Jingū

There are many different kinds of torii, the open gateways at the entrance to jinja. An article in the July 18th issue of Jinja Shinpō was about the erection of a kuroki torii at a jinja in Kyoto Prefecture. “Kuroki” literally means “black tree”, but it actually refers to wood with the bark still on. Thus, in a kuroki torii the trunks and branches of trees are used in their original form to create the gate. This is described as “the original form of a torii” in the article, but… Read More »Kuroki Torii

Jingū, at Isë, is unique among contemporary jinja, at least as far as I know, in having two chief priests. These are called the Dai Gūji (“Great Chief Priest”) and Shō Gūji (“Small Chief Priest”). Both of these people are frequently mentioned in Jinja Shinpō, and as far as I can tell, the distinction between them is as follows. The Shō Gūji is a career priest, and normally someone who has served as a priest at Jingū for years. He (always he) is normally at Jingū, and fills the role… Read More »The Chief Priests of Jingū