thumb|Two women praying in front of a shrine|432x432px
A is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more , the deities of the Shinto religion. is where a shrine's patron is or are enshrined. The may be absent in cases where a shrine stands on or near a sacred mountain, tree, or other object which can be worshipped directly or in cases where a shrine possesses either an altar-like structure, called a , or an object believed to be capable of attracting spirits, called a , which can also serve as direct bonds to a . There may be a and other structures as well.
Although only one word ("shrine") is used in English, in Japanese, Shinto shrines may carry any one of many different, non-equivalent names like , , , , , , , , , or . Miniature shrines () can occasionally be found on roadsides. Large shrines sometimes have on their precincts miniature shrines, or . , the palanquins which are carried on poles during festivals (), also enshrine and are therefore considered shrines.
In 927 CE, the was promulgated. This work listed all of the 2,861 Shinto shrines existing at the time, and the 3,131 official-recognized and enshrined . In 1972, the Agency for Cultural Affairs placed the number of shrines at 79,467, mostly affiliated with the . Some shrines, such as the Yasukuni Shrine, are totally independent of any outside authority. The number of Shinto shrines in Japan is estimated to be around 100,000.
Since ancient times, the families dominated Shinto shrines through hereditary positions, and at some shrines the hereditary succession continues to present day.
The Unicode character representing a Shinto shrine (for example, on maps) is .
Etymology
thumb|Etymology of Jinja from oracle bone characters
is the most general word for a Shinto shrine. Such deities are also often called or .
indicates a shrine enshrining an imperial prince. However, there are many instances where it is used simply as a tradition. is a combination of two words: and . They are also called . These were conceived to attract the and allow them physical space, thus making accessible to human beings.
The first buildings at places dedicated to worship were hut-like structures built to house some .
First temporary shrines
True shrines arose with the beginning of agriculture, when the need arose to attract to ensure good harvests. For the same reason, it has a worship hall, a , but no place to house the , a .
Besides Ōmiwa Shrine, another important example is Mount Nantai, a phallus-shaped mountain in Nikko which constitutes Futarasan Shrine's .
Rites and ceremonies
In 905 CE, Emperor Daigo ordered a compilation of Shinto rites and rules. Previous attempts at codification are known to have taken place, but, neither the Konin nor the Jogan Gishiki survive. Initially under the direction of Fujiwara no Tokihira, the project stalled at his death in April 909. Fujiwara no Tadahira, his brother, took charge and, in 927, the was promulgated in fifty volumes.
This, the first formal codification of Shinto rites and Norito (liturgies and prayers) to survive, became the basis for all subsequent Shinto liturgical practice and efforts. In addition to the first ten volumes of this fifty volume work, which concerned worship and the Department of Worship, sections in subsequent volumes addressing the and the regulated Shinto worship and contained liturgical rites and regulation. In 1970, Felicia Gressitt Brock published a two-volume annotated English language translation of the first ten volumes with an introduction entitled Engi-shiki; procedures of the Engi Era.
State Integration
State integration of Shinto began in the 7th and 8th centuries during the and early . During this era, indigenous rituals and shrine architecture were formally incorporated into the Japanese governmental hierarchy. During the Ritsuryō period, the was written under the reigns of Emperor Tenmu (672–686) and Empress Jitō (687–697) and was implemented in 701, marking the initial institutionalization of Shinto in Japan and forming one of the first legal codes that structured the religion. This code, along with its many revisions, including the , formed the Ritsuryō System that defined the Ritsuryō period. Under the Ritsuryō system, one of the two major branches of the Japanese government was , or the Department of Divinity. This department defined the structure of shrines and rituals through the Ritsuryō Codes. As part of the Yōrō Code, 19 rituals of 13 categories were established, including the following:
- Chinka-sai (hana shizume matsuri) was a sickness prevention rite performed during the third lunar month. It was believed that when blossoms fell in the springtime, would set out and spread illnesses across the nation. Official rites were performed at the Ōmiwa Shrine and Sai Shrine. Similar practices were also performed among the general public.
- Kinen-sai (Toshigoi no matsuri) was a rite performed on the fourth day of the second lunar month to pray for a good harvest. Unlike the Chinka-sai rites, Kinen-sai was imperially administered nationally and performed at the 3,132 shrines recorded in Jinmyochō. Established in 675 as a rite of the Ritsuryō state, it was largely based on a similar Chinese field-sowing rite. In 798, shrines were categorized as either imperially administered shrines (Jingikan saijin) or provincially endowed shrines (kokushi saiki nenshi). This rite was performed at Jingikan saijin, and while the emperor himself wouldn't participate, it was attended by head officials of Jingikan. Similar to other palace rituals, Kinen-sai died out toward the end of the Muromachi period as a result of military conflict. A great number of Buddhist temples were built next to existing shrines in mixed complexes called to help priesthood deal with local , making those shrines permanent. Some time in their evolution, the word , meaning 'palace', came into use, indicating that shrines had, by then, become the imposing structures of today. the , the , the , or 'stone lantern', and the , or 'lion dogs', are all elements borrowed from Buddhism.
