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Shinboku
A is a tree or forest worshipped as a – a physical object of worship at or near a Shinto shrine, worshipped as a repository in which spirits or reside. They are often distinctly visible due to the wrapped around them. The related term refers to trees that are considered sacred or divine in the precincts of Shinto shrines and of Shinto, as well as the forests that surround them and trees that are not grown for logging. It also refers to trees that are owned by shrines or by private individuals and have a special origin in folklore. It may also refer to trees that have been specially cut down for planting or growing wild to be used as timber for the construction of shrines. Overview Nature worship, also known as Himikura Shinto, is a part of the Ko-Shintō, ancient Shinto religion that originated in Japan. This form of worship is based on gratitude, fear, and respect for , life, and nature. Ancient Shinto practices involved using symbolic objects, such as trees, in pla ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shintai
In Shinto, , or when the honorific prefix ''go''- is used, are physical objects worshipped at or near Shinto shrines as repositories in which spirits or ''kami'' reside.''Shintai'', Encyclopedia of Shinto ''Shintai'' used in Shrine Shinto (Jinja Shinto) can be also called . In spite of what their name may suggest, ''shintai'' are not themselves part of ''kami'', but rather just temporary repositories which make them accessible to human beings for worship. ''Shintai'' are also of necessity '' yorishiro'', that is objects by their very nature capable of attracting ''kami''. Description The most common ''shintai'' are man-made objects like mirrors, swords, jewels (for example comma-shaped stones called '' magatama)'', '' gohei'' (wands used during religious rites), and sculptures of ''kami'' called , but they can be also natural objects such as rocks (), mountains (), trees (), and waterfalls (). Before the forcible separation of ''kami'' and Buddhas of 1868 ('' shinbutsu bunri'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yorishiro
A in Shinto terminology is an object capable of attracting spirits called , thus giving them a physical space to occupy during religious ceremonies. are used during ceremonies to call the for worship. The word itself literally means "approach substitute". Once a actually houses a , it is called a . Ropes called decorated with paper streamers called often surround to make their sacredness manifest. Persons can play the same role as a , and in that case are called or . History and their history are intimately connected with the birth of Shinto shrines. Early Japanese culture did not have the notion of anthropomorphic deities, and felt the presence of spirits in nature and its phenomena.Tamura (2000:21) Mountains, forests, rain, wind, lightning and sometimes animals were thought to be charged with spiritual power, and the material manifestations of this power were worshiped as , entities closer in essence to the mana (Oceanian cultures), Oceanian concept of mana. Village c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tamagushi
is a form of Shinto offering made from a ''sakaki''-tree branch decorated with shide strips of washi paper, silk, or cotton. At Japanese weddings, funerals, miyamairi and other ceremonies at Shinto shrines, ''tamagushi'' are ritually presented to the ''kami'' (spirits or gods) by parishioners, shrine maidens or kannushi priests. Linguistic history The Japanese word ''tamagushi'' is usually written with the ''kanji'' ''tama'' 玉 "jade; gem; jewel; precious; ball; bead" and ''kushi'' 串 "string together; skewer; spit; stick", or sometimes written 玉ぐし with ''hiragana'' since the official Tōyō kanji do not include 串. The earliest recorded transcription of ''tamagushi'' is 玉籤, using ''kuji'' 籤 "bamboo slip; (divination) lot; written oracle; raffle; lottery" instead of ''kushi''. The (c. 720 CE) ''Nihon Shoki'' "Chronicles of Japan", which repeatedly mentions a 500-branched ''masakaki'' 真榊 "true ''sakaki''" tree (tr. Aston 1896:43, 47, 121), is the ''lo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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] |
Yakudoshi
, or "calamitous years," are ages that in Japan are traditionally believed to be unlucky. Unlucky years The ages most often considered unlucky in Japan are 25, 42, and 61 for men, and 19, 33, and 37 for women, though there is much regional variation. Note that yakudoshi are calculated by traditional age reckoning in Japan, according to which children are considered to be one year old at birth, and add to their age every New Year's Day. In some communities, the sixty-first year, which was traditionally the year for retirement, has been held to be lucky rather than unlucky. Among the unlucky years, the most unlucky are thought to be the ages of 42 for men and 33 for women, which are known as ''daiyakudoshi'', or "great-calamity years." The year preceding a yakudoshi year, called a year, is also considered dangerous, as is the year following one, called ''atoyaku''. Although yakudoshi is a folk belief, it is shared even by many sophisticated urban Japanese, though the anthropol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gohei
