The japanese, shintoism and nature

Shintoism brings together many beliefs related to the history of Japan. The origins of Shintoism are distant and unknown. The first traces of Shintoism seem to date from the end of the Jomon period, a time when most of the people living on the Japanese archipelago were hunter-gatherers and which extends from 13,000 to 400 before our era. Shintoism has neither founder nor prophet, unlike Christianity for example.

One of the reference texts of Shintoism is the Kojiki (古事記 . コジキ), lit. « Chronicle of ancient facts » also pronounced ふることふみ. With the Nihon Shiki (ニホンショキ), the legends contained in the Kojiki have inspired many practices and beliefs in Shintoism. It is generally considered to be the oldest Japanese writing still in existence today and is written entirely in the Japanese language in Chinese characters. Its date of publication is assumed to be in the year 712, thus dating from the 8th century. This set of texts takes the form of a chronicle that relates the mythological origins of Japan, its islands, and the various kami.

The etymology of the word 神道 . シントウ is very important. It means « way of the kami ». The kami are the deities who inhabit everything. In short, Shintoism is a mix between animism, the belief that a spirit inhabits living beings, objects and natural elements, and polytheism, the belief that there are several gods. These kami are present everywhere. They inhabit every living being, objects, mountains, forests, rivers, etc. There is no limitation for the forms in which the deities can incarnate: flowers, trees, leaves, stones, rocks, pebbles, clouds, rivers, lakes, streams, reeds, bamboo sticks or any everyday object. A broom, an umbrella, a pot or even a musical instrument... Absolutely anything and everything. They are sometimes confused with youkai, often mischievous spirits, but we will not discuss the differences between the two here.

Also remember that kami are not deities in the sense we understand it in Western religions. If in Western religions i.e. Christianity, Judaism and others, God is considered as an almighty being endowed with omnipotence and omnipresence; in Shintoism, the kami are numerous and varied but they are not all-powerful beings. Or, at least, not necessarily. They are more symbolic representations of all things and living beings in this world. Neither fundamentally good nor fundamentally bad, they are there to remind of the validity of traditions centered on nature and the importance of respecting them.

Shintoism was therefore born in the land of the Rising Sun and is considered the oldest religion in Japan. Like Western religions in Europe that were used by rulers to justify their status and domination over the people, Shintoism was used by all emperors of Japan for over a millennium to strengthen their power. Sanctuaries were erected over the centuries by the latter in order to consolidate their link with religion. This was also a tool used to bring together all the Japanese under the same banner, under the orders of the one and only Emperor. It is impossible for me to summarize the whole history of Japan here but to allow you to understand the essentials, the country was for a long time divided into several ethnic groups and leagues which engaged in incessant wars. Shintoism, of which the Emperor was the representative, was the entity under which successive Emperors attempted to unify all Japanese. Thus, mythologically speaking, Shintoism tells the story of a single Japanese people created by the goddess Amaterasu and whose imperial family is the direct descendant. Historically speaking, this country that we now call Japan was the scene of several waves of migration over the centuries. Ethnic groups from present-day China and present-day Korea who crossed the sea to reach the islands of the archipelago where they settled.

Bringing together a set of beliefs dating from the ancient history of Japan, it is at the heart of Shintoism that historical veracity and embellishment of the history of the Japanese and the (officially) divine origins of the imperial family are mixed.

Note : the word « kami » has been widely picked up and integrated into Western languages to indicate unambiguously that we are talking about Shinto deities.

There is also an important difference to be made between temple and sanctuary. Places of worship dedicated to Shintoism are called shrines and places of worship dedicated to Buddhism are called temples. Within the sanctuaries, there are no statues because it is not customary to represent Shinto deities. Within the temples, intended for Buddhism, a religion of Indian origin, the Buddhists aim to achieve enlightenment by breaking the cycle of reincarnations. If Shintoism is a religion linked to the earth, to nature, Buddhism is therefore rather oriented towards spirituality.

According to some sources, Shinto shrines did not initially house statues of deities. This practice would probably have arrived with Buddhism. In the many covered buildings of the temples, you can find plenty of statues of deities, right from the entrance which is itself guarded by statues intended to chase away evil spirits. Shintoism, inspired by Buddhism, embellishes its sanctuaries with statues of fantastic Japanese animals such as the komainu (狛犬 . こまいぬ), creature that looks like a lion or a dog. Komainu stone statues are located on either side of the entrance to a shrine to protect it. They are either placed facing each other or with their backs to the shrine and facing the visitors. Other fantasy animals, called shinshi (神使 . シンシ), such as boars, dragons, foxes, wolves or tigers can also be used. The most frequent variant is the kitsune (狐, fox), guardian of shrines dedicated to the kami Inari (稲荷 . いなり). There are around 30,000 Inari shrines in Japan, and the entrance to each is guarded by a pair of fox statues.

