Showing posts with label - - - SSS - - -. Show all posts
Showing posts with label - - - SSS - - -. Show all posts

12/01/2014

Sho Hachimangu Toyama

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


Shoo Hachimanguu 正八幡宮 Sho Hachimangu

上町正八幡宮 - 遠山郷の下栗地区



Shimotsuki Matsuri 霜月祭り

- quote
The folk harvest festival held in the eleventh month of the old calendar.
There is also a court harvest festival wherein the emperor dedicates the new grain on the "day of the rabbit" in that month called the niinamesai, but popular celebration of the shimotsuki occurs on different dates in different regions.

In Kita Kyūshū it takes place on the first "day of the ox" in the eleventh month and so it is called ushi no hi ( the "ox day") or oushisama (the "august ox") festival. In the ritual, the head of each household cuts some of the post-harvest rice stubble from the fields and carries it home on his back pronouncing it "heavy" repeatedly. They honor it by building an altar made of a winnowing basket placed on top of a large mortar and filled with mochi, sake, and daikon. In that region, people consider the rice stubble to be the yorishiro vehicle) of the "kami of the fields" (ta no kami) returning to the house from the rice field.

In the Nōtō region, shimotsuki matsuri such as the ae no koto (an occasion on which families welcome the "kami of fields" back into the home by filling the bathtub and preparing an offering of food and drink for it) are conducted as household affairs and known by different names in different regions.

There are also examples of shimotsuki festivals in which a sacred dance (kagura) involving boiling water is performed as a celebration to welcome the New Year. These are known as shimotsuki kagura and include the horobasan shimotsuki matsuri of the shrine Haushiwake jinja on Mt. Horoba (Hiraka district, Akita Prefecture), the Tōyama matsuri in Nagano Prefecture's Tōyama region (Shimo Ina district), and the flower festivals of Aichi Prefecture's Kita Shitara region.

Shimotsuki matsuri are, in most cases, rice harvest festivals, but there are also examples of some that are potato harvest festivals.
- source : Iwai Hiroshi - Kokugakuin

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


Tooyama no shimotsuki matsuri 遠山の霜月祭
(とおやまのしもつきまつり)
Toyama festival in the
shimotsuki month
..... shimotsuki matsuri 霜月祭(しもつきまつり)festival in the shimotsuki month
..... Tooyama matsuri 遠山祭(とおやままつり) Toyama festival
kigo for mid-winter

shimotsuki, month with frost, now December
This festival was held from early December till the beginning of the New Year, in the village of Toyama in Nagano.


yudate kagura 湯立て神楽

In yudate kagura water is boiled in a cauldron, around which gods are summoned by means of liturgical dances. Many of these festivals are performed in the winter and continue through an entire night; at daybreak the hot water is scattered over the participants, and those touched by it are cleansed of the year’s pollution and reborn in a purified state.
source : kagurakagura.


At the Sho Hachimangu in Toyama, the villagers prepare a special hearth for two chauldrons, heating water.
At the beginning of the rituals all the gods of Japan are summoned by chanting a long scroll with their names.



Even children take their turns with ritual dances around the hearth.
Above are paper-cut decorations for good luck.

In the end, two special dancers splash the boiling water on the ground to entertain all these deities, using their bare hands to touch the water.
The village population gets less and less every year, now only maybe 100 people living there permanently.



CLICK for more photos by Munakata san:
source : munakata.eyedia.com/jp/tohyamago


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::




Soogetsu sai 霜月祭(そうげつさい)
at Goze town 御所市, Nara

- source : blog.goo.ne.jp/tetsuda_n


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


Shimotsuki Matsuri at another small shrine (I hope to find the name)

It is held every four years. All male members of the village take part, the youngest of the dancers is 4, men around 20 do the drumming and the elders partake by stamping with bats, singing and clapping their hands.

On a square stage placed on four large rice bundled, the children-dancers hop around dancing with a fan, sometimes funny, sometimes serious, while the elders sit around and clap their hands.

One drummer with the lead drum has to endure almost 12 hours of drumming.

The children of various ages perform dances imitating the rice cycle, from planting to harvest.

After that, all run around the stage doing rice-planting movements and singing.

When all is done, the most active elders are thrown high in the air (dooage 胴上げ) to show them respect.
Sometimes the lead drummer is also given this treatment.

It is a good way to bring all villagers together every 4 years, with a lot of preparations to be done inbetween. The young boys seem to like being part of these activities.

on TV February 1, 2014
- source : www.dydo-matsuri.com

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


Yoshida Daimyoojin 吉田大明神
Nagasaki Sasebo 長崎県佐世保吉井町上吉田地区

五穀豊穣、家内安全を祈り、それが無事になしとげられたお祝いで、吉田大明神での神事のあと、「ヤド(施主)」と呼ばれる当番の家で男女に分かれてコメや塩を入れた重箱ときねをむしろで包んだ「蔵」に綱を結んで 引っ張り合う行事です。「霜月祭り」、「おかん祭り」とも呼ばれます。男が必ず負けなければならないそうです。ほのぼのとした笑いに包まれる地域の行事です。

- source : geocities.jp/kaz3839


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


. Ta no Kami, God of the Rice Fields 田の神さま .
ae no koto, aenokoto あえのこと / アエノコト / 饗事
Entertaining the God of the Fields


- Reference : 霜月祭り

- Reference : Shimotsuki Matsuri


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


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

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



. "frost month", shimotsuki 霜月 (しもつき) .

The name of the eleventh lunar month.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

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

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

19/10/2013

Nakayama Jinja Tsuyama

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


Nakayama Jinja 中山神社 - and - Saru Jinja 猿神社

岡山県津山市一宮695 Okayama, Tsuyama town

The first shrine of Mimasaka no Kuni 美作国一宮.
Also called Chuuzen or Chuuzan.



中山神社(なかやまじんじゃ)は、岡山県津山市一宮にある神社。式内社(名神大社)、美作国一宮。

社名は現在「なかやま」と読むが、かつては「ちゅうぜん」「ちゅうざん」と音読みしていた。
別称として
仲山大明神、南宮とも。


- - - - - Deities in Residence
Kagami Tsukuri no kami 鏡作神 Deity for making mirrors
Ame no Nukado no kami 天糠戸神 (あめのぬかどのかみ)(Ame-no-nuka-do-no kami)
- - - - (father of Ishikoridome)
Ishikoridome no kami 石凝姥神 (いしこりどめのかみ)(Ishi-kori-dome-no-kami)
- - - - the Deity of Rice Cakes
- see below -


Built in 707, on the third day of the 4th lunar month.



