Writing Assignment 1: Sacred Sightseeing.

Japan has been very appealing to me since my early teen aged years. I’ve spent a lot of my free
time immersing myself in its history, culture and mythology, so when I finally do get a chance to travel
outside of the country my first, second, and probably third stop will definitely be there. This assignment
has not only made my travel plans a little more packed but has also helped me to understand why so
many people can look at some parts of nature and see the hand of God, or gods at work. There are some
places in this world so awe inspiring that reason and science alone, can’t adequately describe the
feelings they invoke inside us. The two examples I chose for this paper are Ise Jingu, and Mount Fuji,
because even though I don’t believe in gods I can see why these sites inspire such beliefs in others.

My first stop on this sacred tour of Japan would be to Mount Fuji, or Fujisan. Located
approximately 60 miles from Tokyo, Fujisan was formed roughly 25,000 years ago, and experienced its
most recent of at least ten eruptions in 1707, making it one of Japan’s youngest and most active
volcanos (Gray, Fuji San). Fujisan’s erratic volcanic activity caused destruction and mayhem in the lives
of those who lived around it inspiring the Ainu, the indigenous people of Japan, to worship the mountain
as their Fire Goddess Ape-Huchi-Kamuy (Gray, Fuji San). Fujisan however, also created many life-giving
natural resources such as, springs, lakes, waterfalls and fertile farming ground. Which the modern
Japanese Shinto inhabitants believed to be apart of the dual nature of Fujisan’s Kami, Asama no Okami,
the Shinto goddess of volcanos and blossoming trees. All the historical stories of actual eruptions and
myths of Asama’s rathful anger and benevolent kindness (Muller), combined with the observations of
the mountain area’s changing appearance and its renewal and regrowth in an area of Japan that has
been densely populated since prehistory, undoubtable contributed to the considerable love and fear
there is for this sacred mountain. Culminating in Fujisan’s religious purpose and meaning throughout
Japan’s history as a symbol or power both spiritual and natural, and as a symbol or death and rebirth
(Unesco).

Fujisan’s religious usage and features are largely interconnected. Both religions make
pilgrimages to the top of the mountain, but there are some differences as to why. In Shinto Fujisan
symbolizes spiritual and natural power, to Buddhist it symbolizes death and rebirth and is a place for
ascetic practices. Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples can be found in many places around its base and
peak and serve different purposes. The shrines were constructed between the 16 th and 17th centuries
and are used to appease Asama with offerings and prayers so she won’t erupt again, and to ask her to
bliss those who climb Fujisan with renewed spiritual powers, they are also purification spots for pilgrims
climbing the mountain. Fuji Hongu Sengon Toisha Shrine, is the headquarters of all the shrines that
worship Asama no Okami and her father, and is located at the base of the mountain, and house
Wakutamaike pond, a sacred pond feed by one of Fujisan’s springs and used for purification (Yamanashi
Free Wi-Fi Project).

The Buddhist temples founded around the 12th century, are for pilgrims to meditate and pray at
the peak of the mountain and along the ascending routes (Gray, Fuji San). And to experience a symbolic
spiritual death and rebirth at the supposed home of the buddha of All-Illuminating Wisdom at the peak
of the mountain (Yamanashi Free Wi-Fi Project). At the time in the 12th century it was also a place for the
ascetics to separate them self from the rest of the world, but with modern tourism that practice is no
longer viable. The natural features on and around Fujisan are also sacred and include; The Fuji Five
Lakes, springs and lakes that are feed by rain water and snow melt from Fujisan, were used by the Fuji-
ko, a sec of Shinto that worshiped the mountain over the other Kami, as part of a circuit of locations
they would visit before ascending the mount to purify their bodies and souls. Lava tree molds, which are
small cave like hollows formed when lave flows envelope trees and harden around them (Unesco), are
found near the base of Fujisan and are places to worship Asama no Okami. Hitoana Wind Cave, is the
sacred abode of Asama, and has a shrine compound that pays homage to Hasegawa Kakugyo, who is
thought to be the founder of Fuji-ko. Fujisan’s volcanic power of life and death, and beautiful natural
features have cemented the iconic mountain not only as a source for artistic inspiration, but a spiritual
landmark and a cultural symbol of Japan (Yamanashi Free Wi-Fi Project).

As much as I may want to do as the Buddhist ascetics did and stay on Fujisan there’s another
sacred place waiting for me, so I must drag myself back to the tour bus. My next stop is in Mie
Prefecture, previously Ise Province. This lush forest environment contains house Japanese cypress trees
and looming Cryptomeria, vast rice fields on its hillsides, and pearl cultivation on its coastal waters. This
land is full of magnificent nature and life, and Kami, Kami everywhere. In the cypress trees used to
construct shrines, in the grains of rice harvested from their stalks, in the ocean waves and crystal-clear
rivers. If I were the Sun Goddess Amaterasu-Omikami I would want to call this place my home too. Mie
Prefecture is the location of Ise Jingu, or the Grand Shrine of Ise, the worldly home of Amaterasu, the
Japanese Imperial Family’s personal shrine, and the spiritual home of the Japanese people (Gray, Ise).

The mythical story behind the location of Ise Jingu says while Princess Yamatohime was
wandering, searching for a final resting place for Amaterasu’s mirror, one of the three sacred objects the
Sun Goddess gifted to the Emperior as a symbol of their divine authority, Yamatohime heard the voice of
Amaterasu when she came to the forest of Ise telling her, “this is a good place, and I would like to stay
here.”(Contributors). The earliest shrine, Naiku the inner shrine dated to 690 C.E, is the one dedicated
to Amaterasu and the one I’m going to be focusing on, but it should be noted the Ise Jingu is actually
composed of 125 other shrines and sacred objects, with the main shrine complex consisting of the Naiku
shrine and Geku or outer shrine (Jingu Administration Office).