Note : I said above that the representation of deities by statues probably comes from Buddhism, however keep in mind that nothing is certain. As Shintoism and Buddhism have coexisted for more than a thousand years, it is very difficult to separate what belongs to one or the other belief.

This lesson follows the same pattern as the lessons on suffixes that we saw earlier. Just like Buddhism, which came from China and was established in Japan after Shintoism, shrines have been erected over the centuries. Most often by order of emperors who sought to consolidate their power and their connection with religion.

In a previous course, we saw the kanji 寺 which is placed in suffix of the names of Buddhist temples. And only Buddhists. Today we will see new suffixes to designate, this time, Shinto shrines.

I now give you the pure and Sino-Japanese pronunciations of these new suffixes:

社 . やしろ . シャ . The shrine
宮 . みや . キュウ . The shrine
神社 . ジンジャ . The shrine
神宮 . ジングウ . The shrine
大社 . タイシャ . The great shrine
大神宮 . ダイジングウ . The great shrine

Know that there are no particular reasons to explain why such a shrine has the suffix 神社 and such another shrine has the suffix 神宮 or why such another shrine has the suffix 大社… These are simply several words that have the same meaning.

Not to be confused with the suffix 宮殿 which designates palaces and the kanji 寺 which designates Buddhist temples.

We will also see the suffixes :

殿 . との, -どの . デン .
東照宮 . トウショウグウ . The shrine (suffix for names of Shinto shrines dedicated to Ieyasu Tokugawa)
稲荷神社 . いなりグウ . The Inari Shrine (suffix for names of Shinto shrines dedicated to Inari)
八幡神宮 . ハチマングウ . The Hachiman shrine (suffix for names of Shinto shrines dedicated to the Shinto god of war)
天満宮 . テンマングウ . The shrine (suffix for names of Shinto shrines dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane)

東照宮 . トウショウグウ is the name given to a type of Shinto shrine dedicated to Ieyasu Tokugawa, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan.
稲荷神社 . いなりグウ is the name given to Shinto shrines dedicated to Inari, deity of cereals, fertility, foundries and trade, as well as guardian of houses.
八幡神宮 . ハチマングウ is the name given to Shinto shrines dedicated to the Shinto god of war and the divine protector of Japan and the Japanese people.
天満宮 . テンマングウ is the name given to Shinto shrines dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane. There are about fourteen thousand in Japan.

There are also other shrines devoted to other very specific deities and therefore bearing different names. There are also shrines dedicated to mountains and bearing several names. I won’t give you the suffixes for all the shrines according to the deity that is worshiped there so feel free to search for yourself. All shrines have a story to tell.

I’m not telling you anything about the 殿 suffix yet. I will come back to this a little later.

So, to sum up, here are all the new suffixes to learn :

社 . やしろ . シャ . The shrine
宮 . みや . キュウ . The shrine
神社 . ジンジャ . The shrine
神宮 . ジングウ . The shrine
大社 . タイシャ . The great shrine
大神宮 . ダイジングウ . The great shrine
殿 . との, -どの . デン . The shrine
東照宮 . トウショウグウ . The shrine (suffix for names of shrines dedicated to Ieyasu Tokugawa)
稲荷神社 . いなりグウ . The Inari shrine (suffix for the names of shrines dedicated to the deity Inari)
八幡神宮 . ハチマングウ . The Hachiman shrine (suffix for names of shrines dedicated to Hachiman, Shinto god of war and divine protector of Japan and the Japanese people)

So, we start with the Shinto shrines.

I immediately give you as an example below several names of castles with the suffixes seen above.

