Shinto shrine: the story on HearLore

Shinto shrine

In the year 478, the first known Shinto shrine was built, yet it did not look like the structures that would eventually define the religion. It was not a building with a roof and walls designed to house a statue, for the very concept of a statue was foreign to the earliest worshipers. Instead, the first shrines were often the mountains themselves, or sacred groves where the spirits of nature dwelled. The earliest shrines were simply quiet spots in the mountains or forests near great trees, where village councils sought the advice of ancestors and other deities. These sacred places were not man-made palaces but natural objects that served as a physical bond between the human world and the divine. The word for shrine in Japanese, jinja, originally meant a place where a kami, or spirit, was present, and the first shrines were often just sacred groves or forests. The very first buildings at places dedicated to worship were hut-like structures built to house some kami, but the most ancient shrines, like the Omiwa Shrine in Nara, still have no sacred images or objects because they are believed to serve the mountain on which they stand. The mountain itself is the deity, and the shrine is merely the place where the mountain is worshipped. This origin is still visible in the Japanese words for mountain and forest, which can also mean shrine. The first shrines were not buildings but the natural world itself, and the worshipers did not need to build a house for the spirit because the spirit was already there, in the rock, the tree, or the water. The first shrines were not buildings but the natural world itself, and the worshipers did not need to build a house for the spirit because the spirit was already there, in the rock, the tree, or the water. The first shrines were not buildings but the natural world itself, and the worshipers did not need to build a house for the spirit because the spirit was already there, in the rock, the tree, or the water.

The Great Codification And The Buddhist Shadow

For centuries, Shinto rites were oral traditions passed down through generations, but in the year 905, Emperor Daigo ordered a compilation of Shinto rites and rules to bring order to the chaotic landscape of worship. The project initially stalled at the death of Fujiwara no Tokihira in April 909, but his brother, Fujiwara no Tadahira, took charge and in the year 927, the Engishiki was promulgated in fifty volumes. This work, the first formal codification of Shinto rites and Norito to survive, became the basis for all subsequent Shinto liturgical practice and efforts. The Engishiki listed all of the 2,861 Shinto shrines existing at the time, and the 3,131 official-recognized and enshrined deities. It was a massive administrative document that regulated Shinto worship and contained liturgical rites and regulations for the Ministry of Ceremonies and the Ministry of the Imperial Household. The arrival of Buddhism in Japan in around the sixth century introduced the concept of a permanent shrine, and a great number of Buddhist temples were built next to existing shrines in mixed complexes called jinguji. These complexes were born when a temple was erected next to a shrine to help its kami with its karmic problems, as the kami were thought to be also subjected to karma and therefore in need of a salvation only Buddhism could provide. The jinguji remained common for over a millennium until, with few exceptions, they were destroyed in compliance with the new policies of the Meiji administration in 1868. The Engishiki was a monumental effort to preserve the ancient traditions, but the arrival of Buddhism would soon change the landscape of Shinto forever, creating a syncretic relationship that would last for over a thousand years. The Engishiki was a monumental effort to preserve the ancient traditions, but the arrival of Buddhism would soon change the landscape of Shinto forever, creating a syncretic relationship that would last for over a thousand years.

When was the first known Shinto shrine built?

The first known Shinto shrine was built in the year 478. It did not look like later structures and was often a mountain or sacred grove rather than a building with a roof and walls.

What is the Engishiki and when was it promulgated?

The Engishiki is the first formal codification of Shinto rites and Norito to survive, and it was promulgated in the year 927. This work listed all of the 2,861 Shinto shrines existing at the time and became the basis for all subsequent Shinto liturgical practice.

What happened to Shinto shrines during the Meiji administration in 1868?

The Meiji administration promulgated a new policy of separation of kami and foreign Buddhas with the Shinbutsu bunri in April 1868. This event triggered the Haibutsu Kishaku movement which caused the forcible closure of thousands of Buddhist temples and the destruction of Buddhist property.

What is the shintai in a Shinto shrine?

The shintai is a physical object worshiped at or near Shinto shrines because a kami is believed to reside in them. These objects can be natural features like rocks, mountains, trees, and waterfalls, or man-made items such as mirrors, swords, and jewels.

Which Shinto shrine is the oldest in Japan?

The oldest shrine in Japan is Uji's Ujigami Shrine, which has a honden of the Nagare-zukuri style. This style is characterized by a very asymmetrical gabled roof projecting outwards on the non-gabled side above the main entrance.

How many Shinto shrines exist in Japan and which network is the largest?

There are an estimated 80,000 shrines in Japan, and the largest network is the Inari shrines with more than 32,000 members. These shrines are dedicated to Inari, the tutelary kami of agriculture, and constitute almost a third of the total.

