Skip to content

The Imperial Line

Hereditary lines are important in Shinto, and none more so than the line of the Tennō. As far as the Shinto establishment is concerned, it is absolutely vital that there be a Tennō, and that he (not she) be a descendant in the male line of Jinmu Tennō, or possibly Tenji Tennō if we want to restrict attention to Tennō who certainly existed. A few articles in the June 24th issue of Jinja Shinpō touched on this in an interesting way, taken collectively. Two were about the annual meeting of… Read More »The Imperial Line

A Priest’s Calling

One of the authors of the Komorëbi (“Sunlight Through Leaves”) column in Jinja Shinpō for the next two years is Revd Tagawa, the chief priest of Fukumo Hachimangū (“Fortunate Mother” Hachimangū) in Ōmachi Town (“Big Town” Town), Saga Prefecture, Kyūshū. Her first column was in the June 17th issue, and she wrote about how she came to be a priest. She was born in 1991, so this is a fairly recent story. She grew up some distance from the jinja, but Ōmachi is the smallest town in Saga Prefecture (Yes,… Read More »A Priest’s Calling

Closing a Jinja

The June 17th issue of Jinja Shinpō contained a short article on the closure of a jinja. This was not a full religious corporation, but rather a small jinja enshrining the people from Yasu in Shiga Prefecture who were killed on military service in wars between the Russo-Japanese War (1904–5) and the Great East Asian War (World War II, but including Japan’s war in China, and thus starting several years earlier). It was established in the precincts of Mikami Jinja in 1949, and supported with monthly rituals and an annual… Read More »Closing a Jinja

Urushi Nō

Today’s post is a bit different, because it is not strictly about Shinto, although it does have a lot of connections to Shinto and jinja. I have posted several times about the 2024 Noto Earthquake that happened on January 1st. One of the worst-hit areas was the city of Wajima, which is famous for its lacquer work (urushi, in Japanese), known as Wajimanuri. I am far from an expert on this topic, although I do like urushi, but my understanding is that Wajimanuri is a particularly involved process, even by… Read More »Urushi Nō

Tsurugaoka Hachimangū Departure

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, Tsurugaoka Hachimangū, a very large jinja in Kanagawa Prefecture, suddenly announced that it was withdrawing from Jinja Honchō. At that point, the motives were unclear. The July 1st issue of Jinja Shinpō contained a report of a press conference held by the chief priest on June 20th, at which he gave his reasons. These refer to the current problems within Jinja Honchō, in particular the dispute between the president and the chairman, and align him firmly with the chairman. He said that Jinja… Read More »Tsurugaoka Hachimangū Departure

Natsumoude 2024

As I mentioned last week, I volunteered at Asakusa Jinja’s Natsumoude again this year. Scheduling meant that I was able to be there on the 1st and 7th of July, so as well as the Natsumoude goshuin, I was able to get the Tanabata goshuin, which is only available on the 7th (because Tanabata is July 7th). The event is organised by the jinja and a committee created to help run this event, and while they cooperate very closely, their responsibilities are divided. Shinto rituals are done by the jinja,… Read More »Natsumoude 2024