In the precincts is a huge keyaki tree. 祝木のケヤキ / 欅 zelkova tree
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !

. keyaki 欅 伝説 Legends about the Zelkova tree .


. 天児屋根神 / 天児屋根命 / 天児屋命 Amanokoyane no Mikoto  .


..............................................................................................................................................


- quote
Said to have been built in 707, this is the Ichinomiya shrine of the Mimasaka Province. It has been known as the deity of cows and horses since ancient times.
The main shrine was rebuilt by Amako Haruhisa in 1559 and has been designated as a national important cultural property.
The characteristic shrine architecture can be seen in the hip-and-gable roof structure and the entrance on the gable side. This architectural structure is called "Nakayama-zukuri" and is the main current of shrine architecture in the Mimasaka region.

The shrine gate has been designated as an important cultural property by Tsuyama City and was made by dismantling and reconstructing the Shikyaku-mon gate (style with four supporting pillars and a gabled roof) of Tsuyama Castle.

The rear shrine is a monkey shrine that appeared in the Konjaku Monogatari (31-volume collection of stories written during the late Heian period).

The Otaue Festival (seasonal planting of rice on a field affiliated with a shrine), held on April 29, is a festival to pray for a bountiful crop that features a dance of male and female lions accompanied by flutes and drums, and a performance by farmers waving their hoes around as if planting rice in the fields.
- source : www.tsuyama-kanko.jp

..............................................................................................................................................


Saru Jinja 猿神社



- quote
The monkey messenger is also known as Sarugami (猿神; literally “monkey kami”). Sarugami is the Shinto deity to whom the three monkeys (hear, speak, see no evil) are reportedly faithful.
The monkey shrine at Nakayama Shrine 中山神社 in Tsuyama City, Okayama Prefecture, is dedicated to a red monkey named Sarugami, who blesses couples with children.

According to shrine legends, the local people at one time offered human sacrifices (using females) to this deity. The shrine is mentioned in the Konjaku Monogatari-shu (今昔物語集), a collection of over 1000 tales from India, China, and Japan written during the late Heian Period (794-1192 AD).
- source : www.onmarkproductions.com - Mark Schumacher


..............................................................................................................................................


- quote by Gerard Taaffe
I highly recommend a visit to Nakayama Shrine about 3 km north of Shuraku-en. Built in 707 at the end of the Asuka Period (593-710), this shrine is dedicated to the god of cattle and horses.

In its precincts there is also a monkey shrine that is mentioned in the collection of 11th-century “once-upon-a-time” tales titled “Konjaku Monogatari.” Attached to this old shrine is a lovely preserved mixed woodland covering almost 7 hectares, whose trees, insects and birds have all been carefully cataloged by the shrine office.

In front of the 11-meter stone torii erected in 1791 at the entrance to the shrine there is a sacred keyaki (Zelkova serrata) that is reckoned to be 800 years old. This hollow-centered tree (also known as a shinboku) is only 10 meters tall, but at one time it must have been much higher judging by its trunk, which is 20 meters in diameter.

Adjacent to the torii there is a 500-year-old muku-no-ki (Aphananthe aspera), a deciduous tree which, like the keyaki, belongs to the elm family (Ulmaceae).

Finally, in this veritable arboretum just in front of the main shrine building, you will also come across a fine specimen of akagashi (red oak or Japanese evergreen oak; Quercus acuta). This species has leathery, oblong-ovate leaves that are 7-15 cm long with glossy upper surfaces and no teeth on the margin. This oak yields fine hard-grained timber whose reddish color has given the tree its Japanese name.
- source : Japan Times, 2002


..............................................................................................................................................


- Reference : 日本語

- Reference : English


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


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

kagamitsukuri, Kagami Tsukuri no Muraji
This family or clan of mirror makers for the Shinto deities are offspring from Ame no Nukado and Ishikoridome.
イシコリドメは作鏡連らの祖神である.

- quote
from A SCROLL OF GLEANINGS
FROM - ANCIENT STORIES TOGETHER WITH A PREFACE
BY
IMBE-NO-SUKUNE-HIRONARI, LOWER GRADE OF THE JUNIOR FIFTH COURT RANK
Inbe no Hironari 斎部広成

snip
Whereupon Amaterasu-Ō-Mikami was greatly incensed, and entering into the Heavenly Rock-Cave, closed its door and concealed herself therein. Consequently, the eternal night of darkness prevailed, so that no one could distinguish between the day and the night. And all the gods were dismayed and, to their great inconvenience, all business was transacted by artificial light. Then p. 20 Takami-Musubi-no-Kami summoned a council of the Eighty Myriads of Gods on the Dry-Bed-of-the-Eight-Sand-Bank-River in Heaven, and enquired what measures should be taken in order to rectify matters. In response Omoikane-no-Kami, the God of Profound Knowledge and Foresight, proposed the following scheme to induce Amaterasu-Ō-Mikami to return from her hiding place in the Rock-Cave.

Futotama-no-Kami was to be appointed to make “nigite,” i.e., offerings of fine cloth, in aid of the gods of different callings. Ishikoritome-no-Kami (from whom the Kagamitsukuri or Mirror-making family is sprung and who is the child of Ame-no-Nukado-no-Mikoto) was to construct a mirror, resembling in form the disc of the sun, i.e., an image of Amaterasu-Ō-Mikami, out of copper brought from the Heavenly Mt. Kagu.

