Atsuta Jingu

Shintoism within Japan today is vastly different from the manner in which it was practiced one-thousand years ago, or even one-hundred years ago. It is a religion that has had to adapt to a people whose lives and ideas of the world in which they lived suddenly stopped on a dime and took on a whole new direction.

But inspite of the religious upheaval, Shintoism remains very much alive within modern-day Japan, and while many of the core beliefs are no longer adhered to, many Shinto traditions and rituals are still observed, if for no other reason than because they are just that… traditions.

Above: The second torii on the pathway leading to the main shrine at Atsuta Jingu. The dreary weather seemed to have driven away most crowds, and amongst the quiet pattering of rain and occassional bird song, for the first time since my arrival in Japan I truely felt like I had stepped through a portal into some forgotten past; the Japan of my dreams.

Atsuta Jingu is the second most venerated shrine in all of Japan, second only to the Great Shrine of Ise, but is actually several hundred years older than Ise. Believed to have been built in approximately 100 AD it is undoubtably one of the most important sites on Earth for followers of Shintoism, and during New Year celebrations the shrine hosts nearly 2-million people per day during the three days of festivities.

Although there a number of deities enshrined at Atsuta Jingu, chief amongst them is “Atsuta no Ookami”, represented by the sacred sword “Ame no Murakumo” (“Sword of the Gathering Clouds of Heaven”). Tradition states that Atsuta no Ookami was the first manifestation of the Heavenly Father into our world and who taught to mankind the virtue of love.

The sword Ame no Murakumo (more commonly referred to as “Kusanagi no Tsurugi”, meaning “Snake Sword”) is one of only three sacred objects in Japan that (by tradition) represents the divinity of the Imperial Family; however historians are uncertain as to whether or not the sword actually exists today since only the Emporer himself (or Emporess, although their have only been two in all of Japan’s history) are allowed to even look at the sword.

According to legend Ame no Murakumo was found inside the body of a hydra after it was slain by Susanoo (the God of Seas and Storms) and was presented to the Sun Goddess Amaterasu as a gift of reconciliation for past grievances. She later bestowed the sword to her grandson whom she chose to unify Japan. In both the Kojiki and Nihonshoki (two of the earliest written works in Japan which detail the history of the Japanese people) it was this grandson that eventually became Emporer Jimmu, the first Emporer of Japan. Unfortunately, most historians agree that such a character likely never existed and that the Imperial Family created him centuries ago in order to better establish their family as the patriarchs of Japan.

Above: A small wall along the path toward the temple bears dozens of ema; small charms on which visiters to the shrine can write down their wishes to kami, thereby ensuring that kami does not forget them.

Above: At the main shrine a number of people gather together in service to read aloud a sutra. Though few people participate in such recitals today, the practice is often observed by those elderly Japanese for whom the days of kami worship are still quite reminiscent.

Above: I’m not quite sure what to say about this picture other than that it’s probably one of my favourites taken so far; two turtles sitting motionless on a crop of stones shaped like a turtle in an absolutely still pond. I think with images like this you either get it or you don’t.

Above: Another of my favourites; this statue adorned the grave site of a warrior burried on the grounds of Atsuta Jingu. I added a colour filter to my lens to make the greens a little more vibrant, and I think the over-exposed skies in this shot add a great ethereal effect.

Omikuji, literally meaning “devine lottery”, is a type of fortune printed on small piece of paper that you can purchase for ¥200 at nearly any shrine. At Atsuta Jingu omikuji are obtained by shaking a box that has a small hole in the bottom, out of which a numbered stick will fall, with each number corresponding to a different type of fortune.

While there are a dozens of different kinds of fortunes available, they can all typically be classified as belonging to one of seven different categories (in descending order): dai-kichi (meaning, “Great Blessing”), chuu-kichi, shou-kichi, kichi, han-kichi, sue-kichi, sue-shou-kichi, kyou, shou-kyou, han-kyou, sue-kyou, dai-kyou (meaning, “Great Curse”).

Above: The kanji 末吉 is read sue-kichi, meaning “Near-Blessing”. Each box on the omikuji represents a set of fortunes regarding a different aspect of life, covering everything from love, personal relationships, and work to lucky colours and numbers.

I decided to take my omikuji to work so that I could have some of my students translate it… unfortunately, by the time I’d gotten around to actually writting this particular article I realized that I had completely misplaced the sheet of paper onto which I had so carefully written down my fortune =(

Traditionally the omikuji are tied to ad hoc scaffolding located on the grounds of the shrine. As it is here that the kamis can peruse the fortunes of the shrine’s visitors at thier liesure working to the best of their ability to make the promises of the omikuji a reality and to ward off whatever misfortunes it may have predicted as well. Not one to break with tradition, the following morning I bicycled back to Atsuta Jingu where I dutifully tied my omikuji to the scaffolding and said a quick prayer of apology to Atsuta no Ookami.

Above: A wall of barrels containing nihonshuu (“Japanese rice wine”) sits just inside the second torii of Atsuta Jingu. Such displays serve a dual purpose at these shrines; the first of course, is religious piety, the second reason is premium advertising, as each barrel is adorned with the logo of a particular brewery.

Above: Rows of trees wrapped with bamboo “garters” adorn the pathways of Atsuta Jingu. Since all things born of the Earth can be considered as sacred manifestations of kamis, these belts serve to enshrine even the trees themselves so that we never fail to recognize the presence of the kamis in the world around us.

Above: A little girl mocks the camera after I’d asked her parents if I could take a photograph of her during “Shichi-go-san” (literally translated as “7-5-3″). At these ages children don kimonos for the first time while visiting a shrine at which their parents will pray to kami to bless their children with a long and happy life.

Alexander

~ by Alexander DeSouza on 25 11 2006.