岩木山(神社) . いわきやま(ジンジャ) . The shrine of Iwakiyama
北海道(神宮) . ホッカイドウ(ジンジャ) . The shrine of Hokkaidō
熊野(大社) . くまの(タイシャ) . The shrine of Kumano
伊佐須美(神社) . いさすみ(ジンジャ) . The shrine of Isasumi
日光(東照宮) . ニッコウ(トウショウグウ) . The shrine of Nikkō
鹿島(神宮) . かしま(ジングウ) . The shrine of Kashima
氷川(神宮) . ひかわ(ジングウ) . The shrine of Hikawa
安房(神社) . あわ(ジンジャ) . The shrine of Awa
船橋(大神宮) . ふなばし(ダイジングウ) . The shrine of Funabashi
香取(神宮) . かとり(ジングウ) . The shrine of Katori
鎮霊(神宮) . かとり(ジングウ) . The shrine of Katori
香取(社) . シンレイ(シャ) . The shrine of Chinreisha
根津(神社) . ねず(ジンジャ) . The shrine of Nezu
乃木(神社) . のぎ(ジンジャ) . The shrine of Nogi
水天(宮) . スイテン(グウ) . The shrine of Suiten
高輪(神社) . たかなわ(ジンジャ) . The shrine of Takanawa
花園(神社) . はなぞの(ジンジャ) . The shrine of Hanazono
日枝(神社) . ひえ(ジンジャ) . The shrine of Hie
丸山(神社) . まるやま(ジンジャ) . The shrine of Maruyama
明治(神宮) . メイジ(ジングウ) . The shrine of Meiji
箱根(神宮) . はこね(ジングウ) . The shrine of Hakone
寒川(神宮) . さむかわ(ジングウ) . The shrine of Samukawa
天津(神社) . あまつ(ジンジャ) . The shrine of Amatsu
度津(神社) . わたつ(ジンジャ) . The shrine of Watatsu
尾山(神社) . おやま(ジンジャ) . The shrine of Oyama
高瀬(神社) . たかせ(ジンジャ) . The shrine of Takase
武田(神社) . たけだ(ジンジャ) . The shrine of Takeda
戸隠(神社) . とがくし(ジンジャ) . The shrine of Togakushi
日吉(大社) . ひよし(タイシャ) . The shrine of Hiyoshi
平安(神宮) . ヘイアン(ジングウ) . The shrine of Heian
平野(神社) . ひらの(ジンジャ) . The shrine of Hirano
今宮(神社) . いまみや(ジンジャ) . The shrine of Imamiya
野宮(神社) . ののみや(ジンジャ) . The shrine of Nonomiya
豊国(神社) . とよくに(ジンジャ) . The shrine of Toyokuni
梅宮(神社) . うめのみや(ジンジャ) . The shrine of Umenomiya
三光(神社) . サンコウ(ジンジャ) . The shrine of Sankou
住吉(大社) . すみよし(タイシャ) . The shrine of Sumiyoshi
春日(大社) . かすが(タイシャ) . The shrine of Kasuga
大神(神社) . おおみわ(ジンジャ) . The shrine of Ōmiwa (*)
三輪(神社) . みわ(ジンジャ) . The shrine of Miwa (*)
金持(神社) . かもち(ジンジャ) . The shrine of Kamochi
名和(神社) . なわ(ジンジャ) . The shrine of Nawa
宇倍(神社) . うべ(ジンジャ) . The shrine of Ube
若桜(神社) . わかさ(ジンジャ) . The shrine of Wakasa
出雲(大社) . いずも(タイシャ) . The shrine of Izumo
美保(神社) . みほ(ジンジャ) . The shrine of Miho
吉備津(神社) . きびつ(ジンジャ) . The shrine of Kibitsu
吉備津彦(神社) . きびつひこ(ジンジャ) . The shrine of Kibitsuhiko
赤間(神宮) . あかま(ジングウ) . The shrine of Akama
筥崎(宮) . はこざき(グウ) . The shrine of Hakozaki
香椎(宮) . かしい(グウ) . The shrine of Kashii
高良(大社) . コウラ(タイシャ) . The shrine of Izumo
宗像(大社) . むなかた(タイシャ) . The shrine of Munakata
住吉(神社) . すみよし(ジンジャ) . The shrine of Sumiyoshi
陶山(神社) . トウザン(ジンジャ) . The shrine of Tōzan
山王(神社) . サンノウ(ジンジャ) . The shrine of Sannō
加藤(神社) . カトウ(ジンジャ) . The shrine of Katō
健軍(神社) . ケングン(ジンジャ) . The shrine of Kengun
青島(神社) . あおしま(ジンジャ) . The shrine of Aoshima
宮崎(神社) . みやざき(ジンジャ) . The shrine of Miyazaki
神門(神社) . みかど(ジンジャ) . The shrine of Mikado
高千穂(神社) . たかちほ(ジンジャ) . The shrine of Takachiho
都農(神社) . ツノウ(ジンジャ) . The shrine of Tsunō
枚聞(神社) . ひらきき(ジンジャ) . The shrine of Hirakiki
鹿児島(神社) . かごしま(ジンジャ) . The shrine of Kagoshima
霧島(神社) . きりしま(ジンジャ) . The shrine of Kirishima
波上(宮) . なみのうえ(グウ) . The shrine of Naminoue

That will be it for this list. I’m not going to give you all the Shinto shrines in Japan. There are tens of thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands!

