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Ujigami Shrine
An is a guardian god or spirit of a particular place in the Shinto religion of Japan. The ''ujigami'' was prayed to for a number of reasons, including protection from sickness, success in endeavors, and good harvests. History The ''ujigami'' is thought to have been more important only since the eighth century. In its current form, the term ''ujigami'' is used to describe several other types of Shinto deities. Originally, the term ''ujigami'' referred to a family god. It is believed that, at first, these deities were worshiped at temporary altars. After the Heian period, the Japanese manorial system was established and nobles, warriors and temples had their own private land, the family-based society fell out of use, and belief in ujigami diminished. In turn, the lords of the manors began to pray to the deities to protect their land. These guardian deities were referred to as . In the Muromachi period the manorial system declined, and so the guardian deities were enshrined ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sorei
The Japanese word refers to the spirits of ancestors: Specifically it refers to the spirits of those ancestors that have been the target of special memorial services that have been held for them at certain fixed times after their death. The dates and the frequencies of these services vary widely depending on the region of Japan.Hendry, 1995, p. 30Bernier, 1985, pp. 68-69 Suitable occasions may for example be 33 and 50 years after death. A special belief connected with ''sorei'' is the notion that the memorial services result in the ancestral spirit successively losing its individuality, eventually becoming an entirely deindividualized part of the collective of ''sorei''.Hendry, 1995, p. 30 However, depending on the region people may think that these services are merely aimed at properly disposing or pacifying the ancestral spirit.Bernier, 1985, pp. 68-69 The folklorist Yanagita Kunio has asserted that the rituals and ideas around ''sorei'' could be fitted into a general sch ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Japanese Gods
This is a list of divinities native to Japanese beliefs and religious traditions. Many of these are from Shinto, while others were imported via Buddhism or Taoism and were "integrated" into Japanese mythology and folklore. Major kami * Amaterasu-Ōmikami (), she is the goddess of the sun as well as the purported ancestress of the Imperial Household of Japan. Her name means "Shines from Heaven" or "the great kami who shine Heaven". For many reasons, one among them being her ties to the Imperial family, she is often considered (though not officially) to be the "primary god" of Shinto. * Ame-no-Uzume ( or ) Commonly called Uzume, she is the goddess of dawn and revelry in Shinto. * Fūjin () Also known as , he is the Japanese god of the wind and one of the eldest Shinto gods, said to have been present at the creation of the world. He is often depicted as an oni with a bag slung over his back. * Hachiman () is the god of war and the divine protector of Japan and its people. Or ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shinto Shrines
A is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more '' kami'', the deities of the Shinto religion. Overview Structurally, a Shinto shrine typically comprises several buildings. The ''honden''Also called (本殿, meaning: "main hall") is where a shrine's patron ''kami'' is/are enshrined.Iwanami Japanese dictionary The ''honden'' may be absent in cases where a shrine stands on or near a sacred mountain, tree, or other object which can be worshipped directly or in cases where a shrine possesses either an altar-like structure, called a '' himorogi,'' or an object believed to be capable of attracting spirits, called a '' yorishiro,'' which can also serve as direct bonds to a ''kami''. There may be a and other structures as well. Although only one word ("shrine") is used in English, in Japanese, Shinto shrines may carry any one of many different, non-equivalent names like ''gongen'', ''-gū'', ''jinja'', ''jingū'', ''mori'', ''myōjin'', ''-sha'', ''tai ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Japanese Folk Religion
Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shintoists'', although adherents rarely use that term themselves. There is no central authority in control of Shinto, with much diversity of belief and practice evident among practitioners. A polytheistic and animistic religion, Shinto revolves around supernatural entities called the . The are believed to inhabit all things, including forces of nature and prominent landscape locations. The are worshiped at household shrines, family shrines, and ''jinja'' public shrines. The latter are staffed by priests, known as , who oversee offerings of food and drink to the specific enshrined at that location. This is done to cultivate harmony between humans and and to solicit the latter's blessing. Other common rituals include the dances, rites of pass ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tutelary Deities
A tutelary () (also tutelar) is a deity or a spirit who is a guardian, patron, or protector of a particular place, geographic feature, person, lineage, nation, culture, or occupation. The etymology of "tutelary" expresses the concept of safety and thus of guardianship. In late Greek and Roman religion, one type of tutelary deity, the ''genius'', functions as the personal deity or ''daimon'' of an individual from birth to death. Another form of personal tutelary spirit is the familiar spirit of European folklore. Ancient Greece Socrates spoke of hearing the voice of his personal spirit or ''daimonion'': The Greeks also thought deities guarded specific places: for instance, Athena was the patron goddess of the city of Athens. Ancient Rome Tutelary deities who guard and preserve a place or a person are fundamental to ancient Roman religion. The tutelary deity of a man was his Genius, that of a woman her Juno. In the Imperial era, the Genius of the Emperor was a focus of Imperi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Breen (scholar)