Shinbutsu shūgō and the jingūji
thumb|An example of : [[Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū-ji in an old drawing. In the foreground the shrine-temple's Buddhist structures (not extant), among them a pagoda, a belltower and a . The shrine (extant) is above.]]
Until the Meiji period (1868–1912), shrines as they exist today were rare. With very few exceptions like Ise Grand Shrine and Izumo Taisha, they were just a part of a temple-shrine complex controlled by Buddhist clergy.
The complexes were born when a temple was erected next to a shrine to help its with its karmic problems. At the time, were thought to be also subjected to karma, and therefore in need of a salvation only Buddhism could provide. Having first appeared during the Nara period (710–794), the remained common for over a millennium until, with few exceptions, they were destroyed in compliance with the new policies of the Meiji administration in 1868.
Shinbutsu bunri
The Shinto shrine went through a massive change when the Meiji administration promulgated a new policy of separation of and foreign Buddhas () with the . This event triggered the , a violent anti-Buddhist movement which in the final years of the Tokugawa shogunate and during the Meiji Restoration caused the forcible closure of thousands of Buddhist temples, the confiscation of their land, the forced return to lay life of monks, and the destruction of books, statues and other Buddhist property.
Until the end of Edo period, local beliefs and Buddhism were intimately connected in what was called , up to the point where even the same buildings were used as both Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples.
After the law, the two would be forcibly separated. This was done in several stages. At first, an order issued by the in April 1868 ordered the defrocking of and (shrine monks performing Buddhist rites at Shinto shrines). A few days later, the banned the application of Buddhist terminology such as to Japanese and the veneration of Buddhist statues in shrines. In the fourth and final stage, all the defrocked and were told to become "shrine priests" () and return to their shrines.
Shintai
thumb|Mount Fuji is Japan's most famous .
The defining features of a shrine are the it enshrines and the (or if the honorific prefix is used) that houses it. While the name literally means 'body of a ', are physical objects worshiped at or near Shinto shrines because a is believed to reside in them. are not themselves part of , but rather just symbolic repositories which make them accessible to human beings for worship; the inhabits them. are also of necessity , that is objects by their very nature capable of attracting .
The most common are objects like mirrors, swords, jewels (for example comma-shaped stones called ), (wands used during religious rites), and sculptures of called , but they can be also natural objects such as rocks, mountains, trees, and waterfalls. In the case of a man-made , a must be invited to reside in it.
The first duty of a shrine is to house and protect its and the which inhabits it. This process of propagation, described by the priests, in spite of this name, not as a division but as akin to the lighting of a candle from another already lit, leaves the original intact in its original place and therefore does not alter any of its properties.
The transfer does not necessarily take place from a shrine to another: the divided spirit's new location can be a privately owned object or an individual's house. The process was of fundamental importance in the creation of all of Japan's shrine networks (Inari shrines, Hachiman shrines, etc.).
Shake families
The are families and the former social class that dominated Shinto shrines through hereditary positions within a shrine. The social class was abolished in 1871, but many families still continue hereditary succession until present day and some were appointed hereditary nobility () after the Meiji Restoration.
Some of the most well-known families include:
- Arakida and Watarai of Ise Grand Shrine
- Senge and Kitajima of Izumo Taisha Some shrines were established to worship living people or figures from myths and legends. An example is the Tōshō-gū shrines erected to enshrine Tokugawa Ieyasu, or the many shrines dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, like Kitano Tenman-gū.
thumb|[[Izumo-taisha]]
Often, the shrines which were most significant historically do not lie in a former center of power like Kyoto, Nara, or Kamakura. For example, Ise Grand Shrine, the Imperial household's family shrine, is in Mie prefecture. Izumo-taisha, one of the oldest and most revered shrines in Japan, is in Shimane Prefecture. This is because their location is that of a traditionally important , and not that of temporal institutions.
Some shrines exist only in one locality, while others are at the head of a network of . The spreading of a can be evoked by one or more of several different mechanisms. The typical one is an operation called , a propagation process through which a is invited to a new location and there re-enshrined. The new shrine is administered completely independent from the one it originated from.