The Great Separation And The Violent Dawn

The Shinto shrine went through a massive change when the Meiji administration promulgated a new policy of separation of kami and foreign Buddhas with the Shinbutsu bunri. This event triggered the Haibutsu Kishaku, a violent anti-Buddhist movement which in the final years of the Tokugawa shogunate and during the Meiji Restoration caused the forcible closure of thousands of Buddhist temples, the confiscation of their land, the forced return to lay life of monks, and the destruction of books, statues and other Buddhist property. The process was done in several stages, starting with an order issued by the government in April 1868 that ordered the defrocking of shrine monks performing Buddhist rites at Shinto shrines. A few days later, the government banned the application of Buddhist terminology such as gongen to Japanese shrines and the veneration of Buddhist statues in shrines. The third stage consisted of the prohibition against applying the Buddhist term Great Bodhisattva to the syncretic Hachiman at the Iwashimizu Hachiman-gu and Usa Hachiman-gu shrines. In the fourth and final stage, all the defrocked shrine monks were told to become shrine priests and return to their shrines. Monks of the Nichiren sect were told not to refer to some deities as Buddhas. After a short period in which it enjoyed popular favor, the process of separation of Buddhas and kami however stalled and is still only partially completed. To this day, almost all Buddhist temples in Japan have a small shrine dedicated to its Shinto tutelary kami, and vice versa Buddhist figures are revered in Shinto shrines. The Shinbutsu bunri was a radical attempt to redefine the religious landscape of Japan, but the deep-rooted syncretism of the people made it impossible to completely sever the ties between the two religions. The Shinbutsu bunri was a radical attempt to redefine the religious landscape of Japan, but the deep-rooted syncretism of the people made it impossible to completely sever the ties between the two religions.

The Fox And The Warrior And The Scholar

The most numerous shrines in Japan are dedicated to Inari, tutelary kami of agriculture popular all over Japan, which alone constitute almost a third of the total. Inari protects fishing, commerce, and productivity in general, and many modern Japanese corporations have shrines dedicated to Inari on their premises. The entrance to an Inari shrine is usually marked by one or more vermilion torii and two white foxes. The fox statues are at times mistakenly believed to be a form assumed by Inari, and they typically come in pairs, representing a male and a female, although sex is usually not obvious. These fox statues hold a symbolic item in their mouths or beneath a front paw, most often a jewel and a key, but a sheaf of rice, a scroll, or a fox cub are common. The second most numerous shrines are dedicated to Hachiman, a syncretic entity worshiped as both a kami and a Buddhist bodhisattva, intimately associated with both learning and warriors. Hachiman was deeply revered during the Heian period, and according to the Kojiki, it was Ojin who invited Korean and Chinese scholars to Japan, and for this reason he is the patron of writing and learning. Because as Emperor Ojin he was an ancestor of the Minamoto clan, Hachiman became the patron of the Minamoto samurai clan of Kawachi. After Minamoto no Yoritomo became shogun and established the Kamakura shogunate, Hachiman's popularity grew, and he became by extension the protector of the warrior class the shogun had brought to power. The third major network is dedicated to Tenjin, enshrining 9th-century scholar Sugawara no Michizane. Michizane had been unjustly exiled in his life, and it was necessary to somehow placate his rage, believed to be the cause of a plague and other disasters. Because in life he was a scholar, he became the patron of learning, and during the Edo period schools often opened a branch shrine for him. The Tenjin shrine network enshrines 9th-century scholar Sugawara no Michizane, and the shrine dedicated to him is Kitano Tenman-gu, the first of the shrines dedicated to him. The Tenjin shrine network enshrines 9th-century scholar Sugawara no Michizane, and the shrine dedicated to him is Kitano Tenman-gu, the first of the shrines dedicated to him.

The Network Of The Kami And The Modern World

There are an estimated 80,000 shrines in Japan, and the majority of Shinto shrines are associated with a shrine network. These are highly concentrated, and over one-third, 30,000, are associated with Inari. The top six networks comprise over 90% of all shrines. There are at least 20 networks with over 200 shrines. The spreading of a kami can be evoked by one or more of several different mechanisms. The typical one is an operation called kanjō, a propagation process through which a kami is invited to a new location and there re-enshrined. The new shrine is administered completely independent from the one it originated from. The process of propagation, described by the priests, in spite of this name, not as a division but as akin to the lighting of a candle from another already lit, leaves the original kami intact in its original place and therefore does not alter any of its properties. The resulting spirit has all the qualities of the original and is therefore alive and permanent. The transfer does not necessarily take place from a shrine to another: the divided spirit's new location can be a privately owned object or an individual's house. The kanjō process was of fundamental importance in the creation of all of Japan's shrine networks. The Inari shrines are the largest network, with more than 32,000 members, about a third of the total. The Hachiman shrines are the second largest, with 25,000 shrines. The Shinmei shrines are the third largest, with 18,000 shrines. The Tenjin shrines are the fourth largest, with 10,500 shrines. The Munakata shrines are the fifth largest, with 8,500 shrines. The Suwa shrines are the sixth largest, with 5,000 shrines. The Hiyoshi shrines are the seventh largest, with 4,000 shrines. The Kumano shrines are the eighth largest, with 3,000 shrines. The Gion shrines are the ninth largest, with 3,000 shrines. The Tsushima shrines are the tenth largest, with 3,000 shrines. The Shirayamahime shrines are the eleventh largest, with 2,717 shrines. The Atsuta shrines are the twelfth largest, with 2,000 shrines. The Matsunoo shrines are the thirteenth largest, with 1,114 shrines. The Kashima shrines are the fourteenth largest, with 918 shrines. The Akiha shrines are the fifteenth largest, with 800 shrines. The Kotohira shrines are the sixteenth largest, with 683 shrines. The Katori shrines are the seventeenth largest, with 477 shrines. The Hikawa shrines are the eighteenth largest, with 287 shrines. The Kibune shrines are the nineteenth largest, with 260 shrines. The Taga shrines are the twentieth largest, with 229 shrines. The network of shrines is a vast and complex system that connects the entire country, and the kanjō process is the mechanism that allows the kami to spread and be worshipped in new locations. The network of shrines is a vast and complex system that connects the entire country, and the kanjō process is the mechanism that allows the kami to spread and be worshipped in new locations.