One of the interesting things to me about Japan is that one runs into its religion in the most unlikeliest of places. Coming from a place where 400 years is a long time, it is different to realize that one is in a land which has been inhabited with a record history for at least 4-5 times that.
On an afternoon with a free day, I decided to try to see if I could find any local temples or landmarks. Turns out there was one not a mile from the hotel.
Along the way, I came across these two cat statues. They are named Hanako and Taro, and are built to honor the Japanese poet Sakutaro Hagiwara.
A small fox shrine on the edge of the street and the parking lot.
Oi Zao Gongen Shrine. Apparently (per the website) this shrine has an approximated 1,000 year history but was relocated in 1925 when a railway factory was built at the site. It was moved here approximately 30 years ago. It enshrines Fukuroju, one of the seven gods of fortune,
There was no-one at this shrine (it was a very small one) except for the rather sleepy temple attendant I woke up in the office for a souvenir.
One of the things that worry me a bit about touring around Japan is how much I would be able to understand without being about to read their language. Do places like this have translations available or does one have to just look it up after the fact?
ReplyDeleteEd, like everything it depends. The more well know and traveled places will usually have something in English. Smaller gems like this are much more after the fact. That said, the information is not too hard to come by: even this small shrine has its own website now.
DeleteW. in CA
ReplyDeleteWell TB,
It seems your responses are much more robust when you write about the One True God, the Great I AM. Today's Bible reading for me happened to include Deuteronomy 4:15-31. God commanded no graven images, even of Himself to keep His people pure to Himself. Do the Japanese worship at these shrines?
As for yesterday's subject, the Middle East conflict. It appears the world was saved from Iran having 11 Nuclear capable bombs in 7 - 10 day's time. Now we know that even the Saudis were pressuring for action.
One can conclude with a different result to the last presidential election, meaning if the opposition party won, we would have an appeasement government. The 12 day war in June wouldn't have happened and Iran would have attacked already. Not to mention the hostages released over the last year would still be in bondage or dead. We and all nations would be in defense mode and have sustained heavy losses.
I recently finished Hostage by Eli Sharabi. Very insightful about Hamas in the tunnels and the horrific treatment he and others endured. Unfortunately, there was not nearly as much about faith in his reflections as I had hoped.
There are many things setting my teeth on edge as to how the current events narrative is being communicated, but by the providence of God, the right actions have been taken in my belief and opinion.
W - To answer your initial question, Japanese that do hold to Shinto "worship" at these shrines. I say worship: the practice is to ring the bell (to get the attention of the enshrined kami), bow twice, clap twice. pray, bow once and put some money in the box.
DeleteAs to the rest - I typically do not comment on current events. That is not what we do here.
I like the kitty cats. I'm guessing Japan hasn't been secularized to the extent the US has been?
ReplyDeleteLeigh, I will start my response by noting that this is essentially all based on my own readings and understanding.
DeleteThat said, I am not sure how much the ideal of secular/religious society would make sense in a discussion of religion in Japan. Certainly post 1945, the state does not support religion (as it did with State Shinto) and historically, religion played a different role in daily life (at least to my reading and understanding) that what it perhaps played in the West.
There are some religious based parties in Japan (the largest being Komeito, which is a lay Buddhist based party), but I am not aware that they have played the same role in Japanese politics as, say, the Moral Majority in the 1980's and 1990's.
At the temples we visited (and have visited in the past), there is a wide age range of visitors. At all of the shrines and temples we visited in Kamakura (coming soon to a post near you!), there were school groups and groups of young people. At the Shinto Shrines we stopped at - Tsurugaoka and Meiji - there was a fair crowd in front waiting to pay respects. Last year when we went to the Yasukuni Shrine there was quite a line (it was near to lunar New Year).
All of that to say: my impression is that the government has cleared separated the state and religion, but not actively taken any other action. One might argue there are aspects of Japanese religious practice that might strike one as much of a cultural phenomena as a religious one.
A final note: The religious spaces of Japan are quite different from the normal way of building things, unlike much of what has been built recently in the U.S., for example. In that sense, one can clearly see them and sense them in a way that is not possible in many parts of the U.S. now.