For the last shrine, 波上宮 . なみのうえグウ, you have the particle の between 波 . なみ and 上 . うえ, literally « the shrine above the waves ». Same for shrines 野宮神社 . ののみやジンジャ and 梅宮神社 . うめのみやジンジャ.

You will have noticed two shrines with a (*) marked in front. It is actually the same shrine with two different names: 大神神社 . おおみわジンジャ and 三輪神社 . みわジンジャ. It is quite common for a shrine to have several different names.

It happens that several shrines have the same name and yet are located in different places. Thus, there is a shrine referred to as 住吉大社 . すみよしタイシャ located in Osaka and another shrine named 住吉神社 . すみよしジンジャ located in Fukuoka. There is also a shrine called 三輪神社 みわジンジャ located in Gifu, in the Tōkai region and a shrine called 大神神社 . おおみわジンジャ in Aichi Prefecture, still in the Tōkai region.

Finally, you have shrines whose name pronunciation does not correspond to the purely Japanese pronunciation, nor to the Sino-Japanese pronunciation of the kanji. This is the case of the shrine called 宗像大社 . むなかたタイシャ.

Note that I did not give you an example of Inari shrines. See below:

伏見稲荷(大社) . ふしみいなり(タイシャ) . The Fushimi Inari Shrine
笠間稲荷(大社) . かさまいなり(タイシャ) . The Kasama Inari Shrine
高橋稲荷(大社) . たかはしいなり(タイシャ) . The Takahashi Inari Shrine
波除稲荷(大社) . なみよけいなり(タイシャ) . The Namiyoke Inari Shrine
玉造稲荷(大社) . たまつくりいなり(タイシャ) . The Tamatsukuri Inari Shrine
竹駒稲荷(大社) . たけこまいなり(タイシャ) . The Takekoma Inari Shrine
祐徳稲荷(大社) . ユウトクいなり(タイシャ) . The Yūtoku Inari Shrine

The shrines dedicated to Inari that I have given you below are among the best known. There are many more and if you want to deepen your knowledge of this deity and the shrines dedicated to him, I invite you to search the Internet.

As is very often the case in religion, mythology, folklore, there is a bit of everything and anything. You will quickly realize that Inari is not only the deity of grain, fertility, foundries and commerce, as well as the guardian of houses. It is much more than that or, if you prefer, it has above all been adapted and interpreted in all sauces according to eras and regions.

It is high time to recap everything we have just seen in this course. I put you below the diagram to follow.

[Name of Shinto shrines] + 社 . やしろ . シャ .
[Name of Shinto shrines] + 宮 . みや . キュウ .
[Name of Shinto shrines] + 神社 . ジンジャ .
[Name of Shinto shrines] + 神宮 . ジングウ .
[Name of Shinto shrines] + 大社 . タイシャ .
[Name of Shinto shrines] + 大神宮 . ダイジングウ .
[Name of Shinto shrines] + 殿 . デン .
[Name of Shinto shrines] + 東照宮 . トウショウグウ .
[Name of Shinto shrines] + 稲荷神社 . いなりシンシャ .

It is now time to approach a new vocabulary still related to shrines. Do you remember the kanji 殿 I was telling you about at the beginning? I give it to you below with its pronunciations:

殿 . との, -どの . デン .

I didn’t tell you what it was. That said, you already know this kanji since it is a non-honorary title that will be given to a lord. Some women bore this title but it was rare.

We find this kanji in the honorary title 殿下 . デンカ, intended for all members of the Imperial Family except the Emperor, Empress, and Empresses Dowager. It translates to « His / Her Highness ».

We also saw it in the word 宮殿 . キュウデン which designates palaces, especially foreign ones.