, , or are wooden wands, decorated with two (zigzagging paper streamers) used in Shinto rituals. It may be considered an Ōnusa with only two Shide. The streamers are usually white, although they can also be gold, silver, jade, or a mixture of several colors, and are often attached as decorations to straw ropes () used to mark sacred precincts. The shrine priest or attendants () use the to bless or sanctify a person or object in various Shinto rituals. The is used for some ceremonies, but its usual purpose is to cleanse a sacred place in temples and to cleanse, bless, or exorcise any object that is thought to have negative energy. In addition to its use in purification rituals, it may be included in an (wooden wand with many ), and serve as the object of veneration () in a Shinto shrine. A type of food called Goheimochi is thought to have been named after the staff. The characters Reimu Hakurei and Sanae Kochiya from Touhou Project wield gohei. See also * Flail * Gl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ise Grand Shrine
The , located in Ise, Mie Prefecture of Japan, is a Shinto shrine dedicated to the solar goddess Amaterasu Ōmikami and the grain goddess Toyouke-hime (Toyouke Omikami). Also known simply as , Ise Shrine is a shrine complex composed of many Shinto shrines centered on two main shrines, and . The Inner Shrine, Naikū (also officially known as "Kōtai Jingū"), is dedicated to the worship of Amaterasu and is located in the town of Uji-tachi, south of central Ise, where she is believed to dwell. The shrine buildings are made of solid cypress wood and use no nails but instead joined wood. The Outer Shrine, ''Gekū'' (also officially known as "Toyouke Daijingū"), is located about six kilometers from Naikū and dedicated to Toyouke-Ōmikami, the god of agriculture, rice harvest and industry. Besides Naikū and Gekū, there are an additional 123 Shinto shrines in Ise City and the surrounding areas, 91 of them connected to Naikū and 32 to Gekū. Purportedly the home of the Sacred M ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cryptomeria
''Cryptomeria'' (literally "hidden parts") is a monotypic genus of conifer in the cypress family Cupressaceae. It includes only one species, ''Cryptomeria japonica'' ( syn. ''Cupressus japonica'' L.f.). It is considered to be endemic to Japan, where it is known as . The tree is also called Japanese cedar or Japanese redwood in English. It has been extensively introduced, and cultivated for wood production on the Azores and elsewhere. Description ''Cryptomeria'' is a very large evergreen tree, reaching up to tall and trunk diameter, with red-brown bark which peels in vertical strips. The leaves are arranged spirally, needle-like, long; and the seed cones globular, diameter with about 20–40 scales. It is superficially similar to the related giant sequoia (''Sequoiadendron giganteum''), from which it can be differentiated by the longer leaves (under in the giant sequoia) and smaller cones ( in the giant sequoia), and the harder bark on the trunk (thick, soft and spong ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ilex Integra
''Ilex integra'', the elegance female holly, also called mochi tree, is an ornamental tree of the holly genus, which is native to parts of Asia, including Korea; Taiwan; the mid-southern regions of China; and Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu in Japan. Its flower is light yellow. The species was botanically described in 1784. Uses The bark of the ''Ilex integra'' is an ingredient in birdlime Birdlime or bird lime is an adhesive substance used in Animal trapping, trapping birds. It is spread on a branch or twig, upon which a bird may land and be caught. Its use is illegal in many jurisdictions. Manufacture Historically, the substanc ..., and it is also sometimes planted as a sacred tree. Image:Ilex integra4.jpg, ''Ilex integra'' References External links ''Ilex integra'' integra Plants described in 1784 Flora of China Flora of Taiwan Flora of Japan Trees of Korea {{Ilex-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nageia Nagi
''Nageia nagi'', the Asian bayberry, is a plant species in the family Podocarpaceae named by Carl Peter Thunberg Carl Peter Thunberg, also known as Karl Peter von Thunberg, Carl Pehr Thunberg, or Carl Per Thunberg (11 November 1743 – 8 August 1828), was a Sweden, Swedish Natural history, naturalist and an Apostles of Linnaeus, "apostle" of Carl Linnaeus .... ''Nageia nagi'' is native to China, Japan, and Taiwan. It was formerly called ''Podocarpus nagi''. Description ''Nageia nagi'' is a hardy tree species that can withstand a range of weather conditions, but it prefers moist sites that are well drained and with full sunlight to light shade. Being from the family Podocarpaceae, it is a dioecious tree, that is, the male and female parts of the trees are on separate plants. The pollen cones are catkins and the female cones, which mature in one year, are reduced fleshy bracts that contain a single inverted ovule. It requires wind for pollination; it cannot self-pollinate. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
