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Nature Spirits Kami
Spirituality Shintoism
Every Shinto home had a Kamidana
which was the focus of daily offerings and reverence. A Kamidana (kami shelf)
was a small shrine that was either placed or hung high on the wall of Japanese
homes. The traditional martial arts dojo also had Kamidana. A hand cleansing
ritual was followed before worshiping at the Kamidana. Worship usually consisted
of offerings of flowers and food (rice, water) and prayers.
The Kamidana held a broad
array of Shinto ceremonial objects. In the picture above of a personal Kamidana,
offering were made to personally revered Kami. Yorishiro were natural ceremonial
residences for the animistic kami spirits to inhabit when they participated in
Shinto ceremonies. The ancient Japanese cultures were aware of the spiritually
charged presence of the kami Nature Spirits of forests, mountains, lightening,
rain and trees.
Since Japanese ancient folk
beliefs were deeply rooted in the past, shrines were often located in the beauty
of Nature. Jinja shrines were often surrounded by sacred groves where the Kami
who normally inhabited the deep valleys or steep mountains could stay when they
came to visit as the guest of honor during Shinto festivals.
These local shrines were usually
the focal point of the community. Since Kami often dwelt in caves, earth mounds,
tree groves, Shinto shrines (jinja, yashiro, mori) included Yorishiro decorated
with gohei paper streamers, magatama comma-shaped jewels and shimenawa sacred
ropes.
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Whether at home or at a
shrine, Shinto prayers followed a pattern. First the mouth and hands were cleansed
with clean water. Then, offerings were given of food at home or coins at the
shrine, visitors bowed deeply twice, clapped hands twice, bowed deeply once more and prayed.
The Shinto priests, who performed the rituals, were private persons (male and
female) who could marry and have children.
There were several
educational institutions and examinations for those who wanted to become priests
or obtain a higher priestly grade or status. Within the Shinto priesthood there
were six grades (the Superior, the First, the Second, the Semi-Second, the Third,
and the Fourth grades); and five ranks (Johkai, Meikai, Seikai, Gon-Seikai, and
Chokkai).
With rare exceptions,
priests needed to serve in shrines for more than twenty years as Shinto priests
before they could be given grades above the Semi-Second. To become a Guji, chief
priest, the priest must have obtained a rank higher than Gon-Seikai for an
ordinary shrine.
Shinto Priests needed to obtain a grade higher than Meikai to serve as the Guji of certain eminent
shrines. In the picture above Shinto Guji Kannushi Shrine stands beneath a sacred rope shimenawa and gohei
paper streamers at the entrance which was flanked by Yorishiro for the Chrysanthemum flower Kami (Nature Spirits).
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