Now, we will see that this kanji also designates places inside Shinto shrines. Pay attention to the following words:

鳥居 . とりい . The torii gate, the sacred gate
参道 . サンドウ . The main path of a Shinto shrine
手水舎 . てみずや . The ablution fountain
柄杓 . ヒシャク . The ladle, the scoop
本殿 . ホンデン . The main building
神殿 . シンデン . The main building / (suffix for foreign shrines names)
拝殿 . ハイデン . The oratory, the prayer room, the devotional room
幣殿 . ヘイデン . The offering room
昇殿 . ショウデン . The offering room
勅使殿 . チョウクシデン . The hall of emissaries
登廊下 . トウロウカ . The check-in hall
神楽殿 . カグラデン . The kagura room (in a shrine) ; the sacred dance stage
神主 . カンぬし . The Shinto priest, the senior Shinto priest

I will now give you the name of architectural styles specific to Shinto shrines. Learn them by heart:

大社造 . タイシャずくり . The style « taisha »
神明造 . シンメイずくり . The style « shinmei »
住吉造 . すみよしずくり . The style « yomiyoshi »
春日造 . かすがずくり . The style « kasuga »
流造 . ながれずくり . The style « nagare », the « sliding style »
流破風造 . ながれハフずくり . The « sliding gable style »
切妻屋根 . きりずまやね . The gable roof (it is not an architectural style but I give it to you anyway, we will develop it below)

Now it’s time to talk a bit about culture. I will not systematically give you the pronunciations of words in hiragana and katakana since I have just given you a rather exhaustive list above. Do not hesitate to come back to it if you have a memory lapse.

The origins of the torii are unknown and there are several different theories on the subject, none of which have been universally accepted. Because the use of symbolic gates is widespread in Asia – such structures can be found for example in India, China, Thailand, Korea and in the Nicobarese and Shompen villages – historians believe that it may be of an imported tradition.

The first appearance of torii gates in Japan can be reliably identified at least in the mid-Heian period; they are mentioned in a text written in 922.

Torii gates were traditionally made of wood or stone, but today they can also be made of reinforced concrete, copper, stainless steel or other materials. They are usually either unpainted or painted vermilion with a black upper lintel. Shrines to Inari, the kami of fertility and industry (and lots of other stuff), usually have many torii because those who are successful in business often donate torii as a sign of gratitude. The 伏見稲荷大社 in Kyoto has thousands of these torii, each bearing the name of the donor.

The function of a torii is to mark the entrance to a sacred space. For this reason, the road leading to a Shinto shrine (参道 . サンドウ) is almost always spanned by one or more torii, which are therefore the easiest way to distinguish a shrine from a Buddhist temple. If the 参道 passes under several torii, the outside of them is called ichi no torii (一の鳥居 . イチのとりい, first torii). The next ones closer to the shrine are generally called, in order, ni no torii (二の鳥居 . ニのとりい, second torii) and san no torii (三の鳥居 . サンのとりい, third torii). Other torii can be found further into the shrine to represent increasing levels of sanctity as one approaches the inner shrine (本殿), at the heart of the shrine. Additionally, due to the strong relationship between Shinto shrines and the Japanese imperial family, a torii also stands in front of each emperor’s tomb.

A torii at the entrance is usually the easiest way to identify Shinto shrines, and a small torii icon represents them on Japanese road maps and even Google Maps.

There are several kinds of torii with different architectures and divided into two categories: 神明鳥居 . シンメイとりい and 明神鳥居 . ミョウジンとりい. These torii have often taken the name of the Shinto shrine where they were first seen to appear.

伊勢鳥居 . いせとりい . Torii of Ise
春日鳥居 . かすがとりい . Torii of Kasuga
八幡鳥居 . ハチマンとりい . Torii of Hachiman
鹿島鳥居 . かしまとりい . Torii of Kashima
黒木鳥居 . くろきとりい . Torii of Kuroki

稲荷鳥居 . いなりとりい . Torii of Inari
山王鳥居 . サンノウとりい . Torii of Sannō
三輪鳥居 . みわとりい . Torii of Miwa
両部鳥居 . リョウブとりい . Torii of Ryōbu
三柱鳥居 . みはしらとりい / みつばしらとりい . Torii of Mihashira

After the torii gate, the chōzuya (手水舎), a pool filled with water located between the monumental torii gate and the main shrine building. Visitors to the Shinto shrine should purify their hands and mouths with this water. You have to start with the left hand, then the right, the mouth and finally the handle of the ladle hishaku (柄杓) before entering the shrine itself. In Shintoism, defiled things are supposed to come from outside. It is therefore important to purify oneself physically and metaphorically when entering a Shinto shrine.

The honden is the most sacred building in a Shinto shrine, exclusively for the use of the deity worshiped in the shrine, usually symbolized by a mirror or sometimes by a statue.

