1928 as part of the "ritual for determining dedicated fields" (Saiden tenjō no gi) for the ceremonies. The "Ordinance Regarding Accession to the Throne" itself was abolished in 1947, but in practice, the Daijōsai held in 1990 for the current emperor followed the pattern laid down in the 1909 Ordinance. However, the designation of saiden was undertaken by the Imperial Household Agency, with Akita Prefecture being selected as the location of the Yukiden, and Oita Prefecture as the location of the Sukiden.
source : Inoue Nobutaka, Kokugakuin

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shinden 神田 "field of the Gods"

quote
Shinden - "Divine rice field."
A rice paddy where the offerings used in shrine ceremonies are grown, or for otherwise augmenting the various profits of a shrine. Such shrine fields were already provided for as grants from the state under the centralized ritsuryō (administrative and penal laws) established in the 8th century. Under the later system of privatized estates or so-called "manors" (shōen), the nature of divine fields changed, and they became exclusive lands owned by the shrine.

It became increasingly common for powerful shrine patrons to dedicate lands to shrines, resulting in the steady expansion of shinden. Most such fields were exempt from the payment of annual tribute taxes by the owner, and field taxes were instead applied to ritual offerings, the repair and rebuilding of shrine structures, and to the stipend of the shrine administrator.

Due their nature as sacred lands dedicated to the kami, shinden were in some cases tilled without the use of manure. Dedicated fields were also known by such names as
shinsen-den 神饌田, miyaden 宮田, gokūden 御供田, and mitoshiro, mitashiro 御戸代 / 御刀代 / 御田代 .
The term saiden is used to refer to the special fields called yuki and suki, which provided offerings at the time of the Grand Festival of Firstfruits or Daijōsai.
source : Yumiyama Tatsuya, Kokugakuin



. shinsen 神饌(しんせん) Shinto- Food offerings .
- - - - - shinsenmai 神饌米 rice for the Gods
water, salt, sake, grains, vegetables, fruit, tai fish or katsuobushi. “honorable food” mige 御食(みけ), minie 御贄(みにえ).
cooked and prepared food 熟饌(じゅくせん jukusen), raw food 生饌(せいせん)seisen. Ritual fire for the cooking has to be made with a flint stone (忌火・いみび)imibi / inbi.



. WKD : Kanda Myoojin Shrine 神田明神 Tokyo .


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- - - - -  H A I K U  - - - - -

Nagasa mai 長狭米(ながさまい)Nagasa rice

source : 神前賜舞神楽

斎田の稔りし稲に鎌入るゝ
saiden no minorishi ine ni kama iruru

in the fields
with ripe rice plants for the Gods
the sickle is used . . .


Takezaki Shisen 竹崎紫泉


. WKD : Rice plant (ine, sanae 稲 ー 早苗 ) .

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Ta'asobi 田遊び and Taue Matsuri 田植え祭り
"enjoying the paddies" and the rice planting festivals
source : Mogi Sakae, Kokugakuin

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quote
Machu Picchu "Old Peak"
is a 15th-century Inca site located 2,430 metres (7,970 ft) above sea level.
Machu Picchu is located in the Cusco Region of Peru, South America.



The architecture is adapted to the natural form of the mountains. Approximately 200 buildings are arranged on wide parallel terraces around a vast central square that is oriented east-west. The various kanchas or compounds are long and narrow in order to exploit the terrain. Extensive terraces were used for agriculture and sophisticated channeling systems provided irrigation for the fields. Numerous stone stairways set in the walls allowed access to the different levels across the site.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !


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