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Shintoism Shinto Shrine Kami Way
Glossary Terminology
Koshitsu Shinto (Imperial House Shinto)
Conclave rites performed
by the emperor, who under the Japanese constitution, is the symbol of the state
and the unity of the people. His prayers for a long continuation of the state,
for the happiness of the people, and for world peace are centered around the
goddess, Amaterasu Ohmikami, who according to Japanese myth is the ancestral
deity of the emperor.
The Daijosai Festival of
Thanksgiving is the first Niinamesai (rite of thanksgiving) performed by the
newly crowned emperor of Japan in a temporarily built palace inside the Imperial
Palace, called Daijokyu. Other Koshitsu rites include rites performed at the
Grand Shrine of Ise where Amaterasu Ohmikami is enshrined.
Three imperial shrines
were erected inside the palace in 1869 when the capital of Japan in Kyoto was
relocated to Tokyo. Amaterasu Ohmikami, the imperial ancestral deity, is
centrally enshrined in Kashikodokoro; the deities of heaven and earth are
enshrined on the east side in Shindenwhich; and the spirits of successive
emperors are enshrined on the west side in Koreiden.
An additional shrine
Shinkaden was built in order to perform the rite of Thanksgiving,
Niinamesaithere. All the Koshitsu rites are performed in these shrines which are
interconnected by corridors. The true nature of the emperor is to always be with the Kami, the deities. He
performs numerous rites each year beginning with the first yearly rite, Genshisai. Shoten (men) and Nai-Shoten (women) clergy assist the emperor in
performing these rites.
Makato
Connotes the
Shinto ethic of roundedness - that good is found in inner harmony, sincerity of
heart, good will, and cooperation, while selfish desires, social discord,
hatred, and a malevolent heart only serve as an invitation for evil to enter
your life.
Minzoku Shinto (Folk Shinto)
The customs of Shinto
practiced by the common people gradually grew into a complex form of festivals
and rites that sometimes included elements of Confucianism, Taoism, and
Buddhism. Originally one with Shrine Shinto, the traditional forms of Shinto
became Folk Shinto when Buddhism was the state religion in the time of Emperor
Temmu (673-686), and the government established specific Japanese festivals and
rituals.
Folk Shinto rites are life
passages rites and year round observances rites which are all closely related to
rites and festivals performed at the Shinto Shrine. For example, it is the
custom in agricultural communities to perform rituals without a priest.
A member of the community,
usually a young boy is nominated as Toya. Under a one year rotation system, he
then performs the rites to worship the deity of the locality...Continue on
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Shinto Shrine Kami Way Copyright © 2002-2008 Maureen Grace Burns, Blessings Cornucopia. All Rights Reserved.
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