The building is usually located at the back of the sanctuary and closed to the general public. In front of him usually stands the haiden, or oratory. The haiden is often connected to the honden by a heiden, or offering room.

Physically, the honden is the heart of the religious complex, connected to the rest of the shrine but usually elevated above it and protected from public access by a fence. It is usually relatively small and with a gable roof (切妻屋根). Its doors are generally kept closed except on the occasion of religious festivals. The Shinto priests themselves enter only to perform the rituals. The rite of opening these doors is in itself an important part of the life of the shrine.

Inside the honden is kept the go-shintai, literally « the sacred body of the kami », a symbolic representation of the kami or Shinto deities.

As important as it is, the honden can sometimes be completely absent, as when the shrine stands on a sacred mountain to which it is dedicated, or when there is a 神籬 . ひもろぎ nearby or other 依代 . よりしろ which serves as a more direct link to a kami. The 三輪神社 in Nara, for example, does not contain images or sacred objects, as it is supposed to serve the mountain on which it is located. For the same reason, it has a haiden, but no honden.

The structure of the honden determines the architectural style of the shrine. There are several, but three, the 大社造, the 神明造 and the 住吉造 are of particular importance because they are the only ones that would predate the arrival of Buddhism in Japan. They therefore have a specific architectural and historical significance. They are illustrated respectively by the honden of:

– 出雲大社 . いずもタイシャ . The shrine of Izumo
– 仁科神明宮 . にしなシンメイグウ . The Shinmei shrine of Nishina
– 住吉大社 . すみよしタイシャ . The shrine of Sumiyoshi

Regardless of the style of the shrine, the roof of the honden always has two wooden elements called chigi (千木 . ちぎ) and katsuogi (鰹木 . かつおぎ). The chigi is a finial made up of two planks which intersect at the top of each gable and extend to form a V. The katsuogi are wooden logs fixed horizontally on the ridge beam of the building. When the ends of the chigi are cut horizontally with katsuogi in an even number, it means that the deity worshiped in the shrine is female. When the ends of the chigi are cut vertically with odd numbered katsuogi, the god is male.

There are also other architectural styles like the kasuga style (春日造 . かすがずくり) and the nagare style (流造 . ながれずくり).

Before starting this part, I will give you a few vocabulary words. Learn them by heart:

巫女 . みこ . Miko
神子 . みこ . Child of kami
御子 . みこ . Imperial child
御守 . おまもり . The amulet, the lucky charm (more commonly written お守) (we have already seen this word but I will give it to you anyway)
緋袴 . ひばかま . The red hakama (wore by miko)
襅 / 千早 . ちはや . The white kimono (wore by miko)
草履 . ゾウリ . The rice straw sandals (traditional Japanese sandal)
簪 . かんざし . The decorated hairpin
花簪 . はなかんざし . The decorated hairpin (wore by miko, the kanji 花 as a prefix evokes the idea of youth, even virginity; indeed, the miko are generally young unmarried women)

The miko (巫女 . みこ) are, in Japan, young women at the service of a Shinto shrine. They assist Shinto priests in their daily clerical duties and welcome visitors to holy places.

The origin of the term « miko » is not clearly established. An older writing of this word 神子 . みこ, literally « child of kami », indicates an intermediary role between men and the deities of Shintoism: the kami. It is likely that the term is a new reading of the honorary 御子 . みこ (« imperial child »), suggesting qualities of spiritual power and high birth.

As in many other cultures, Western and Eastern, the miko are attributed with prophetic powers. This tradition dates back to ancient times in Japan. In ancient times, women who went into a trance and reported prophecies or the words of the gods, like the Pythia of Delphi in ancient Greece, were called miko, shamans of Shintō, the indigenous religion of the Japanese archipelago. Later, they were assigned the role of guardian in Shinto shrines. They are traditionally young virgin women who leave the shrine once married. Miko were often the daughters of priests.

The miko’s traditional costume consists of a scarlet red hakama called hibakama (緋袴 . ひばかま), a white kimono top with wide sleeves: the chihaya (襅 / 千早 . ちはや), often decorated with red and sometimes with patterns ceremonial, and traditional sandals called zōri (草履 .ゾウリ). It is also common for miko to wear a hanakanzashi (花簪 . はなかんざし), hairpin adorned with flowers, or other ornaments, usually white or red.