Nagashiraha-no-Kami (Ancestor of the Omi family in Ise Province—“shiraha,” the ordinary name of cloth at the present day, originated from the name of this god) was to plant hemp and make “aonigite,” i.e., offerings of fine blue-coloured hempen cloth. Ame-no-Hiwashi-no-Kami and Tsukuimi-no-Kami were bidden to make “shiranigite,” i.e., offerings of fine white cloth woven from the paper mulberry (tradition says that at that time, both hemp and mulberry grew luxuriantly in a night after being planted).
snip
Thus doing, as Omoikane-no-Kami had suggested, they first tried to construct a mirror, as an image of the Sun-Goddess; but as the first mirror made by Ishikoritome-no-Kami was slightly defective and therefore unfit for use (this Mirror is the Deity at Hinokuma in Ki-I Province), a second was moulded which was ideally beautiful (this Mirror is the Deity of the Ise Shrine).
- source : www.sacred-texts.com


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

[ . BACK to DARUMA MUSEUM TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
- #nakayama #nakayamatsuyama -
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

25/09/2013

shinbutsu - kami to hotoke

[ . BACK to DARUMA MUSEUM TOP . ]
. kami 神 Shinto deities - ABC-list .
. hotoke 仏 Buddhist deities - ABC-list .
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

shinbutsu 神仏 kami to hotoke - the Deities of Japan

すゝしさや神と佛の隣同士
suzushisa ya kami to hotoke no tonaridooshi

this coolness !
Kami and Buddhas
side by side


Masaoka Shiki

The discussion started from here:
. WKD : kami to hotoke .

kamigami 神々 the Kami deities of Japan

. shinbutsu in Edo  江戸の神仏 Kami and Hotoke in Edo .

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::





shinbutsu shūgō 神仏習合 Shin Butsu Shugo - syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism
A wide variety of titles have come into use in accordance with the unique characteristics of kami, and as a result of historical changes in the way kami have been understood. In the ancient period, the title mikoto was used, while expressions such as myōjin ("shining kami"), daibosatsu (great bodhisattva), and gongen (avatar) came into use as a product of kami-buddha combinatory cults (shinbutsu shūgō).
During the Edo period, the title reisha ("spirit shrine") was applied to the departed spirits of human beings.
. 神仏 - read the details HERE .

..............................................................................................................................................



Buddhas and Kami in Japan: Honji Suijaku as a Combinatory Paradigm
by Fabio Rambelli (Editor), Mark Teeuwen (Editor)

This volume offers a multidisciplinary approach to the combinatory tradition that dominated premodern and early modern Japanese religion, known as honji suijaku (originals and their traces). It questions received, simplified accounts of the interactions between Shinto and Japanese Buddhism, and presents a more dynamic and variegated religious world, one in which the deities' Buddhist originals and local traces did not constitute one-to-one associations, but complex combinations of multiple deities based on semiotic operations, doctrines, myths, and legends. The book's essays, all based on specific case studies, discuss the honji suijaku paradigm from a number of different perspectives, always integrating historical and doctrinal analysis with interpretive insights.
- quote - amazon com -

..............................................................................................................................................

- quote
Shinbutsu Bunri 神仏分離
The separation of Shinto and Buddhism.
A series of administrative measures implemented by the Meiji government, designed to prohibit the shinbutsu shūgō (the systemic combination of kami and buddhas, shrines and temples, and their priesthoods) system that had its roots in the Nara Period (710-94). Buddhism, which arrived in Japan in the sixth century, steadily combined with Shinto until the emergence in the medieval period of the honji suijaku theory (the idea that kami were trace manifestations of "original" bodhisattvas) which came to constitute what one might call "Japanese religion."

In other words, there now began to proliferate across Japan the erection of temples within shrine compounds (jingūji), the practice of sutra reading at shrines, the application of the term "bodhisattva" to kami, and the celebration of rites at shrines by bettō or shasō (priests wearing Buddhist garb). Apart from Ise Jingū and a few other exceptions, most shrines were placed under Buddhist control. The combinatory dimension of shrines in the Hachiman and Gion lineages, which from the outset had a thick Buddhist coloration, was even more pronounced. Many were sites that were no longer distinguishable as either Buddhist temple or Shinto shrine.

In response to this situation, anti-Buddhist thought strengthened in the early modern period under the influence of Confucianism and kokugaku (National Learning, nativism). Kokugaku thinkers and shrine priests (shinshoku) began to call fervently for a return of shrines to their original form. The Restoration government, which came to power in 1868 proclaiming a "return to imperial rule" (ōsei fukko) and a political transformation that claimed the same creative state-founding legitimacy as that held by the mythological first emperor Jinmu (jinmu sōgyō), put the theory into practice and endeavored to clarify the distinction between shrines and temples. On the seventeenth day of the third month of that year, the government issued the "separation edicts" and ordered the defrocking of the bettō and shasō.
This was the first stage of shinbutsu bunri.

The second stage began on the twenty-eighth, when the government banned the application of Buddhist terminology such as gongen (avatar) to kami, and the veneration of Buddhist statues as the shintai (the sacred presence or enshrined deity) at shrines.

The beginning of the third stage was marked by the promulgation of orders on the twenty-fourth day of the fourth month banning the application of the Buddhist term "Daibosatsu" to Hachiman at Iwashimizu Hachimangū and Usa Hachimangū (presently Usa Jingū). Hachiman was henceforth to be known as Hachiman Daijin.

Finally, on the fourth day of the fourth intercalary month, all the defrocked bettō and shasō were instructed to restyle themselves as "shrine priests" (kannushi) and to resume shrine service. Those who refused on the grounds of their Buddhist beliefs were ordered to leave their shrines. At the same time, orders were issued to the Nichiren (Buddhist) Sect to desist from referring to the sanjū banshin (Thirty Protective Tutelary [Lotus] Deities) as kami.

As a result of these measures, all shades of Buddhism were eliminated from shrines across Japan. There were shrine priests, nativists and local government officials who interpreted these regulations as implying that Buddhism should be destroyed (this event was known in Japanese as haibutsu kishaku, which literally means "abandon Buddhism and throw out Shakyamuni [the historical Buddha]") and embarked on an extreme anti-Buddhist campaign.

This prompted central government to strictly instruct shrine priests that the separation of the two was to be conducted with utmost care, and that the intention was not the destruction of Buddhism. However, central government instructions had little impact until the abolition of the domains in 1871. Local government officials were still relatively powerful and, steeped as they were in Confucian thinking, they promoted anti-Buddhist policies across Japan in response to the separation regulations.
The result was the destruction of many temples and Buddhist treasures.
source : Sakamoto Koremaru , Kokugakuin





:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


- quote -
Haibutsu kishaku (廃仏毀釈)
(literally "abolish Buddhism and destroy Shākyamuni")
is a term that indicates a current of thought continuous in Japan's history which advocates the expulsion of Buddhism from Japan. More narrowly, it also indicates a particular historic movement and specific historic events based on that ideology which, during the Meiji Restoration, produced the destruction of Buddhist temples, images and texts, and the forced return to secular life of Buddhist monks.

