What is Shinto? (arts of Japan cycle)

 

INVISIBLE WORLD

In a place called Izumo on the western coast of Honshû island, in a forest of gigantic cedars, stands a wooden house covered in a thatch. It is not any old house, its very size amazes, it is 24 metres tall. Which is nothing, they say that in the past it was several times taller. Several times in its history it was dismantled and rebuilt, each time the new version was smaller than the previous one. In Heian times it was supposedly 48 metres tall and before that it was reaching almost 100 metres! This is, at least, what they say. You can't see its inhabitant, which is hardly surprising, because it is Ôkuninushi, the lord of the invisible world of Japanese islands. Once a year he invites all other gods to his place, so nobody should be surprised about the size of the house. The visitors come on invisible mounts, sacred stables have been built for them.

IN THE FORM OF A MIRROR

In a place called Ise on the eastern coast of Kii peninsula, in a similar cedar forest, stands a much smaller house, also thatched. It may be smaller sizewise, but not less important, as the person who lives there is Sun herself. Sun (a woman of course) lives normally in the sky, but in her house she is present in the form of a mirror. Sun is the ancestress of the imperial family, she herself gave this mirror to her descendants as insignia of their imperial power. This is perhaps why there is money to rebuild it regularly every 20 years. Only in the years 1462-1585, during the difficult period for the divine rulers, there was a longer break. It was probably built sometime mid- 7^th century.

POO ON THE THRONE

In another wooden building, in a place called Kumano on Kii peninsula, lives Blizzard, the younger brother of Sun. He used to live in heaven, but he was a mischief, once he made a poo on the throne of his venerable sister, she sat in it and as a punishment he was sent down. He actually went to the netherworld, but in Kumano he is present in the form of an object, although nobody remembers what the object is. The holy object is hidden from mortals and nobody has seen it for hundreds of years. In Kumano also the parents of Sun and Blizzard are present. They fished out Japan from the sea in the very beginning of time. It is interesting that although Sun is the higher divinity, Kumano was always more popular pilgrimage destination. Emperors did not move from Kyôto for centuries except on a pilgrimage to Kumano.

FOUR LITTLE HOUSES

In Kasuga Taisha in Nara in a wooden little house lives Amenokoyane, the divine ancestor of the Fujiwara family. It is not an unimportant spirit, according to Kojiki he played the chief role in wooing Sun from the cave when the young lady was sulking one day and hid there. In Kasuga actually there are four little houses, in each one a deity is present in a sacred object. All those deities are somehow connected to the ancestors of the imperial family. One of those deities travelled on a deer, therefore sacred deer are kept in Nara.

FOXY MESSANGERS

In Fushimi Inari Taisha the deity present is Fertility under the name of Inari. Inari has foxes as messengers, therefore one sees plenty of stone foxes there. There are thousands shrines dedicated to this deity in Japan, you can tell them by the stone foxes you see there. The Kojiki chronicle does not mention Inari, even though it is one of the most popular deities in Japan. Sometimes Inari is identified with Toyouke, Fertility of Rice Fields, who has a sanctuary in Ise, close to the one dedicated to Sun. This is, however, just a guess; Shintô does not have theologians who would try to prove such things.

EIGHT BANNERS

Emperor Ôjin is present under a form of an object in his sanctuary in Usa on Kyûshû island. He was a son of empress Jingu, who being pregnant with him supposedly conquered Korea. Perhaps this is why he is worshipped as a deity of warriors, because he didn't have any wars during his lifetime. His cult started some years after his death, when he manifested himself in blood curdling circumstances in a place called Usa on Kyûshû. Shintô deities appear to the worshippers like Our Lady to Catholics. Ôjin appeared in Usa as a child and said “my name is Eight Banners”, which is Hachiman in Japanese. A huge sanctuary was built on the spot of the manifestation. This sanctuary later became famous for its miracles. Hachiman is considered a protector of the bushi and has thousands of sanctuaries all over Japan. One of the biggest is, of course, in Kamakura.

EMPEROR'S COURTIER

Japanese deities not only appear in extraordinary circumstances, they can also take a normal human body. For example Sugawara Michizane, a poet and emperor's courtier of Heian times, was actually a god, which his fellow courtiers realised when it was too late. He was unfairly sent to Kyûshû and died there, but after his death calamities fell on the court in Kyôto. For example a palace went up in smoke and when it was rebuilt – woodworms gnawed a poem of the dead poet on a pillar. To remedy it, the emperor built a sanctuary for him, called Kitano Temmangu, and another one in the place of his death on Kyûshû. This helped. Ever since Michizane is worshipped as a god named Tenjin. He is popular as a protector of poets and calligraphers. There are many of his sanctuaries throughout Japan, they all are called Temmangu.

STATE PROPAGANDA

Santuary in Nikkô is not only a masterpiece of architecture and sculpture, it is a masterpiece of state propaganda. Shôgun Tokugawa Iemitsu decided that his grandfather, Tokugawa Ieyasu, was an incarnation of a god. After all he has proved his divine political talents. So a sanctuary for him was built in Nikkô and in every place where Tokugawas lived.

LITTLE FIELDS OF RICE

The divine protector of the country in a form of ordinary human being is of course tennô, or emperor. He is supposed to celebrate a number of rituals to make sure prosperity does not leave the country. For example he is supposed to cultivate two little fields of rice, so the country has good crop. He has to offer the rice he has grown to gods. And every year on palace grounds a house of unbarked timber is erected; inside that house the tennô performs rituals so secret that ordinary mortals are not supposed to know they exist.

