We enjoyed a relaxing, stay-at-home weekend—everyone needs those sometimes—but in the interest of bringing you something new and different to look at, here’s an adventure from several weeks back when we went to a combination Buddhist temple/Shinto shrine just around the corner from our house.
The story of the goddess of this shrine is related in a series of panels in a small room off the Shinto shrine. A local weaver was so beautiful that people came from far and wide to admire her, but she was very upset by all the attention and hid in her house until her jealous sister snuck a man into the garden to see her. After this she ran and hid in a cave, refusing to come out.
I didn’t quite follow the next couple of panels, to be honest; something happened at Shuri Castle but I’m not sure what or how it is connected to the rest of the story. So skipping ahead . . . the man that snuck into the garden is drowning in the ocean and this weaver goes out to rescue the man that had offended her. Because of her magnanimous actions and virtuous nature, she is deified and her temple is located at the site of the cave in which she hid.
The Shinto shrine—note the shisas standing guard on either side of the stairs. This larger front building is where the people come to pray and make offerings; there is another smaller building in the back which no one is allowed to enter except the priests because that is where the goddess is supposed to live.
When you enter a Shinto shrine, you cleanse your hands and mouth with water. (Swish and spit to the side, not back in the fountain!)
Just a small detail that I liked!
The Shinto altar—the mirror is a significant symbol from their creation mythology. Check Wikipedia if you’re curious; that’s where I read the story.
This is the collection box that sits right in the middle of the doorway. The worshippers don’t typically enter the building; they stand just outside the door, go through a series of bows and claps, say a brief prayer, deposit a few coins, bow a few more times and leave. Even the ones who bring food offerings only go a few feet inside the door and then a priest meets them.
The Buddhist temple (a separate but nearby building) was darker, so it was hard to get a good picture, but I thought the comparison between the two altars was interesting. Also there was a fairly steady stream of people at the Shinto side, but the Buddhist side was completely empty. I find it all very interesting, mostly in an academic sense—yep, I’m a nerd!
Hope you’re having a great day!
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