An early example of haibutsu kishaku

is the Mononobe clan's anti-Buddhist policies during the Kofun period. The Mononobe were opposed to the spread of Buddhism not on religious grounds, but rather because of nationalism and xenophobia. The Nakatomi clan, ancestors of the Fujiwara, were allies of the Mononobe in their opposition to Buddhism.

Another example is the policies of temple closure and monk defrocking of the Okayama, Aizu, and Mito Domains, also adopted for political and economic, rather than religious, reasons during the early modern period. These domainal policies were in general based on Confucian anti-Buddhist thought. The Meiji period form of haibutsu kishaku, based on kokugaku and Shinto-centrism, was instead dictated by a desire to distinguish between foreign Buddhism and a purely Japanese Shinto.
- Haibutsu kishaku during the Meiji Restoration
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Shikoku 88 Henro Pilgrim Temples

. Jin’nein Temple (the 68th) and Kannonji Temple (the 69th). .

In the Daido era (806-809), Kobo Daishi enshrined Amida Buddha、which was Honjibutsu (Buddhist counterpart of the deity of the shrine) and designated the shrine as the 68th of the 88 Holy Sites of Shikoku.
. . . when temples and shrines were separated according to the Shinbutsu Bunri policy of the national government, Honjibutsu Amida Buddha of Kotohiki Hachimangu Shrine was removed to Nishi-Kondo Hall of Kannonji Temple, which became the main hall of Jin’nein Temple; . . .


..........................................................................


During the process of separation of Shinto and Buddhist objects of worship, the deity Myoken (the north star) was changed to Amenominakanushi 天之御中主神 at many shrines.

. Kotoamatsukami 別天津神 .
zooka no sanshin 造化の三神 "The three deities of creation"



. 'shinbutsu reijo junpai no michi' 神仏霊場巡拝の道
pilgrimage routes of Buddhist and Shinto holy places .


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


The Invention of Religion in Japan
Jason Ananda Josephson



Throughout its long history, Japan had no concept of what we call "religion." There was no corresponding Japanese word, nor anything close to its meaning. But when American warships appeared off the coast of Japan in 1853 and forced the Japanese government to sign treaties demanding, among other things, freedom of religion, the country had to contend with this Western idea. In this book, Jason Ānanda Josephson reveals how Japanese officials invented religion in Japan and traces the sweeping intellectual, legal, and cultural changes that followed.

More than a tale of oppression or hegemony, Josephson's account demonstrates that the process of articulating religion offered the Japanese state a valuable opportunity. In addition to carving out space for belief in Christianity and certain forms of Buddhism, Japanese officials excluded Shinto from the category. Instead, they enshrined it as a national ideology while relegating the popular practices of indigenous shamans and female mediums to the category of "superstitions"-- and thus beyond the sphere of tolerance. Josephson argues that the invention of religion in Japan was a politically charged, boundary-drawing exercise that not only extensively reclassified the inherited materials of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Shinto to lasting effect, but also reshaped, in subtle but significant ways, our own formulation of the concept of religion today. This ambitious and wide-ranging book contributes an important perspective to broader debates on the nature of religion, the secular, science, and superstition.
- amazon com -

..............................................................................................................................................


The Fluid Pantheon: Gods of Medieval Japan
Faure, Bernard

Written by one of the leading scholars of Japanese religion, The Fluid Pantheon is the first installment of a multivolume project that promises to be a milestone in our understanding of the mythico-ritual system of esoteric Buddhism—specifically the nature and roles of deities in the religious world of medieval Japan and beyond. Bernard Faure introduces readers to medieval Japanese religiosity and shows the centrality of the gods in religious discourse and ritual; in doing so he moves away from the usual textual, historical, and sociological approaches that constitute the “method” of current religious studies. The approach considers the gods (including buddhas and demons) as meaningful and powerful interlocutors and not merely as cyphers for social groups or projections of the human mind. Throughout he engages insights drawn from structuralism, post-structuralism, and Actor-network theory to retrieve the “implicit pantheon” (as opposed to the “explicit orthodox pantheon”) of esoteric Japanese Buddhism (Mikkyō).

Through a number of case studies, Faure describes and analyzes the impressive mythological and ritual efflorescence that marked the medieval period, not only in the religious domain, but also in the political, artistic, and literary spheres. He displays vast knowledge of his subject and presents his research—much of it in largely unstudied material—with theoretical sophistication. His arguments and analyses assume the centrality of the iconographic record, and so he has brought together in this volume a rich and rare collection of more than 180 color and black-and-white images. This emphasis on iconography and the ways in which it complements, supplements, or deconstructs textual orthodoxy is critical to a fuller comprehension of a set of medieval Japanese beliefs and practices. It also offers a corrective to the traditional division of the field into religious studies, which typically ignores the images, and art history, which oftentimes overlooks their ritual and religious meaning.

The Fluid Pantheon and its companion volumes should persuade readers that the gods constituted a central part of medieval Japanese religion and that the latter cannot be reduced to a simplistic confrontation, parallelism, or complementarity between some monolithic teachings known as “Buddhism” and “Shinto.” Once these reductionist labels and categories are discarded, a new and fascinating religious landscape begins to unfold.
- source : uhpress.hawaii.edu -

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

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

初詣小さき宮の神仏
hatsumoode chiisaki miya no kami hotoke

first New Year's visit -
the Kami and Buddhas
at the small shrine


Hasegawa Kanajo 長谷川かな女

. WKD : hatsumōde 初詣 "first visit". - to a temple or shrine in Japan


....................................................................................................................................................


神仏の血を混沌と袋角
shinbutsu no chi o konton to fukurozuno

confusion in the blood
of Kami and Buddhas -
growing summer horns


Akamatsu Keiko 赤松[ケイ]子


This seems to be about the famous deer of Nara, who roam freely in the grounds of temples and shrines.

. fukurozuno 袋角 (ふくろづの) summer horns .
kigo for early summer

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


. Shōmen Kongō 青面金剛 Shomen Kongo .
and the Koshin Cult
. Kōshin shinkō 庚申信仰 .

Yamazaki Ansai, drawing on the association of shin with the monkey (saru), advocated a Shintoistic kōshin cult, in which the primary object of worship was Sarutahiko. Within the Shugendō tradition as well, a unique form of the kōshin cult was propagated, so that there were three varieties of the faith: Buddhist, Shintō, and Shugendō.