John Lawrence Breen (born 3 March 1956) is a British academic and Japanologist. He is a specialist in Japanese history at the in Kyoto. He writes in English and Japanese on the history of Shinto and the imperial institution. Early life Breen was awarded his BA at the University of Cambridge in 1979. He earned a Ph.D. in 1993 at Cambridge. Career From 1985 through 2008, Breen was a Lecturer, Senior Lecturer and Reader in Japanese at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. He is currently Professor at the International Research Centre for Japanese Studies. He is also Editor-in-Chief of the peer-reviewed journal ''Japan Review''. Breen's critical examination of religious practices in Japan has been informed by his historical research. Historicity is construed as a fundamental component of Breen's view of Shinto.Rambelli, Fabio "Dismantling stereotypes surrounding Japan's sacred entities,"''Japan Times.'' July 15, 2001 Breen's work on Shinto is influenced by th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mark Teeuwen
Mark J. Teeuwen (Marcus Jacobus Teeuwen, born 9 February 1966, Eindhoven) is a Dutch academic and Japanologist. He is an expert in Japanese religious practices, and he is a professor at the University of Oslo.University of Oslo faculty CV/ref> In a 2002 essay called From Jindō to Shinto: A Concept Takes Shape, he traced the evolution of the term "Shinto" from the reconstructed pronunciation ''Jindō'' at the time of the Nihon Shoki until today, describing the changes its meaning has gone through. Early life Teeuwen was awarded his MA at the University of Leiden in 1989. His earned a Ph.D. at Leiden in 1996. Career From 1994 through 1999, Teeuwen was a Lecturer at the Japanese Studies Centre, University of Wales in Cardiff. Since 1999, he has been Professor of Japanese at the University of Oslo. Teeuwen's critical examination of religious practices in Japan is considered ground-breaking. His published work has been informed by his historical research. Historicity is construe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Uji (clan)
:''This is about the early Japanese kin groups. For other uses, see Uji (other).'' are Japanese kin groups of the Kofun period. ''Uji'' were similar to the traditional Japanese clans;Louis-Frédéric, Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"Uji"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 1010. however, the pre-Taika Reform, Taika ''uji'' did not have many of the characteristics which are commonly understood to be part of Japanese clans. For example, the Nakatomi clan and the Fujiwara clan were each ''uji''.Edmond Papinot, Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papinot, (2003)"Ryūzōji", ''Nobiliare du Japon'', p. 67 [PDF 71 of 80)/nowiki>]; retrieved 2013-5-12. The ''uji'' was not only a social, economic and political unit. It also had religious significance in the 5th–7th centuries. The family chief has the title of ''Uji no kami'' (氏上) although ''uji no osa'' (氏長), ''uji no chōja'' (氏長者), and ''uji no mune'' ( ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Glossary Of Shinto
This is the glossary of Shinto, including major terms on the subject. Words followed by an asterisk (*) are illustrated by an image in one of the photo galleries. __NOTOC__ A * – A red papier-mâché cow bobblehead toy; a kind of ''engimono'' and an ''omiyage'' (a regional souvenir in Japan) that is considered symbolic of Aizu. * – A type of fan held by aristocratic women of the Heian period when formally dressed; it is brightly painted with tassels and streamers on the ends. Held today in Shinto by a ''miko'' in formal costume for festivals. See also ''hiôgi''. * – The term's meaning is not limited to moral evil, and includes misfortune, inferiority and unhappiness. * - A malevolent fire spirit, demon or devil. * - Also known as the ''Akujin'', the ''Kibi-no-Ananowatari-no-Kami'' and as the ''Anato-no-Kami'', ''Akuru'' is a malevolent ''kami'' that is mentioned in the ''Keikoki'' (records regarding the time of the Emperor Keiko), the ''Nihonshoki'' (Chronicles of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shinto
Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shintoists'', although adherents rarely use that term themselves. There is no central authority in control of Shinto, with much diversity of belief and practice evident among practitioners. A polytheistic and animistic religion, Shinto revolves around supernatural entities called the . The are believed to inhabit all things, including forces of nature and prominent landscape locations. The are worshiped at household shrines, family shrines, and ''jinja'' public shrines. The latter are staffed by priests, known as , who oversee offerings of food and drink to the specific enshrined at that location. This is done to cultivate harmony between humans and and to solicit the latter's blessing. Other common rituals include the dances, rites of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chinjugami
is a god enshrined to protect a specific building or a certain area of land. Nowadays, it is often equated with Ujigami and Ubusunagami. A shrine that enshrines a guardian deity is called a Chinjusha. They contrast with Ujigami by having ties to land and buildings rather than bloodlines. Anyone living on the land worships them regardless of blood ties. Overview It is said to have originated in the Garanshin () of China. In the Buddhist temples of Japan, as Buddhism was introduced and Shinbutsu-shūgō progressed, Shinto deities were enshrined to protect temples, and later Shinto deities were also enshrined in buildings other than temples and in certain areas of land. Nowadays, it is often thought that the jinchujin is the deity that lives in the land ( Jinushigami), but if we trace back to the beginning, the jinchujin was a newly enshrined deity to suppress and subjugate the jishu kami. In other words, when people built artifacts on a certain land, they would enshrine a new de ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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