However, other transfer mechanisms exist. In Ise Grand Shrine's case, for example, its network of Shinmei shrines (from , another name for Amaterasu) grew due to two concurrent causes. During the late Heian period the cult of Amaterasu, worshiped initially only at Ise Grand Shrine, started to spread to the shrine's possessions through the usual mechanism. Because its , Amaterasu, is an ancestor of the Emperor, Ise Grand Shrine is the Imperial Household's family shrine. Ise Grand Shrine is dedicated specifically to the emperor. In the past, even his mother, wife and grandmother needed his permission to worship there. Its traditional and mythological foundation date goes back to 4 BCE, but historians believe it was founded around the 3rd to 5th century CE.
Izumo Taisha in Shimane Prefecture is so old that no document about its origin survives, and the year of foundation is unknown. The shrine is the center of a series of sagas and myths.
thumb| leading to the [[Fushimi Inari-taisha]]
Fushimi Inari Taisha is the head shrine of the largest shrine network in Japan, which has more than 32,000 members, about a third of the total. Inari Okami worship started here in the 8th century and has continued ever since, expanding to the rest of the country. Located in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, the shrine sits at the base of a mountain also named Inari and includes trails up the mountain to many smaller shrines. Another very large example is the Yūtoku Inari Shrine in Kashima City, Saga Prefecture.
Ōita Prefecture's Usa Shrine, called in Japanese Usa Jingū or Usa Hachiman-gū, is together with Iwashimizu Hachiman-gū, the head of the Hachiman shrine network. Hachiman worship started here at least as far back as the Nara period (710–794). In 860, the was divided and brought to Iwashimizu Hachiman-gū in Kyoto, which became the focus of Hachiman worship in the capital. Located on top of Mount Otokoyama, Usa Hachiman-gū is dedicated to Emperor Ōjin, his mother Empress Jingū, and female Hime no Okami.
Itsukushima Shrine is, together with Munakata Taisha, at the head of the Munakata shrine network. Remembered for its raising from the waters, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The shrine is dedicated to the three daughters of Susano-o no Mikoto, of seas and storms and brother of the great sun .
Kasuga Taisha is a Shinto shrine in the city of Nara, in Nara Prefecture, Japan. Established in 768 AD and rebuilt several times over the centuries, it is the shrine of the Fujiwara family. The interior is noted for its many bronze lanterns, as well as the many stone lanterns that lead up the shrine. The architectural style takes its name from Kasuga Taisha's .
thumb|The [[Yasukuni Shrine in Chiyoda, Tokyo]]
The Kumano Sanzan shrine complex, head of the Kumano shrine network, includes Kumano Hayatama Taisha (Wakayama Prefecture, Shingu), Kumano Hongu Taisha (Wakayama Prefecture, Tanabe), and Kumano Nachi Taisha (Wakayama Prefecture, Nachikatsuura).
The religious significance of the Kumano region goes back to prehistoric times and predates all modern religions in Japan. The majority of Shinto shrines are associated with a shrine network.
! Branch shrines
! Head shrine
|-
| colspan="2" |Inari shrines
| 32,000
| Fushimi Inari Taisha (Kyoto)
|-
| colspan="2" |Hachiman shrines
| 25,000
| Usa Hachiman-gū (Ōita Prefecture, Kyushu), Iwashimizu Hachiman-gū (Kyoto)
|-
| colspan="2" |Shinmei shrines
| 18,000
| Ise Jingū (Mie prefecture)
|-
| colspan="2" |Tenjin shrines
|10,500
|Kitano Tenman-gū (Kyoto), Dazaifu Tenman-gū (Fukuoka prefecture, Kyushu)
|-
| colspan="2" |Munakata shrines
| 8,500
| Munakata Taisha (Fukuoka Prefecture, Kyushu), Itsukushima Shrine (Hiroshima)
|-
| colspan="2" |Suwa shrines
| 5,000
| Suwa Taisha (Nagano prefecture)
|-
| colspan="2" |Hiyoshi shrines
| 4,000
| Hiyoshi Taisha (Shiga prefecture)
|-
| colspan="2" |Kumano shrines
| 3,000
| Kumano Nachi Taisha (Wakayama prefecture)
|-
| rowspan="2" |Gion shrines
| Tsushima shrines
| 3,000
|| Tsushima Shrine (Aichi prefecture)
|-
| Yasaka shrines
| 3,000
| Yasaka Shrine (Kyoto)
|-
| colspan="2" |Shirayamahime shrines
|2717
|Shirayamahime jinja
|-
| colspan="2" |Atsuta Shrines
|2000
|Atsuta jingū
|-
| colspan="2" |Matsunoo Shrines
|1114
|Matsunoo taisha
|-
| colspan="2" |Kashima Shrines
|918
|Kashima jinja
|-
| colspan="2" |Akiha Shrines
|800
|Akihasan Hongū Akiha Shrine
|-
| colspan="2" |Kotohira Shrines
|683
|Kotohira-gū
|-
| colspan="2" |Katori Shrines
|477
|Katori jingū
|-
| colspan="2" |Hikawa Shrines
|287
|Hikawa jinja
|-
| colspan="2" |Kibune Shrines
|260
|Kibune jinja
|-
| colspan="2" |Taga shrines
|229
|Taga taisha
|}
The next ten largest networks contain between 2,000 branches down to about 200 branches, and include the networks headed by Matsunoo-taisha, Kibune Shrine, and Taga-taisha, among others.