. Sarutahiko densetsu 猿田彦伝説 Sarutahiko Legends .

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

- - - - - Legends about shinbutsu 神仏 the Deities of Japan

. shinbutsu 神仏と伝説 legends about Kami and Hotoke - the Deities of Japan .

shinbutsu no kago 神仏の加護 divine protection of the Shinbutsu

Etoki nazotoki nihon no shinbutsu :
Anata o mamoru kamisama hotokesama ga mitsukaru hon
by Hideki Kawazoe


日本の神仏の辞典 - 大島建彦 (編集)


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

. kami 神 Shinto deities - ABC-list .
. hotoke 仏 Buddhist deities - ABC-list .

[ . BACK to DARUMA MUSEUM TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
- #shinbutsu #kamihotoke -
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

10/09/2013

shinigami God of Death

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

shinigami 死神 God of Death "Grim Reaper"



- quote
Shinigami (死神, "god of death" or "grim reaper")
are gods that invite humans towards death, or induce feelings of wanting to die in humans, as applied to concepts in Japanese religion, classics, folk religion, or popular culture. There also exist similar concepts outside of Japan.

- - - Shinigami in Japanese religion
In Buddhism,
there is the Mara that is concerned with death, the Mrtyu-mara. It is a demon that makes humans want to die, and it is said that upon being possessed by it, in a shock, one would suddenly want to commit suicide, so it is sometimes explained as a "shinigami". Also, in the Yogacarabhumi-sastra, a writing on Yogacara, it was a demon that decided the time of people's deaths. The Yama, the king of the Underworld, as well as oni like the Ox-Head and Horse-Face are also considered a type of shinigami.

In Shinto,
in Japanese mythology, Izanami gave humans death, so Izanami is sometimes seen as a shinigami.

However, Izanami and Yama are also thought to be different from the death gods in western mythology, and since atheism has been posited in Buddhism, it is sometimes seen that concept of a death god does not exist to begin with. Even though the kijin and onryō of Japanese Buddhist faith have taken humans' lives, there is the opinion that there is no "death god" that merely lead people into the world of the dead.

Shinigami in ningyō jōruri
Shinigami in classical literature
Shinigami in folk religion
Shinigami in modern popular culture
- -  More in the WIKIPEDIA !



. Izanami 伊邪那美命 and Izanagi 伊弉諾 .

. Emma (Enma ten, Enma Oo) 閻魔天、閻魔王 Yama, king of hell .

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

- - - The three deities most feared in Japan:

. Shinigami 死神 God of Death "Grim Reaper" .

. Binbogami, Binboo Gami 貧乏神 Bimbogami, God of Poverty .

. Yakubyoogami 疫病神 Yakubyogami, Deity of Diseases .

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

. Legends and Tales from Japan 伝説 - Introduction .

Donba ドンバ a water strider
Donba is almost like a Kappa.
If someone is pulled away by a Donba, there will be more death
in 3, 7 and 13 years.
If the Shinigami is holding on to someone, Donba appears and pulls him down.
Donba likes to eat the intestines of a dead person.

..............................................................................................................................

- source : nichibun yokai database -

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

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

死神に呼ばれて覚めし秋すだれ
shinigami ni yobarete mezameshi aki sudare

called by the God of Death
I wake up -
blinds in autumn


Inagaki Kikuno 稲垣きくの

. WKD : aki sudare 秋簾 blinds in autumn .
sudare are mostly made of bamboo to keep a room in the shadow and cool.

....................................................................................................................................................

死神の見えかくれして世はさくら
shinigami no mie-kakureshi yo wa sakura

the God of Death
plays hide and seek -
a world of cherry blossoms


Hozu Misao 保津操

....................................................................................................................................................

死神は美男なるべし荻の声
shinigami wa binan narubeshi ogi no koe

the God of Death
should be a good-looking man -
voices of miscanthus



Ikeda Sumiko 池田澄子 (1936 - )


source : maboroshinomori

. WKD : ogi no koe 荻の声 "voice of the common reed" . Miscanthus sacchariflorus
kigo for early autumn

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

死神により残されて秋の暮
shinigami ni yori nokosarete aki no kure

the god of death
did not get me today -
autumn dusk


Maybe Issa is overlooking a valley in evening twilight, remembering some friends or relatives that have already gone . . .

. Kobayashi Issa 小林一茶 - Introduction . .

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

死神が春の踏切番に憑く 仁平勝 東京物語
死神が時を渡つて来て死にぬ 永田耕衣 陸沈考
死神が死んで居るなり百日紅(さるすべり) 永田耕衣(1900-97)

死神とあそぶこゝちや金魚飼ふ 山田文易
死神と問答しつつ日記買ふ 須山俊夫
死神と背中合はせの春隣 小出秋光
死神と逢う娯しさも杜若 永田耕衣 陸沈考
死神により残されて秋の暮 一茶
死神に尻餅つかせ鎌鼬 林 翔
死神に居留守をつかふ寝正月 山下律子
死神に踏み込まれたるカンナの家 高澤良一 随笑

死神のへつらい笑う帰り花 橋 間石
死神の御手をのがれて髪洗ふ 植田房子
死神の素通りしたり韮雑炊 小泉八重子
死神の薄き履物花ざくろ 磯貝碧蹄館
死神の行きし雪稜月遺り 福田蓼汀 秋風挽歌
死神の覗く鳥鍋囲むなり 清水基吉 寒蕭々
死神の追ひ来る冬を籠りけり 小林康治

死神はうからまで来し桃啜る 中戸川朝人
死神は下戸かも我は年酒くむ 林 翔
死神は美男なるべし荻の声 池田澄子
死神もうつらうつらと日向ぼこ 遠藤若狭男
死神を召使ひをり冬籠 小林康治
死神を見送つて居る牡丹かな 永田耕衣
死神を蹴る力なき蒲団かな 高浜虚子
死神を蹶る力無き蒲団かな 高浜虚子
死神を遠く遊ばせ寒椿 八木林之助
死神侍らせ粗衣爽かに独り酒 三谷昭 獣身
死神馳す晴れに吹雪いて八ケ岳 小澤實

死に神のかの指遺い縷紅草 増田まさみ
死に神の遠出してゐる春障子 尾崎隆則
死に神は死ねぬ神かな二重虹 山崎十生「招霊術入門」
死に神は美男なるべし荻の声 池田澄子 たましいの話
死に神は近づけまいぞ着膨れて 鉄山幸子
死に神を負ひ香水の香をまとひ 櫛原希伊子

