| |
 |
|
 |
| |
Hiragana
pronunciation
of Kanji will pop up when you run your mouse over the character.
|
| |
 |
| |
Literally
the 'Great Divinity Illuminating Heaven', Amaterasu is the principal
female deity of Japanese mythology. According to the
古事記 -
Amaterasu Omikami,
'Record of Ancient Matters', she was born from the left eye
of Izanagi and was assigned to rule
高天原,
the High Plain of Heaven. Japan's first emperor was said to
be descended from Amaterasu, and she is worshipped at
伊勢神宮
, the Ise Shrine in. |
| |
|
| |
 |
| |
 Shinto
is Japan's indigenous religion. The worship of 神 (divine
force found in gods of nature and heavenly gods) slowly emerged
at the dawn of Japanese history, crystallized as an imperial
religious system during the Heian Period and from then on was
in constant interaction with Buddhism and Confucianism. Shinto
was made the state religion of Japan from the Meiji Period to
1945. Now Shinto and Buddhism, along with other minor religions,
exist side by side, and the ceremonies and festivals of one
religion are often mirrored by the other in marking significant
events in Japanese life.
The shrine is the focal point of organized Shinto religious
practice. At the entrance to a shrine stands the 鳥居 (gateway);
at the centre is the 拝殿 (hall
of worship) where priests conduct their ceremonies and at the
back is本殿
(the main sanctuary) which houses a sacred object where the
神
is thought to reside. Usually more than one deity is enshrined.
|
| |
神社 |
| |
 |
| |
This custom is
followed to mark the various stages in the life of a Japanese.
A child is first taken to the shrine after its birth to pray
for divine protection; this is called
初宮参り(first
shrine visit). Later, 5 year old boys and 3 and 7 year old girls
are taken to the ceremony of 七五三 on 15 November to pray
for their continued health and safety, as it was originally
believed that for children of these ages they were 厄年 (unlucky
years - these feature again in adult life).
On reaching the age of 20, a young person attends a 成人式 (coming-of-age
ceremony), at a shrine or municipal council on 15 January. Then,
when it comes time to tie the knot, people may decide to have
a 結婚式 (wedding ceremony),
at a shrine or temple before moving to the reception. (Recently,
some wedding reception venues have built in their own 'shrine'
to facilitate proceedings!) 初もうで, literally 'first visit',
refers to the custom of visiting a shrine or temple on
正月.
When visiting a shrine it is customary to use 手水 to
wash your hands and rinse you mouth; this signifies purification
of the soul. |
| |
|
| |
 |
| |
| 清め塩purifying
salt According to Shinto belief salt drives out evil spirits,
so it is used for purification in a number of rites practiced
today. |
| 地鎮祭
refers to a ceremony held to purify a building site before
commencing construction in which the earth is purified
with salt, rice wine and water |
| At a 相撲場所 (sumo
tournament), salt is thrown on the ring by 力士 (sumo
wrestlers), in a pre-bout ritual to purify their body
and mind. |
| 盛り塩 Salt
is put out in front of shops and restaurants in little
piles（盛り） to
drive away evil spirits. |
|
神棚
Some homes have household altars at which they can pray
to 神 and
to their ancestors. The Buddhist equivalent is the
仏壇,
and some homes may have both. |
|
秋祭りTraditionally
an autumn festival held to give thanks for a bountiful
harvest, it is now also held in some city communities.
|
 おみこし(portable
shrines) are carried through the streets by young men
calling out 「わっしょい、わっしょい」(Heave
ho!) to be laid at the local shrine. |
|
| |
|
| |
Reference:
Kodansha 'Japan An Illustrated Encyclopedia' |
| |
|
| |
 |
| |
 As
you can see, the word for 'god' is written with kanji 神,
and it is also a part of the word 神道,
literally 'the way of the gods'.
The character comes from a combination of two pictures; an altar
(which indicates god) and lightning. Originally it was the word
for the god of lightning, and from there it came to mean gods
and spiritual phenomena generally.
You can probably guess what the following words are mean which
Answers below 神
々 i女神 神主神父神学
|
| |
| 藤堂編小学生版「漢字なりたち辞典」参照 |
| Answers:gods,
godess, Shinto priest, Catholic priest, theology |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Privacy
& Copyright © The Japan Foundation, Sydney |
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