Inari shrines
The number of branch shrines gives an approximate indication of their religious significance, and neither Ise Grand Shrine nor Izumo-taisha can claim the first place. The statues are at times mistakenly believed to be a form assumed by Inari, and they typically come in pairs, representing a male and a female, although sex is usually not obvious. These fox statues hold a symbolic item in their mouths or beneath a front paw—most often a jewel and a key, but a sheaf of rice, a scroll, or a fox cub are common. Almost all Inari shrines, no matter how small, will feature at least a pair of these statues, usually flanking, on the altar, or in front of the main sanctuary. First enshrined at Usa Hachiman-gū in Ōita Prefecture, Hachiman was deeply revered during the Heian period. According to the Kojiki, it was Ōjin who invited Korean and Chinese scholars to Japan, and for this reason he is the patron of writing and learning.
Because as Emperor Ōjin he was an ancestor of the Minamoto clan, Hachiman became the of the Minamoto samurai clan Michizane had been unjustly exiled in his life, and it was necessary to somehow placate his rage, believed to be the cause of a plague and other disasters. Kitano Tenman-gū was the first of the shrines dedicated to him. Because in life he was a scholar, he became the of learning, and during the Edo period schools often opened a branch shrine for him. The same three are enshrined elsewhere in the network, sometimes under a different name. However, while Munakata Taisha enshrines all three in separate islands belonging to its complex, branch shrines generally do not. Which they enshrine depends on the history of the shrine and the myths tied to it. The point of origin of the Kumano cult is the Kumano Sanzan shrine complex, which includes (Wakayama Prefecture, Shingu), Kumano Hongu Taisha (Wakayama Prefecture, Tanabe), and Kumano Nachi Taisha (Wakayama Prefecture, Nachikatsuura).
Of these, only the is open to the laity. The is usually located behind the and is often much smaller and unadorned. Other notable shrine features are the , the fountain where visitors cleanse their hands and mouth, and the , the office which oversees the shrine. If a shrine housed a Buddhist temple, it was called a . Analogously, temples all over Japan adopted and built to house them. After the forcible separation of Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines (shinbutsu bunri) ordered by the new government in the Meiji period, the connection between the two religions was officially severed, but continued nonetheless in practice and is still visible today. Larger, more important shrines tend to have unique styles.
Most common styles
The following are the two most common shrine styles in Japan.
Nagare-zukuri
thumb|left|[[Ujigami Shrine in Uji, Kyoto Prefecture]]
The or is a style characterized by a very asymmetrical gabled roof or , projecting outwards on the non-gabled side, above the main entrance, to form a portico. The most common sizes are 1 and 3 . The oldest shrine in Japan, Uji's Ujigami Shrine, has a of this type. Its external dimensions are 5×3 , but internally it is composed of three measuring 1 each. The roof is gabled with a single entrance at the gabled end, decorated with and , covered with cypress bark and curved upwards at the eaves. Supporting structures are painted vermillion, while the plank walls are white. Characterized by an extreme simplicity, its basic features can be seen in Japanese architecture from the Kofun period (250–538 CE) onwards and it is considered the pinnacle of Japanese traditional architecture. Built in planed, unfinished wood, the is either 3×2 or 1×1 in size, has a raised floor, a gabled roof with an entry on one of the non-gabled sides, no upward curve at the eaves, and decorative logs called and protruding from the roof's ridge. Its interior is divided in two sections, one at the and one at the with a single entrance at the front. Construction is simple, but the pillars are painted in vermilion and the walls in white.
The style is supposed to have its origin in old palace architecture.
The normally has a 2×2 footprint ( in Izumo Taisha's case), with an entrance on the gabled end. The stairs to the honden are covered by a cypress bark roof. The oldest extant example of the style is Kamosu Jinja's in Shimane Prefecture, built in the 16th century.