Miko’s role includes performing ceremonial dances called mikomai (巫女舞 . みこまい), as well as assisting priests in various ceremonies, especially weddings in the Shinto tradition. The tradition continues, and today miko are still found in Shinto shrines; currently, most of them are full or part-time employees, or volunteers. Their job is to help run the shrine and perform the ceremonial dances. They are also present in the shamusho (社務所 .シャムショ), the administrative office of the temple, in charge of relations with visitors. The shamusho is a place where visitors can buy all kinds of talismans.

Before starting this part, I will give you a few vocabulary words. Learn them by heart:

巫女舞 . みこまい . The miko dance
神楽 . カグラ . The approval of the kami, the kagura
御神楽 . みカグラ . The Imperial kagura
里神楽 . さとカグラ . The village kagura
巫女神楽 . みこカグラ . The miko kagura
出雲流神楽 . いずもリュウカグラ . The kagura of the Izumo area around Izumo Shrine

伊勢流神楽 . いせリュウカグラ . The kagura derived from the dances performed during the yudate, rituals around a cauldron of hot water, at the Ise shrine during which miko or priests immerse themselves in water in a ritual of purification. Also called shimotsuki kagura (霜月神楽 . しもつきカグラ) or yudate kagura (湯立神楽 . ゆだてカグラ).

獅子神楽 . ししカグラ . A form of lion dance (獅子舞 . ししまい), in which a group of dancers take on the role of the guardian lion of shrines and parade around the city.

Note: learn to differentiate the word 舞. まい which designates the dance in general and the word 神楽 . カグラ which designates the dance, often of a religious nature, dedicated to the deities.

Kagura translates to « entertain the gods » or « pleasure of the gods ». The Kojiki, Japan’s oldest book (published in 712 AD), an official collection of the ancient sagas of the gods, commissioned by the imperial court, thus relates the first mythical kagura of the history of which here is the summary:

According to legend, Amaterasu and his brother Susanoo, kami of the sea and the wind, were rivals (according to other interpretations, Susanoo was simply endowed with a teasing character which, combined with his sadness at having lost his mother, the made it particularly painful). Also, when he visited him, there was a long dispute, following which Amaterasu locked herself in a celestial cave, hiding at the same time the Sun for a long period. The world was then plunged into permanent darkness, causing great pain to the other gods and humans living on Earth. To persuade Amaterasu to come out of this cave, the gods held a banquet at which Uzume, the Goddess of Dawn, started a dance. Intrigued by the laughter and lies of the Heavenly Gods (天津神 . あまつかみ, Amatsukami), claiming to have found her a replacement, Amaterasu lightly pushed the large rock blocking the entrance to her cave, then dazzled by the mirror in which she saw her reflection for the first time, she was pulled out of the cave by the god of strength, taking her by the hand, while the other gods blocked the entrance with a (注連縄 / しめ縄 . しめなわ), a braided sacred rope.

This legend having been transmitted orally for several generations, there are several variants of it but in general terms, the story is the same.

Mythologically speaking, the episode of the goddess Amaterasu emerging from her cave thanks to the cunning of the gods is presented as being at the origin of the first kagura. Historically speaking, that’s another story.

If the tales of the gods like that of Amaterasu who was lured out of the cave are found in the Kojiki, we can easily assume that they were popular before the publication of this work. It seems, however, that the first official form of the stage dance kagura originated at the imperial court in the years following the publication of the Kojiki. Perhaps as an educational tool to keep ancient Shinto traditions alive at a time when Chinese Buddhism was spreading massively in Japan.

However, from the imperial court, the kagura quickly spread in the local countryside. Taking the formal imperial plays in their own way, the Japanese transformed them into lively village festivals after the harvest. These kagura are named 里神楽 . さとカグラ.

A wide variety of forms of kagura has developed. In the imperial court, they were played by 巫女 . みこ , servants of Shinto shrines. The peasants no doubt followed this tradition by hiring village women. Later, in more prosaic times, probably the Edo period (1603-1868), the deliberate misuse of costumes on stage became illegal.

As in the case of kabuki, performers of kagura turned into all-male groups. All the female characters are then played by masked male performers.

After Japan opened up to the West, the cultural traditions of Japan became an important topic for the Meiji government. Regional cultural traditions had to be scaled down to fit the overall national cultural narrative. At the end of the 19th century, nationalist cultural activists asked local rural kagura to be rewritten in order to correctly represent the original legends as described in the Kojiki just released. The kagura dances were considered at the time as educational instruments in the service of the Shinto nation. Many local approaches to kagura were lost during this time.

The stories of kagura for the most part began to flourish again after the end of the American occupation in the early 1950s.