死者を早や死に神去りし花柘榴 右城暮石 上下
白牡丹緋牡丹死神がとほし 廣瀬町子
禁欲の死に神はじけ鳳仙花 増田まさみ
緑蔭を看護婦がゆき死神がゆく 石田波郷
腐刻画の死神笑ふ花七日 星野石雀
若者には若き死神花柘榴 中村草田男「萬緑」
蒲団干すついでに死神も干す 前田吐実男
足袋かさね穿いて死神よせつけず 富田潮児
身ほとりに死神を飼ひ冬籠 小林康治 『華髪』
隣家まで来た死神に挨拶する 鈴木石夫
霜ひびき犬の死神犬に来し 西東三鬼

たたみ込む暑や死神に手を貸して 高澤良一 素抱
ちぢみ着る死神と寝し髪すゝぎ(一応、床払ひ) 殿村菟絲子
人暑うして死神が死ににけり 永田耕衣 自人
少年の死神が待つ牡丹かな 永田耕衣
手の中に死神がいる寒暮なり 寺田京子
手を打つて死神笑ふ河豚汁 矢田挿雲
日参の死神のヒマ潰しかな 永田耕衣
春一番死神もまた矢を放つ 古賀まり子 緑の野以後
枯れふかくきて死神をつきはなす 安江里枝

source : HAIKUreikuDB

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::



:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

[ . BACK to DARUMA MUSEUM TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
- #shinigami -

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

31/08/2013

sorei - ancestral spirits

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


sorei 祖霊 ancestral spirits, ancestor spirits

- quote
The term is used frequently to refer to a soul that no longer possesses individual characteristics.
As Yanagita Kunio has shown, for a certain period of time (thirty-three years in many cases) after death a soul receives memorial services and is called a shiryō spirit of the dead). This is distinguished from a sorei, which has lost its individuality. Some posit that sorei may be further elevated to become deified spirits (shinrei, mitama).
A family or a community may worship deified ancestral spirits as their "ancestral deity" (sojin) or "tutelary deity" (ujigami).
source : Nishioka Kazuhiko,Kokugakuin

shiryoo 死霊 spirit of the dead

. ujigami 氏神 tutelary deity, guardian/patron deity, clan deity .




source : panoramio.com
Ikohayawake no mikoto jinja - sorei sha 伊去波夜和氣命神社祖霊社
Izanagi and Izanami

soreisha 祖霊社 "shrine for the ancestor sprits"
. mitamaya 御霊屋 mausoleum .





soreisha 祖霊舎 household Shinto altar, kamidana 神棚 .

. kamidana 神棚 household Shinto altar, "shelf for the Gods" .

....................................................................................................................................................


sojin, soshin, oyagami 祖神 spirits of ancestral deities

- quote
Progenitor kami of a clan. Here a kami is not viewed as a transcendental being but rather is a concept within the genealogical relations of living people. A synonym of sojin is oyagami (parental deity), where oya does not necessarily refer to a progenitor but rather has a more general, comprehensive connotation. It is based on the belief that all human beings are descendents of kami. The term sojin does not always imply an ancestral deity of a certain bloodline or particular locality. Amaterasu, the ancestral goddess of the tennō (emperor), is a good example.

The progenitor kami of the tennō's line is alternatively termed kōso (imperial ancestor), tenso (heavenly ancestor), or taiso (great ancestor). Compendium of Aristocratic Kindreds (Shinsenshōjiroku), which was compiled in the Heian period, categorizes families in the Kinai region according to their ancestors. Those whose ancestors were tennō were designated kōbestu; those whose ancestors were kami were designated shinbetsu; and those whose ancestors were foreign immigrants were designated shoban.
The category of those with kami ancestors is further divided into three types:
those whose kami ancestors were heavenly kami were tenjin;
those whose ancestors were descendents of kami were tenson; and
those whose ancestors were earthly kami were chigi.

The progenitor deity for some important historical clans are noted below:

Abe no ason — Ōhiko no mikoto (Left capital, tennō descent)
Kibi no ason — Wakatakehiko no mikoto (Right capital, tennō descent)
Fujiwara no ason — Ame no koyane no mikoto (Left capital, kami descent, tenjin)
Isonokami no ason — Kannigihayahi no mikoto (Left capital, kami descent, tenjin)
Ōtomo no sukune — Ame no oshihi no mikoto (Left capital, kami descent, tenjin)
Owari no muraji — Hoakari no mikoto (Left capital, kami descent, tenson)
Inbe no sukune — Ame no futotama no mikoto (Right capital, kami descent, tenjin)
Kamo no agatanushi — Taketsu no mi no mikoto (Yamashiro, kami descent, tenjin)
Ōmiwa no ason — Ōkuninushi no mikoto (Yamato, kami descent, chigi)
Kuzu — Ishiho oshiwake no kami (Yamato, kami descent, chigi)
Tsushima no ason — Ame no koyane no mikoto (Settsu, kami descent, tenjin)
Tsumori no sukune — Ame no ho akari no mikoto (Settsu, kami descent, tenson)
Uzumasa-kō no sukune — Shikōtei (Left capital, immigrant descent, Han)
Miyake no muraji — Ame no hihoko no mikoto (Right capital, immigrant descent, Silla)

The phrases such as "sumera ga mutsu kamurogi" (cherished ancestral deity of the tennō) in the Great Purification liturgy (oharae kotoba) archived in Engishiki, or "waka mutsu kamurogi" (our cherished ancestral kami) referred to in the Kōtoku chapter in Nihongi both suggest a familiar and beloved parental kami. This traditional view has a strong connection to the idea of a parental deity in modern new religions.
source : Nishioka Kazuhiko, Kokugakuin






kooso, kōso 高祖 imperial ancestor
tenso 天祖 heavenly ancestor
taiso 大祖 great ancestor


....................................................................................................................................................


oyagami, sojin 祖神 "parent deity"

- quote
"Parent deity," an extension of the image of parenthood to kami, expressing the belief that kami care for human beings in the same way that human parents care for their children. The term is believed to describe the close relationship between kami and humans, one embodying a particularly intimate affection toward the kami.

