|
Shimenawa
are lengths of laid rice straw or hemp rope used for ritual purification in the Shinto religion. vary in diameter from a few centimetres to several metres, and are often seen festooned with —traditional paper streamers. A space bound by typically indicates a sacred or ritually pure space, such as that of a Shinto shrine. are believed to act as a ward against evil spirits, and are often set up at a ground-breaking ceremony before construction begins on a new building. They are often found at Shinto shrines, gates, and sacred landmarks. are also placed on , objects considered to attract spirits or be inhabited by them. These notably include being placed on certain trees, the spirits considered to inhabit them being known as . Cutting down these trees is thought to bring misfortune. In the case of stones considered to be inhabited by spirits, the stones are known as . A variation of the are worn in sumo wrestling by (grand champions), during the entrance ceremony to d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Meotoiwa
, or Married Couple Rocks, are a kind of rock formation seen as religiously significant in Shinto. They are a subtype of Iwakura rock. According to Shinto, the rocks represent the union of the creator ''kami'', Izanagi and Izanami. The rocks, therefore, celebrate the union in marriage of man and woman. The most famous pair is the pair at Futami Okitama Shrine in Futami-ura Futami-ga-ura is a sub-bay or inlet of Ise Bay in Japan, where the Isuzu River enters the bay.Futami-ura Futami-ga-ura is a sub-bay or inlet of Ise Bay in Japan, where the Isuzu River enters the bay.Futami-ura Futami-ga-ura is a sub-bay or inlet of Ise Bay in Japan, where the Isuzu River enters the bay.Futami-ura Futami-ga-ura is a sub-bay or inlet of Ise Bay in Japan, where the Isuzu River enters the bay.Futami-ura Futami-ga-ura is a sub-bay or inlet of Ise Bay in Japan, where the Isuzu River enters the bay.Futami-ura Futami-ga-ura is a sub-bay or inlet of Ise Bay in Japan, where the Isuzu Rive ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Futodama
Futodama () or Futotama is a god in Japanese mythology, claimed to be the ancestor of Inbe clan, whose characteristics are believed to reflect the functions of the clan as court ritualists. Name and etymology The god is known as Ame-no-Futodama-no-Mikoto () or Futodama (, ) for short. His name is speculated to mean great gift or offering. Myths After Susanoo-no-Mikoto, Susanoo accidentally killed one of Amaterasu, Amaterasu's attendants in her weaving hall, she got upset and locked herself in Ama-no-Iwato, causing the world to plunge into darkness. After almost a year of chaos, Omoikane (Shinto), Omoikane and the other gods came up with a plan to get her out. Futodama and Ame-no-Koyane were tasked with performing a divination. After Amaterasu left the cave, Futodama used a shimenawa to prevent her from going back to the cave again. This story is said to be the mythical origin of shimenawa. In the ''Kogo Shūi'', Futodama is placed as the leader of the performed rituals. Fami ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shide (Shinto)
are zigzag-shaped paper streamers, often seen attached to or to demarcate holy spaces, and used in Shinto rituals in Japan. They are usually found adorning doorways, shrine buildings, and kamidana. The origins of ''shide'' are traced to the ''yūshide'', a thread made from the bark of Broussonetia, ''Broussonetia'' × ''kazinoki'' mentioned in the ''Kojiki''. There are different styles of folding ''shide''. One method requires placing the paper zigzags in a cut slit on a stick, creating a ritual object known as a ''gohei'' or ''heihaku''. A ''gohei'' is an offering to kami that can be seen on ''kamidana'' altars and inside the main building of a Shinto shrine. A common purification ritual uses a , a wooden stick with linen or paper ''shide'' attached at the top. A Shinto priest waves the over a person, item, or newly bought property, such as a building or a car. The wand is waved at a slow and rhythmic pace, but with a little force so that the strips make a rustling noise ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea in the south. The Japanese archipelago consists of four major islands—Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu—and List of islands of Japan, thousands of smaller islands, covering . Japan has a population of over 123 million as of 2025, making it the List of countries and dependencies by population, eleventh-most populous country. The capital of Japan and List of cities in Japan, its largest city is Tokyo; the Greater Tokyo Area is the List of largest cities, largest metropolitan area in the world, with more than 37 million inhabitants as of 2024. Japan is divided into 47 Prefectures of Japan, administrative prefectures and List of regions of Japan, eight traditional regions. About three-quarters of Geography of Japan, the countr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sumo Wrestling
is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a '' rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring ('' dohyō'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by throwing, shoving or pushing him down). Sumo originated in Japan, the only country where it is practised professionally and where it is considered the national sport. It is considered a ''gendai budō'', which refers to modern Japanese martial arts, but the sport has a history spanning many centuries. Many ancient traditions have been preserved in sumo, and even today the sport includes many ritual elements, such as the use of salt purification, from Shinto. Life as a wrestler is highly regimented, with rules regulated by the Japan Sumo Association. Most sumo wrestlers are required to live in communal sumo training stables, known in Japanese as '' heya'', where all aspects of their daily livesfrom meals to their manner of dressare dicta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Citrus Aurantium Chinotto1
''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the family Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, mandarins, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. ''Citrus'' is native to South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Melanesia, and Australia. Indigenous people in these areas have used and domesticated various species since ancient times. Its cultivation first spread into Micronesia and Polynesia through the Austronesian expansion (–1500 BCE). Later, it was spread to the Middle East and the Mediterranean () via the incense trade route, and from Europe to the Americas. Renowned for their highly fragrant aromas and complex flavor, citrus are among the most popular fruits in cultivation. With a propensity to hybridize between species, making their taxonomy complicated, there are numerous varieties encompassing a wide range of appearance and fruit flavors. Evolution Evolutionary history The large citrus fruit of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ise Bay