In contrast to Christianity and other Western religions, alcohol consumption is not taboo in Japanese society. The sake is an important component of Shintoism and that some sects of Japanese Buddhism even allow monks to drink. Alcohol has therefore been present for several millennia on the archipelago and is also an integral part of many rituals, taking on a sacred character that is even evident in the language. All happy events such as the birth of a child, a baptism, a wedding... are just as many occasions to drink sake and to highlight this drink.

Remember the « super-honorary » words I gave you as an example in the lesson on the polite prefix お ? How are the お, ゴ and み prefixes used ? The word お酒 . おさけ also has its « super-honorary » form. Thus, お酒 . おさけ becomes 御神酒 . おみき. And if you look closely at the kanji version, it’s the kanji for « god », 神, which is pronounced み because when we want to mention the sake offered to the gods, we pronounce 御神酒 . おみき.

There are also other types of sake that have a « super-honorary » form. So, you have the shiromiki (白御酒 . しろみき) and the kuromiki (黒御酒 . くろみき). Some sake, even if they do not have a « super-honorary » form, are regional specialties highlighted during rituals. So, at Katō Shrine next to Kumamoto Castle in Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture, the local traditional red sake (赤酒 . あかざけ) is used as 御神酒 . おみき.

I can finally give you the final list of words:

御神酒 / お神酒 . おみき . the sacred wine, the sake (oferit als déus)
白酒 . しろき . the shiroki
黒酒 . くろき . the kuroki
白御酒 . しろみき . the shiromiki (super honorary word)
黒御酒 . くろみき . the kuromiki (super honorary word)
清酒 . すみざけ / セイシュ . the seishu, the clear sake, the refined alcohol
濁酒 . どぶろく / ダクシュ / ショウクシュ . the doburoku, the unrefined alcohol
握り酒 . にごりざけ . the nigorizake, the unrefined alcohol
赤酒 . あかざけ . the akazake, the red sake

We are finally done with the Shinto shrines. Of course, I haven’t covered everything; the subject is extremely vast and it would take long paragraphs to describe and analyze everything that makes the richness and complexity of the Shinto religion. There are many things I could have told you about, for example, prayers. There are different categories of prayers but I have not mentioned them. I also could have told the story of the kagura in much more detail but I didn’t either. Because we still have to move forward to get to the end.

So here we are on the very last part before the conclusion and I present to you the word that is placed as a suffix to the names of foreign temples and shrines: 神殿. We saw it above. I give you back its Sino-Japanese pronunciation:

神殿 . シンデン. The main building / (suffix for foreign temple names)

This word can be used to designate the main building in Shinto shrines even if we prefer to use 本殿 . ホンデン.

Keep in mind that not all foreign temples / shrines in Japan will necessarily have the word 神殿 as a suffix. Buddhism, for example, has temples in many other countries, including China, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Burma, Laos, Nepal, Mongolia and Cambodia. Thus, the Angkor temple located in Cambodia is a Buddhist temple. In Japanese, it is written:

アンコール寺院 . アンコールジイン. The temple of Angkor

When I say that the word 神殿 is placed as a suffix to the names of foreign temples and shrines, I am talking about all temples and shrines other than Buddhist and Shinto. Ancient Greek temples, for example, take the word 神殿 as a suffix.

Warning! The Pantheon in Rome, which dates from the 1st century BC. J-C and the Panthéon de Paris which dates from the 18th century do not take the word 神殿 as a suffix. They are simply written パンテオン.

Now some examples :

アポロ神殿 . アポロシンデン. The Temple of Apollo

アルテミス神殿 . アルテミスシンデン. The Temple of Artemis

ユピテル神殿 . ユピテルシンデン. The Temple of Jupiter

I think I covered the topic on Shinto shrines and the Shinto religion in general. There is only one subject that I have not developed in this course: talismans, also called « lucky charms » or « protection charms ». And for three reasons. The first is that the subject is so vast that it would require an entire lesson and second, the vocabulary is much more difficult to memorize. Finally, this course is already long enough as it is. So, I’m thinking of booking a full course on talismans, lucky charms, and other divine trinkets maybe for the third season. We will see.

And of course, you have exercises to do. Since all that we have seen new today was mainly vocabulary, I give you as usual theme and version. In the exercises, I will not use much of the vocabulary covered in this course, however, you could very well find this vocabulary in other exercises much later in the program. The exercises rather contain a new vocabulary with more common words. I reassure you right away, they are not difficult to learn.

I hope this course will have helped you further in your learning and see you very soon!