The concept of "parent kami" can be found in at least two forms:
(1) a somewhat abstract concept of oyagami which has existed since ancient times and
(2) a more or less doctrinally codified concept which developed as a part of sectarian Shintō and Shinto-related new religions.
This article will discuss the latter concept.

Certain of the Shinto sects understand the entirety of nature, the world, or the cosmos to be a living entity, a life-current or interlinked vitality which overflows with productive power, one which is undying and without end. In turn, the original source or root of that interlinked vitality is sometimes expressed as oyagami, a term used to describe the original or ultimate existence which endlessly gives birth to all things.
From this point of view, it is thought that human beings are "apportioned spirits of the kami" (kami no bunrei), or "offspring of the kami (kami no ujiko) whose lives have been bestowed or loaned to them by the kami.

Based on this concept, a doctrine developed which suggested that human beings, as "children of kami," are originally of the same substance as kami, and thus harbor the potential to reach the state of kami within themselves. For example, within the new religion of Tenrikyō, the main deity is called "Oyagami," and the sect founder Nakayama Miki is known as "Oyasama"; this kind of common use of the word "parent" (oya) affixed before the kami serving as the subject of worship is thought to be a reflection of the Japanese people's traditional apprehension of the meaning of kami.
source : Fukushima Shinkichi, Kokugakuin



. doosojin 道祖神 deities by the wayside .


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


senzo matsuri 先祖まつり festival of the ancestors

On the island Mikurajima 御蔵島 there is no temple any more, only a soreisha shrine 祖霊社 to celebrate during O-Bon, O-Higan and other festivals.
So now they celebrate this festival twice a year during the equinox. During the rituals, girls of the age of 15 are allowed to wear a long-sleeve kimono for the first time, to present them to the ancestors as "little women".
After a ceremony at the shrine, people eat mochi ricecakes and sweets in white and red auspicious colors.
source : satoyumi



. Ancestor Worship and the O-Bon お盆 festival .



:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

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



source : yukikot23.exblog.jp


一面に祖霊一面の曼珠沙華
ichimen ni sorei ichimen no manjushage

everywhere there are
ancestor sprits - everywhere there are
spider lilies


Morio Suzume 森尾雀子

. WKD : Spider Lilies (higanbana, manjushage) .





残菊を折れば祖霊の声すなり
zangiku o oreba sojin no koe sunari

breaking a late chrysanthemum
I hear the voice
of the ancestor spirits . . .


Hata Yumi 秦夕美

. WKD : zangiku 残菊 remaining chrysanthemum .


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

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

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

24/08/2013

Sekibutsu by Bunei

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

Bunei Sekibutsu 文英様石仏 Stone Buddhas of the Bunei style - Okayama -
吉備の文英様石仏 


Build after the attacks of Hideyoshi on Takamatsu castle in Okayama, about 140 pieces of stone memorials with shallow engraving.
One typical trait is the the nose like a potato and the triangular eyes.
They represent simple forms of the Buddhist and Shinto deities.

They are called BUNEI 文英 because that was the name of the stone mason, carved in the first four stones found. Bunei was a monk at temple 福成寺 Fukujo-Ji in Takamatsu ward of Okayama, belonging to the Nenbutsu school
念仏講. He was active from 1534 - 1547.
Most of his stone statues are found in Takamatsu/Hirano, Soja, Ashimori and Akasaka.

文英座元石仏 - zamoto is the manager or proprietor of a stone-mason business.




With detailed maps :
source : isinohotoke.net/okayamamap.

....................................................................................................................................................


quote
Marebito まれびと / 客 / 賓 / 客人 Rare person.
A term originally referring to a visitor.
Orikuchi Shinobu defined marebito as spiritual entities that periodically visit village communities from the other world — the "everlasting world" (tokoyo) across the sea — to bring their residents happiness and good fortune.

Orikuchi traced the prototype of the marebito to ancestral spirits (sorei). Despite the dread and disdain of community residents for the marebito, their belief that the marebito bring blessings led to the development of customs for and notions of welcoming the marebito. Orikuchi theorized that the belief in the marebito forms the basis of folk religion in Japan. Examples of marebito as masked and costumed deities that bring blessings to people include the Namahage of Akita Prefecture as well as the Akamata/Kuromata and Mayuganashi in Yaeyama, Okinawa Prefecture.
source : Iwai Hiroshi, Kokugakuin 2007



客人大明神 Kyakujin Daimyojin
. Marebito Daimyoojin - protector deity Nr. 20 from Omi .


報恩寺文英様石仏 - temple Hoon-Ji
遍照寺文英様石仏 - temple Henjo-Ji
高松城周辺の文英様石仏 - around the ruins of Takamatsu castle
岡山市大崎の文英様石仏 - Osaki, Okayama town
岡山市門前の文英様石仏 - Monzen, Okayama town
田上寺跡石仏 - Ashimori
久米薬師堂石仏 - Soja, Kume Yakushi Hall
常楽寺の文英様石仏 - temle Joraku-Ji,    岡山市草ヶ部 

持宝院の文英石仏 - 十一面観音 - Juichimen Kannon
中島文英石仏 - 地蔵菩薩 - Jizo Bosatsu
大崎廃寺跡の文英石仏 - 延命地蔵 Enmei Jizo




koshinage Jizoo 腰投げ地蔵 "hip-throw" Jizo -
from Nishi Kamo village 岡山市西加茂

These statues are said to help with pain in the hips and lower back. Many people came here to pray for help with their pain, but nowadays the two statues are almost covered by weeds.



They are basically the style of an Enmei Jizo 延命地蔵 to prolong the life.
They are about 40 cm high. Both have the typical round face with a potato-like round nose.

source : www.isinohotoke.net



. Jizo Bosatsu 地蔵菩薩 Kshitigarbha .

....................................................................................................................................................


Bishamonten Magaibutsu - 毘沙門天磨崖仏



石槌山毘沙門天磨崖仏 - Kurashiki, Ishizuchisan
Mount Ishizuchisan is about 165 meters high. The carving is 390 cm high and 37 cm wide.
Bishamon-Ten is shown standing on a jaki 邪鬼 demon.


庚申山毘沙門天磨崖仏 - Shinjo
日差山毘沙門天磨崖仏 - Kurashiki
福山八畳岩毘沙門天磨崖仏 - Soja
鷲峰山毘沙門天磨崖仏 - Yakake

Look at the photos here:
source : www.isinohotoke.net/kibi2



. Bishamon-Ten . 毘沙門天 Tamonten (Vaishravana) .