INACCEPTABLE INDISCRETION

For Europeans it is very difficult to understand Shintô. The ceremonies seem to be religious, but without and salvation theory or moral code – is it really a religion? The ancient book relating old myths is really a chronicle. It does say what some deities did in the beginnings of time, but other deities are not even mentioned there. There are a few thousands deities and probably a small theological treatise would be enough to show that all deities are emanations of The One, The Most High. The chronicle Kôjiki starts with a statements that in the beginning a deity called Amenominaknushi created himself out of nothing and hid himself soon after. A European does not understand this, but it is obvious for the Japanese: Shintô does not have theology. All speculation about the nature of deities is considered unacceptable indiscretion. Shintô is passed on from one generation to another only as a ritual.

FEAST WITH GODS

Visitors from outside Japan are struck by cleanliness of sanctuaries. Keeping them clean is one of the key elements of the ritual. All sanctuaries are cleaned every day and every day new offerings are put on the altar. Many things can be used as offerings: food, flowers, twigs of sacred sakaki tree, paper, clear water, rice wine. Big sanctuaries have priests responsible for cleanliness, smaller ones are looked after by lay people who live nearby. Cleanliness and purification often appear in Shintô rituals. A believer should appear before a deity “with a pure heart”, so before going to a sanctuary a purification ritual is performed. Some people before visiting a sanctuary fast from the morning and take a ritual bath. Sometimes it is no more than rinsing a mouth and washing hands, for this purpose a water container is placed on a path leading to a sanctuary. Ladles are also placed on it, so it is easier to wash one's hands. Nobody is obliged to visit a sanctuary regularly, people go there only when they feel a need. Often a purpose of a visit is a silent prayer with folded palms, ended with a loud clap, deep respectful bow and throwing a coin to a money box. One can also leave a votive figure or plaque bought in a sanctuary shop. Only in especially important situations – like a wedding, or a birth of a child, or buying a new car – a priest is asked to conduct a ceremony. The priest knows prayers in old Japanese, he also knows what gestures should be made. Usually any bigger ritual ends with naorai, or “feast with gods”. In this ritual participants gather in front of the most holy building and everybody sips from a bowl of rice wine that has previously been offered to the god of the sanctuary. The believers expect unspecified protection, but they should not ask a deity for a particular outcome of a particular situation. Prayers in one's own intention are considered egoist, egoism is a blemish, a faithful should come to the sanctuary with pure heart.

TOTAL DARKNESS

In big sanctuaries every year there is a matsuri, a big festival, and every sanctuary has its own date. Priests prepare themselves for this, in some sanctuaries they fast for a week or longer. The most important element of a matsuri is reisai, a very formal ceremony of giving offerings with the door of the most holy building open, otherwise this door is never opened. More visible part is a procession of a sacred palanquin called mikoshi through the streets, or sometimes even outside a town. A visible sign of the presence of the deity is put into this palanquin. Another accompanying ceremony is kagura, sacred dances illustrating old myths, performed by miko, young ladies of the parish especially prepared for this role. The dances are performed to the accompaniment of ancient gagaku music. However, the most important event, performed only once in the history of every sanctuary, is the ceremony of transubstantiation, when an object especially made for the purpose becomes shintai, or the body of god. This ceremony is always performed at midnight, always in total darkness, not only lights of the sanctuary are to be off, but in the houses around as well. From this moment only the highest priests can touch or even look at the Body of God. It is placed in the holiest building (called honden) and only in exceptional circumstances taken out. It is thanks to this ceremony that the sanctuary becomes a House of God.

RED TROUSERS

Functions of a priest are only performing elaborated rituals correctly and saying prayers in old Japanese. It is a hereditary position, in some sanctuaries dynasties of priests go back many centuries. In general a Shintô priest is called kannushi, but a main priest of a sanctuary can have helpers called negi. Girls of the parish until they are married can be a miko, whose function is to perform the kagura dances and to assist in bigger ceremonies. Priests during ceremonies wear funny attires that appear to be of Heian times, whereas miko wear white blouses and red trousers.

BODY OF GOD

Shintô sanctuaries, called in Japanese miya, jinja, jingu or taisha, are of different sizes, from roadside chapels to huge complexes. They differ by the number and size of buildings, all however (if you exclude roadside chapels) have five necessary elements: torii, sandô, temizuya, gohei and shintai. Torii is a characteristic gate meaning that there is a sanctuary behind it. It is usually (not always) painted red and sometimes there is quite a lot of them leading to one sanctuary. Sandô is the path on which a believer approaches in silence. It is usually of white gravel and has a bend at one point, as approaching a deity in a straight line would mean lack of respect. Temizuya is a water container, usually made of stone, to ritually wash hands and mouth; normally a bamboo ladle lies on the top. Gohei is a wooden stand with paper folded into a characteristic zigzag; it stands in front of the holiest building and is the sign of divine presence. Shintai is the most important thing in any sanctuary, it is an object in whose form the deity is present. It is sometimes called a relic, but really it is more like a Catholic host, which (after transubstantiation) is also a Body of God. Shintai is so holy that normally nobody can even see it, only in special circumstances priests can approach it. Various objects can become shintai, it can be a brass mirror or an ancient double-edged sword. It could be a sculpture, although in such case it can never be shown. Whatever the case, most of the time it is hidden in a building called (if there are more buildings) honden.

STRAW ROPE

There are more buildings in big sanctuaries as a rule. The most important of them are heiden, where the priests conduct their ceremonies, haiden, or an oratory for the faithful, sometimes there is also a kaguraden, where the sacred dances are performed. Gohei is the most important sign of the divine presence, but sometimes there are others, like shimenawa, or a straw rope hanged from the eaves of the shrine, or around a sacred tree, or between sacred rocks. It may also be a brass mirror, which if it is exposed, it certainly is not shintai.