Ise Jingu’s Naiku shrine has numerous features that are similar to most other shrines in Japan
including, Torii Gates, tall wooden arches that separate sacred spaces form the rest or the world, and
Temizusha, which are fountains or pools of water used to purify worshipers’ hands and mouths before
entering the shrine (Contributors). But what makes Naiku shrine features unique, other than being the
where the ancestral Kami of the Imperial Family is enshrined, is how it was all constructed. Every
element of the Naiku and Geku shrines are constructed in a traditional Japanese fashion that predates
Chinese and Buddhist influence and is forbidden from being used in the construction of other shrines.
The main building in the Naiku shrine, the one that supposedly houses the mirror, is modeled after
ancient grainery, with the same square shape and thatched roof supported by two pools buried directly
into the ground. Don’t let the idea of a shrine modeled after a barn fool you into thinking, it’s simple or
unimpressive looking, the shrine is adorned with Chigi, forked protruding wooden beams at either end
and Katsuogi short horizontal logs across the ridge that are plated in gold, along with all the other fitting
and accents of the shrine (Jingu Administration Office).

There are countless other features, both in the main Ise Jingu complex and surrounding it that I
wish I could talk about, but the tour bus is leaving soon so I’ll have to gloss over the Ujibashi Bridge,
constructed using the same ancient techniques to build the shrines, and regarded as the gate way to the
Kami (Jingu Administration Office). And the forest and rivers that make the land so enticing, even to the
great Kami themselves, will have to do with just a mention of their abundant spiritual power and the
other local kami that have long resided there (Gray, Ise). The natural resources of Mie Prefecture do
however play a vital role in the rituals I’m about to examine. There are many daily and annual rituals
that take place in Ise Jingu’s main shrine complex, the most important of them being the Kannamesai.
This ritual is the first offering of rice to Amaterasu-Omikami as thanks for the previous harvest yields and
for continued prosperity. The High Priestess, a member of the Imperial Family, and the Emperor them
self often take part in this ritual dedicating an ear of new rice grown by the Emperor to Amaterasu,
along with other food offerings gathered from neighboring cities and towns (Jingu Administration
Office). This ritual along with most others held at Ise Jingu, is not open to the public; However, parts of
Shikinen Sengu, a rebuilding ceremony held every 20 years for both the Naiku and Geku Shrines is.

This ritual is not only important for maintaining the condition of Ise Jingu but is a renewal of the
strength of Amaterasu and the other kami in the area. Shikinen Sengu is also the renewal of the spiritual
connection the Imperial Family as well as the whole country has with her (Jingu Administration Office).
The ritual rebuilding involves dismantling the shrines at their current location, distributing the material
to other shrines throughout the country for their own reconstruction, and completely rebuilding the
shrines with new material in an adjacent site connect to the shrine identical to how it has been for
centuries. The ritual takes eight years to complete and the last time it was done in 2013 cost
approximately 500 million USD and used 10,000 Japanese cypress trees (Japan for Sustainability). The
parts of this ritual that are open to the public are the Okihiki and Oshiraish-mochi ceremonies, The
Okihiki event is where the timber used in the construction of the new shrines are carried into the
sanctuaries. In the Oshiraish-monchi event, people pick up white stones from the Miyagawa River, to be
place in the new and old sanctuary ground to preserve their sacred power for the next 20 years. These
events are quite lively and help maintain the bond the Japanese people have, not only with Ise Jingu, but
with the Kami and spiritual live of Japan (Japan for Sustainability).

Well that’s it, my time here is over, the tour bus is leaving the station. I’m to be brought back to
the world of mortal toil and mundanity. I look forward to the day I actually get to visit Fujisan and Ise
Jingu on my own. Getting to experience what millions of pilgrims before me have, the feeling of the
overwhelming presence of Fujisan’s powerful of presence, and the inspiring ingenuity of ancient peoples
in their construction methods, and the beauty of the Mie forest that convinced a God to call it home at
Ise Jingu.

Bibliography

Contributors, New World Encyclopedia. Ise Shinto. Vers. 1009567. 2018 March 2018. New World
Encyclopedia,. 30 September 2018. <http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Special:Cite?
page=Ise_Shinto>.

Gray, Martin. Fuji San. 2017. <https://sacredsites.com/asia/japan/fuji_san.html>.

—. Ise. 2017. 28 September 2018. <https://sacredsites.com/asia/japan/ise.html>.

Japan for Sustainability. Rebuilding Every 20 Years Renders Sanctuaries Eternal- the Sengu Ceremony at
Jingu Shrine in Ise. October 2004. 4 October 2018.
<https://www.japanfs.org/en/news/archives/news_id027786.html>.
Jingu Administration Office. Ise Jingu. 2015. 28 September 2018.
<https://www.isejingu.or.jp/en/about/index.html>.

Mythical Mountains: Crash Course World Mythology #33. Dir. Stan Muller. 2017.

Unesco. "Nomination of Funisan for Inscription on the World Heritage List." January 2012. Unesco.org.
<https://whc.unesco.org/uploads/nominations/1418.pdf>.

Yamanashi Free Wi-Fi Project. "Fujisan, sacred place and source of artistic inspiration." June 2013.
Yamanahi-Kankou.jp. <https://www.yamanashi-kankou.jp/wi-fi/documents/fuji-english-
guide.pdf>.