is a bay located at the mouth of the Kiso Three Rivers between Mie prefecture, Mie and Aichi prefecture, Aichi Prefectures in Japan. Ise Bay has an average depth of and a maximum depth of . The mouth of the bay is and is connected to the smaller Mikawa Bay by two channels: the Nakayama Channel and the Morosaki Channel. Mikawa Bay is subsequently joined to the Pacific Ocean by the Irako Channel, which ranges from in depth. History and environment Ise Bay derives its name from the region surrounding Ise Grand Shrine and the city of Ise, Mie, Ise, where the shrine stands. The flat coastal plain that stretches from Kuwana, Mie, Kuwana in northern Mie Prefecture to Ise is called the Ise Plain and this plain lies on the western shore of Ise Bay. Prior to the Meiji Period, Ise Province consisted of most of modern Mie Prefecture. From ancient times, Ise Bay has provided the people of the surrounding regions with a rich abundance of natural resources as well as providing easy transpo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kumano Nachi Taisha
is a Shinto shrine and part of the UNESCO-designated World Heritage Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range of Japan. The Kumano Kodō route connects it to other sites under the same classification, which are primarily located in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. The four sites on the route, classified as pilgrimage destinations and World Heritage Sites, are: 1) Nachi Taisha; 2) Hongū Taisha; 3) Hayatama Taisha; 4) Koya-san. Kumano Nachi Taisha is also one of the three sacred Kumano Sanzan shrines: # Kumano Nachi Taisha # Kumano Hongū Taisha # Kumano Hayatama Taisha This classification is based mostly in Japanese history, as pilgrims would travel to all three sites to complete their pilgrimage. Kumano Nachi Taisha is an example of Buddhist and Shinto syncretism ( Shinbutsu shūgō) nestled in the Kii Mountains, near Kii Katsuura, Japan. Cedar forests surround the site. The 133-meter Nachi Waterfall, worshiped at the Hiryū Shrine near Kumano Nachi Taish ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nachi Falls
in Nachikatsuura, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan, is one of the best-known waterfalls in Japan. With a drop of 133 meters (and 13 meters wide), it is the tallest waterfall with a single uninterrupted drop in Japan (although Japan also disputes Russia's right to Iturup Island, which has the 141 m high Ilya Muromets Waterfall); however, the tallest Japanese waterfalls with multiple drops are Hannoki Falls, at 497 m (seasonal), and Shōmyō Falls, at 350 m (year round). There are two rocks at the top of the falls that are the guardian kami of the falls and the Shinto shrine. There was also a Buddhist temple here that was destroyed during the Meiji Restoration (late 19th century). Many ''shugenja'' and star-crossed lovers have leaped from the top of the waterfall in the belief that they will be reborn into Kannon's paradise. Early each morning, the Shinto priest makes offerings to the waterfall in a ritual. In 1918, a Sutra mound was excavated at the base of the waterfall and fou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Susanoo-no-Mikoto
__FORCETOC__ Susanoo (, ; Historical kana orthography, historical orthography: , ), often referred to by the honorific title Susanoo-no-Mikoto (), is a in Japanese mythology. The younger brother of Amaterasu, goddess of the sun and mythical ancestress of the Imperial House of Japan, Japanese imperial line, he is a multifaceted deity with contradictory characteristics (both good and bad), being portrayed in various stories either as a wild, impetuous god associated with the sea and storms, as a heroic figure who killed a monstrous serpent, or as a local deity linked with the harvest and agriculture. Shinbutsu shūgō, Syncretic beliefs of the Gion cult that arose after Buddhism in Japan, the introduction of Buddhism to Japan also saw Susanoo becoming conflated with deities of pestilence and disease. Susanoo, alongside Amaterasu and the earthly Ōkuninushi (also Ōnamuchi) – depicted as either Susanoo's son or scion depending on the source – is one of the central deities of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amano-Iwato
is a cave in Japanese mythology. According to the ''Kojiki'' (''Records of Ancient Matters'') and the ''Nihon Shoki'', the bad behavior of Susano'o, the Japanese god of storms, drove his sister Amaterasu into the Ama-no-Iwato cave. The land was thus deprived of light.Philippi, Donald L. 1968/1969. ''Kojiki''. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press and Tokyo: University of Tokyo Press. In order to get Amaterasu out of the cave, all the other eight million gods threw a party outside with wisdom of Omoikane. The goddess Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto performed a lewd dance, eliciting laughter. Amaterasu grew curious about the source of amusement and peeked out of the cave entrance. She became fascinated by her own reflection in the mirror Yata no Kagami which the other gods had crafted and hung before the cave for that purpose, and stood transfixed. Ame-no-Tajikarao then forced the cave open and the world was bathed in light once again. As Amaterasu stepped out of the cave, a ho ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amaterasu
, often called Amaterasu () for short, also known as and , is the goddess of the sun in Japanese mythology. Often considered the chief deity (''kami'') of the Shinto pantheon, she is also portrayed in Japan's earliest literary texts, the () and the (720 CE), as the ruler (or one of the rulers) of the heavenly realm Takamagahara and as the mythical ancestress of the Imperial House of Japan via her grandson Ninigi. Along with two of her siblings (the moon deity Tsukuyomi and the impetuous storm-god Susanoo) she ranks as one of the "Three Precious Children" (, ), the three most important offspring of the creator god Izanagi. Amaterasu's chief place of worship, the Grand Shrine of Ise in Ise, Mie Prefecture, is one of Shinto's holiest sites and a major pilgrimage center and tourist spot. As with other Shinto ''kami'', she is also enshrined in a number of Shinto shrines throughout Japan. Name The goddess is referred to as ''Amaterasu Ōmikami'' ( / ; historical orthogr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