....................................................................................................................................................


Kibi no Sekibutsu 吉備の石仏 Stone Buddhas from Kibi



保月三尊板碑・六面石幢 - Takahashi, Hozuki Sanzon Three Deities

This granite stone slab is about 315 cm high. Each of the three Buddhas has a double nimbus and sits in a small cave carved into the stone.
They are Shaka Nyorai, Amida Nyorai and Jizo Bosatsu.


山崎六地蔵・不動磨崖仏 - Soja - Jizo and Fudo Myo-o
総願寺跡宝塔 - Kurashiki, temple Sogan-Ji
楢津阿弥陀石仏 - Narazu Amida

Look at the photos here:
source : www.isinohotoke.net/kibi4


under construction
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


. Magaibutsu 磨崖仏 Stone Carvings and Sculptures .

. Sekibutsu 石仏 Stone Buddhas .



Sekibutsu 石仏 - Stone Carvings of Buddhist Deities
The oldest known sekibutsu 石仏 (stone sculpture) in Japan is the Buddha Triad (Sansonzou 三尊像)
at Ishiidera 石位寺 Temple (Nara; late 7th century).
source : Mark Schumacher -


Magaibutsu 磨崖仏 Images Carved in Cliffs, Large Rock Outcrops, or in Caves
source : Mark Schumacher -

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

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

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 

20/08/2013

Shisendo Kyoto

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


Shisendoo 詩仙堂 Shisen-do "Hall of the Great Poets"
京都府京都市左京区一乗寺門口 



Ishiyama Joozan 石山丈山 Jozan

. WKD : Joozan Ki 丈山忌 Jozan Memorial Day .
May 23. 1583年(天正11年) - 1672年6月18日(寛文12年5月23日)
Poet and Scholar of Chinese poetry in the early Edo period.
Jozan had worked for Tokugawa Ieyasu and distinguished himself during the Summer Battle of Oasaka 大坂夏の陣.


- Reference - Ishiyama Jozan -

....................................................................................................................................................


quote
Shisen-do (詩仙堂, also known as Jozan-ji 丈山寺)
is a quiet hermitage at the foot of the hills, in the north-east of Kyoto city. It was built by retired samurai Jozan Ishikawa (1583-1672) in 1641, which makes the place more than 350 years old (and well conserved for this age!) Jozan devoted the later part of his life to studies, mostly Chinese classics and garden architecture. Jozan selected the name "Shisen-do" after the 36 classic Chinese poets portraits he had hanging in his study (but exactly what the link is, I don't know). These portraits are still visible today and, due to their old age, you are kindly requested not to take pictures of them (because, you know, no one knows how to disable the flash of a compact camera...)

Jozan-sama studied until his death at 90 years old. Quite exactly how the hermitage became a temple I can't tell from the little documentation that I have. But in the early 1700s the temple was owned and cared for by a series of Buddhist priests. Later in the mid 1700s, a zen priest or nun was chosen to be the keeper of the hermitage, and this tradition continues to this day.
- MORE
source : damien.douxchamps.net


Inside in a special room are paintings of the 37 Immortal Chinese poets.
shisen no ma 詩仙の間



. . . CLICK here for more Photos !

....................................................................................................................................................



- - - - - HP of the temple in English- The Hermitage Shisen-Do



source : www.kyoto-shisendo.com




:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

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


Ishiyama Jozan


風薫る羽織は襟もつくろはず 
風かほるはをりはゑりもつくろはす
kaze kaoru haori wa eri mo tsukurohazu

fragrant summer wind -
this haori coat has a neckband
with so many patches

Tr. Gabi Greve

Written on the 1st day of the 6th lunar month 1691, 元禄4年6月1日

Basho had stayed at Shisen-Do 詩仙堂 Shizen-Do hall with Sora and Kyorai. This is a small hermitage which Ishiyama Joozan 石山丈山 Jozan had build in Ichijooji 一乗寺 Ichijo-Ji, a district in Sakyo, 左京 Kyoto.


source : itoyo/basho

. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .


. WKD : haori 羽織 Haori coat and Basho .

. WKD : kaze kaoru 風薫 fragrant (summer) breeze .

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::



丈山の梅さきにけり詩仙堂
Joozan no ume saki ni keri shizendoo

the plum of Jozan
is blossoming now -
Shisen-Do hall

Tr. Gabi Greve

. Masaoka Shiki visiting temples and shrines .


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

詩仙堂あかりのごとく百合咲けり 原コウ子
詩仙堂まひまひつぶろ縞確か 鈴木栄子
詩仙堂熟柿が落ちてくしや~に 川崎展宏
詩仙堂花なき庭の添水かな 貞永金市
詩仙堂道に干さるゝ炭団かな 小杉余子
詩仙堂雨の扉の蝸牛 田中王城

鬱蒼と夏木の気骨詩仙堂 木津凉太
食用の茸出てゐし詩仙堂 茨木和生
初冬の竹緑なり詩仙堂 内藤鳴雪
唐椿白極まれり詩仙堂 尾関佳子
花楓にて空紅し詩仙堂 日原傳
甘干に軒も余さず詩仙堂 松瀬青々
秋日和鉈豆干しぬ詩仙堂 水落露石
鹿おどし背山昏れゆく詩仙堂 柳田聖子
春の日や木賊色濃き詩仙堂 鈴木貞雄
木洩日の尾の緋鯉なり詩仙堂 瀧澤和治
添水よりも薪割る音の詩仙堂 米澤吾亦紅
竹に来てつるむ鳥あり詩仙堂 松瀬青々
茶梅ちる雨降る日ざし詩仙堂 飯田蛇笏
葉末よりもみぢ始る詩仙堂 高澤良一
うつぎ咲く緑の雨や詩仙堂 佐藤春夫
一つ葉や文机古りし詩仙堂 永沼弥生

source : HAIKUreikuDB



source : shigaarch/Topics

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

. . sennin 仙人 immortals, mountain hermits, poets .


. Konpukuji, Konbukuji 金福寺 / 金福寺 Konpuku-Ji .
In Kyoto, Ichijooji district - Ichijoo-Ji Konbuku-Ji 一乗寺金福寺 Ichijo-Ji
Another famous temple of this district with a "Basho-An" in his memory.


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

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::