Last Saturday, there was a festival at the Shinto shrine in my neighborhood. Since lanterns lighting up looked so romantic and pretty, I went out to take some photos.
The shrine is called Mishimagamo jinjya and was built in the mid-4th century. It enshrines Tamayori-hime who is Emperor Jimmu 's mother. They are figures from Japanese mythology. Jimmu is said to be legendary the first emperor of Japan.
Normally, although the main shrine isn't open to public, this time was opened for visitor. So, I took the opportunity to take the photo.
There were some food stands. It's a typical Japanese festival scene. If you visit larger Shinto shrines such as Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto, you'll find much more food stands.
Since this place is normally very quiet, it felt a bit strange it was crowed with many people.
This is a festival season in Japan, so if you are lucky, you might catch one when you visit shrines or temples.
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I would like you, Yumi, if you feel like it, to tell us very basically what Shintoism is for you and why it is so important in Japan. You are under no obligation to answer me. Thank you very much.
@druida In Japan, there is a saying: "We are born Shinto, and we die Buddhist." When a baby is born, the family visits a shrine to report the birth, and they also go to a shrine to pray for the child’s growth at the ages of 3, 5, and 7. In the region where I grew up, we also visit the shrine when the child turns 13. However, the visits at the ages of 3, 7, and 13 are only for girls. We also visit shrines for the coming-of-age ceremony and for the New Year’s first shrine visit (hatsumode). Shinto feels closer to us because many shrines are connected to the worship of the Emperor.
Very interesting, Yumi.
I'm glad that I could give you interesting information.
In Spain and before the empire of Rome, there were some ancestral religious cults. One of them was the Celtic cult. It was an animist religion and very involved with nature. Even today, there are still Celtic influences within the Christian tradition in some areas of Spain. Shintoism has, I believe, a lot of connection with nature, as do the Celtic cults. Thank you for your comments, Yumy.
Thank you for sharing these beautiful photos! お天気はどうでしたか？
@druida You are so right! We've found God into mountains, rivers, forests, trees, rocks and more and enshrined them as God. It's very interesting to know it sounds universal. Thank you for sharing!
@ahuntley You are welcome and thank you for leaving the comment. お天気は、恵まれました。
Really beautiful pictures.
Thank you, David!