姫路神社 Himeji Shrine

I am discovering that Oshogatsu is basically a month long celebration, not just a one day event as the New Year is commonly celebrated in the States. Another Oshogatsu tradition are the decorations pictured here in front of the Himeji Jinja, called kadomatstu. A kadomatsu 門松, literally “gate pine,” is placed in pairs in front of homes, temples, and or business in late December, with the intention of welcoming ancestral spirits or kami and acting as temporary housing for them.

Also pictured here is a Shimenawa 標縄, "enclosing rope," which are lengths of sacred ropes made of rice straw, used for purification in Shintō. At New Years these are often replaced, being hung across the tops of gates or entryways to ward off evil. Often shimenawa are decorated with shide 紙垂, paper folded in a zigzag, or tassels (such as these); which also symbolize purification.

姫路護国神社

Himeji shrine for the remembrance of the patriots from the Western District, Hyogo Prefecture near the Shiromi stand park and Himeji Castle. The lanterns are setup for oshogatsu, The Japanese New Year celebration, and must have looked stunning at nightfall.

Unfortunately, Himeji Castle is under restoration until 2014 and is totally covered in scaffolding.

Lantern at Minatogawa Jinja

Looking at the bottom of one of the lanterns at the Minatogawa jinja. This one is located at one of the shops that sells ema and other omamori お守り, Japanese amulets dedicated to particular Shinto deities. The word mamori means protection, with omamori meaning honorable protector.

Show Me Japan: Minatogawa

A row of vermilion-colored torii on the grounds of Minatogawa jinja, act as an entrance point - which also marks the sacred area of the shrine from the outer world - to this small but enchanting shrine. Alight only by the lanterns hanging from the celling giving the interior a luminous vermilion hue.

Photograph is my entry for this weeks Show-Me-Japan (Vol.1 Issue 8).

Minatogawa Shrine 湊川神社

Early evening inside the main hall, Honden, of the Minatogawa jinja. A private ceremony, possibly for shogatsu, is being held for these four apparently important gentlemen. Two priests, including the head priest, and two maidens are in attendance and many rites and dances are preformed. In this image the maiden at the center of the Hoden is captured mid-twirl while preforming one such dance.

Minatogawa, in Kobe, is a Shinto shrine located near the city center. It is dedicated to Kusunoki Masashige, a general who fought for Emperor Go-Daigo during a period in Japanese history filled with political upheaval. He obeyed a strategically absurd command from Go-Daigo to meet a superior force at Minatogawa. The decision meant certain death for Kusunoki Masashige, his brother, and hundreds of his men. He committed ritual suicide (seppuku) and was said to utter these famous last words, "I wish I had seven lives to give for my country" - securing him as a symbol of loyalty to the emperor.

These same words would be drilled into every student’s head over the next half century, and ultimately Shichisei Hokoku became an often used expression during WWII, especially by kamikaze pilots.

Shogatsu

The Japanese New Year celebration, shogatsu, takes place from January 1-3. During shogatsu it is a tradition to visit a shrine or temple, and this first visit of the new year is known as hatsumoude, where visitors ask for safety, health, and good fortune. Many well-known temples and shrines are extremely crowded, as was Kobe's Ikuta shrine - pictured here.

Show Me Japan: Kaminarimon 雷門

A mix of modern and traditional architecture, in the foreground is the Kaminarimon at Sensō-ji and in the background is the Tokyo Sky Tree; a mammoth new tower being built overlooking the Asakusa district. The legend surrounding the Sensō-ji involves two brothers who, in the year 628, fished a statue of Kannon out of the Sumida River. Kannon is the goddess (bodhisattva) of mercy and compassion. The brothers attempted to return the statue back into the river, however, it always returned to them. Consequently, Sensō-ji was built in honor of Kannon and completed in 645, making it Tokyo's oldest temple.

Photograph is my entry for this weeks Show-Me-Japan (Vol.1 Issue 6).

Massive Paper Lantern

When last in Tokyo I visited Sensō-ji for a second time. As you enter the temple the first sight you encounter is the Kaminarimon or "Thunder Gate." Dominating the gate entrance is this much-photographed giant paper lantern flanked by two statues of the guardian gods Raijin (thunder) and Fujin (wind). First built in 942, the gate has been destroyed numerous times and the current incarnation dates to 1950. The lantern is dramatically painted in vivid red-and-black tones to suggest thunderclouds and lightning; the wood carving at its base is about 3 feet across.

Spare Change

Statue of a Shishi (or Jishi), which translates as "lion” but it can also refer to a lion-dog with magical properties and the ability to repel evil spirits. A pair of shishi often stand guard at Japanese Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Shishi are usually found in pairs, one with an open mouth (Ah) and one with closed mouth (Un). “Ah" is the first sound in the Japanese alphabet, while "N" (pronounced "un") is the last. These two sounds symbolize beginning and end, birth and death, or all possible outcomes (from alpha to omega). Photograph is from Sumadera Temple where it is apparently common to place an offering inside the mouth of the Shishi.

Show Me Japan: Autumn

A statue of a monk on pilgrimage at the Sumadera temple surrounded by autumn foliage.

Last weekend the blog Budget Trouble: Travel and Trouble in Japan, hosted a photo meme called Show Me Japan (Vol.1 Issue 2), and now it is a weekly event. I really enjoyed seeing all the images from around Japan last weekend and was introduced to some wonderful folks; so I am participating again, and here we are.

Coins At Kinkaku-ji

A water filled bowl carved out of the center of a large stone, located at one of the smaller shrines at the Rokuon-ji temple complex. The bowl also collects coins offered to the Kami 神 (spirit) of that particular shrine.

Kinkaku-ji 金閣寺

Visited the very popular, and consequently very crowded, Temple of the Golden Pavilion in Kyōto. The Pavilion is a three-story building on the grounds of the Rokuon-ji temple complex and the top two stories of the pavilion are covered with gold leaf. The pavilion functions as a shariden, housing relics of the Buddha (however tourists cannot enter). The building is topped with a bronze phoenix ornament, which is my favorite element on the building. The Pavilion is set in a magnificent strolling garden that includes a pond that reflects the building.

Kazaridaru

These sake barrels or Kazaridaru, decoration barrels, are a common site near Shinto shrines. While the barrels are physically empty, they are full of ritual significance; in part because sake is an important symbol for bridging the distances between gods and people. In ancient texts "sake" is written as miki, composed of the characters for "god" and "wine". Nowadays, the word miki (or o-miki when given its honorific prefix) is reserved for rice wine used in Shinto rites and festivals and drinking it is still a symbolic act of unification with the gods. Consequently, Shinto shrines and sake manufacturers maintain a symbiotic relationship, in which the shrines conduct rites to ask the gods for the prosperity of the brewers, and the brewers donate the wine (and the symbolic barrels) that shrines need for ceremonies and festivals.

Creepy Shinto 神道 Shrine

Continuing to play with the toy camera setting, this time at a local shrine. I liked the creepy feeling of this one, like a giant face. I was inspired by the Halloween decorations that are going up in retail stores and restaurants. Even though the holiday is not really celebrated in Japan, I am very happy to see the jack-o-lanters and skeletons; I am a huge fan of Halloween.

Sumadera Temple : Six Jizō

Six Jizō, this time from Sumadera temple - these fellows work to ease the suffering and shorten the sentence of those serving time in hell, to deliver the faithful into Amida’s western paradise (where inhabitants are no longer trapped in the six states of desire and karmic rebirth). Jizō is a Bodhisattva, one who achieves enlightenment but postpones Buddhahood until all can be saved. In particular, the six Jizō represent the six realms of existence (and each can be recognized by certain mudras and objects within their possession):

1. Beings in Hell (Jigokudō 地獄道). The lowest and worst realm, wracked by torture and characterized by aggression.
2. Hungry Ghosts (Gakidō 餓鬼道). The realm of hungry spirits; characterized by great craving and eternal starvation.
3. Animals (Chikushōdō 畜生道). The realm of animals and livestock, characterized by servitude.
4. Asura (Ashuradō 阿修羅道). The realm of anger, jealousy, and constant war. Asura are powerful, fierce and quarrelsome demigods and, like humans, are partly good and partly evil.
5. Humans (Nindō 人道 ). The human realm where enlightenment is within their grasp, yet most are blinded and consumed by their desires.
6. Deva (Tendō 天道). The realm of heavenly beings filled with pleasure. Deva posses godlike powers and most live in delightful happiness and splendor for countless ages. However, their powers blind them to the world of suffering, to which they also belong. Some believe that because their pleasure is greatest, so too is their misery.

Sumadera Temple : Pagoda

Sumadera temple, from which I have previously posted a picture of lanterns from the graveyard, is large and really quite quirky - full of unusual little things that are not common to most Japanese buddhist temples. It's very easy to spend an entire afternoon wandering around and marveling at all the interesting buildings, statues, and art in this quiet retreat. The 3-tier pagoda is impressive and stands atop a hill that overlooks the temple grounds.

Senbazuru 千羽鶴

Japanese legend advises that a person who folds 1,000 origami cranes will be granted his or her greatest wish. The origami crane has also become a symbol of peace because of this legend, and because of a young Japanese girl named Sadako Sasaki. Sadako was exposed to the radiation of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima as an infant, and it took its inevitable toll on her health. Hearing this legend, she decided to fold one thousand origami cranes so that she could live. Later, realizing that she would not survive, she wished instead for world peace and an end to suffering. A group of one thousand paper cranes is called senbazuru, and they are also common sites at Buddhist temples - like these at Suma temple. The crane symbol also has a long history with Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. One legend tells of a high-ranking Taoist priest who, upon his death, turned into a crane.

Suma Temple 須磨寺

Suma temple is a Buddhist, Shingon sect, temple established in 886 and rests at the base of the Rokkō mountains not far from the sea coast. Its official name is Joyasan Sumadera, but local people affectionately call it "Mr. Suma's Daishi". Daishi is a Japanese honorific, usually granted posthumously, meaning "great master". Photograph is of many lanterns hanging from the ceiling of a small open-air shrine found atop the large graveyard.

Kukunitama-jinja

A garden path at the backside of Kukunitama-jinja with lanterns alight for the Natsu Matsuri leading toward some of the smaller shrines and a stage area set up for karaoke and libations, a great way to enjoy the cooler evenings and the festive atmosphere; however I personally stick to private karaoke booths with friends. For some Japanese karaoke is a serious hobby, and it is not uncommon to practice alone in booths to prepare for work or social related events that might include karaoke, though I have been told that this behavior is on the decline and karaoke is being taken less seriously then it once was. Karaoke is still quite common and popular here none-the-less, how about where you live?

Hall At Nagata Shrine

The Nagata shrine celebrated its 1800th birthday in 2001 and has a large famous camphor tree located in the Kusumiya Inari shrine on its grounds that is renowned for its divine favor in curing disease. The shrine also features an architectural style called Tsuina Shiki Shinji which became popular in the Muromachi Era. This is a truly peaceful place!