Other styles
Many other architectural styles exist, most of them rare.
Interpreting shrine names
thumb|A small shrine called , following the pre-Meiji custom
Shrine nomenclature has changed considerably since the Meiji period. Until then, the vast majority of shrines were small and had no permanent priest. With very few exceptions, they were just a part of a temple-shrine complex controlled by Buddhist clergy. ; and or .
Shrine names are descriptive. A problem in dealing with them is understanding exactly what they mean. Although there is a lot of variation in their composition, it is usually possible to identify in them two parts. The first is the shrine's name proper, or , the second is the so-called , or 'title'.
Meishō
The most common is the location where the shrine stands, as for example in the case of Ise Jingū, the most sacred of shrines, which is located in the city of Ise, Mie prefecture.
Very often the will be the name of the enshrined. An Inari Shrine for example is a shrine dedicated to Inari. Analogously, a Kumano Shrine is a shrine that enshrines the three Kumano mountains. A Hachiman Shrine enshrines Hachiman. Tokyo's Meiji Shrine enshrines the Meiji Emperor. The name can also have other origins, often unknown or unclear.
Shōgō
The second part of the name defines the status of the shrine.
- is the most general word for a Shinto shrine. This reading reflects the fact that the first shrines were simply sacred groves or forests where were present.
- A is a shrine of particularly high status that has a deep relationship with the Imperial household or enshrines an Emperor. This is the case for, both, Ise Jingū and Meiji Jingū. Many shrines carrying that or 'title' adopted it only after the war. For example, in Eastern Japan, there are still many Hakusan shrines where the shrine itself is called .
- Bow once before entering the .
- Ring the bell 2 to 3 times if present. at a 90-degree angle.
There are rare exceptions to this system. For example, at Usa Jingū and Izumo-taisha, it is correct etiquette to clap four times in front of the offering box rather than the usual twice.
Shrines with structures designated as National Treasures
Shrines that are part of a World Heritage Site are marked with a dagger ().
- Tōhoku region
- Ōsaki Hachiman Shrine (Sendai, Miyagi)
- Kantō region
- Nikkō Tōshō-gū (Nikkō, Tochigi)
- Rinnō-ji (Nikkō, Tochigi)
- Chūbu region
- Nishina Shinmei Shrine (Ōmachi, Nagano)
- Kansai region
- Onjō-ji (Ōtsu, Shiga)
- Hiyoshi Taisha (Ōtsu, Shiga)
- Mikami Shrine (Yasu, Shiga)
- Ōsasahara Shrine (Yasu, Shiga)
- Tsukubusuma Shrine (Nagahama, Shiga)
- Namura Shrine (Ryūō, Shiga)
- Kamo Shrine (Kyoto, Kyoto)
- Daigo-ji (Kyoto, Kyoto)
- Toyokuni Shrine (Kyoto, Kyoto)
- Kitano Tenman-gū (Kyoto, Kyoto)
- Ujigami Shrine (Uji, Kyoto)
- Sumiyoshi Taisha (Osaka, Osaka)
- Sakurai Shrine (Sakai, Osaka)
- Kasuga Shrine (Nara, Nara)
- Enjō-ji (Nara, Nara)
- Isonokami Shrine (Tenri, Nara)
- Udamikumari Shrine (Uda, Nara)
- Chūgoku region
- Sanbutsu-ji (Misasa, Tottori)
- Izumo Taisha (Taisha, Shimane)
- Kamosu Shrine (Matsue, Shimane)
- Kibitsu Shrine (Okayama, Okayama)
- Itsukushima Shrine (Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima)
- Sumiyoshi Shrine (Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi)
- Shikoku region
- Kandani Shrine (Sakaide, Kagawa)
- Kyūshū region
- Usa Shrine (Usa, Ōita)
- Aoi Aso Shrine (Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto)
Officiants
Kannushi
thumb|right|A
A or is a priest responsible for the maintenance of a shrine, as well as for leading worship of a given . Women can become , and it is common for widows to succeed their husbands.
Miko
A is a shrine maiden who has trained for and taken up several duties at a shrine including assistance of shrine functions such as but not limited to: tidying the premises every day, performing the sacred kagura dances on certain occasions, and performing the sale of sacred goods, including amulets known as , paper talismans known as , and wood tablets known as .
Gallery
<gallery widths=200 heights=200>
File:Shinra Zenjin Hall.jpg| style: entrance on the non-gabled side
File:Outside of Itsukushima main shrine.jpg| style: entrance on the gabled side
File:Katsuragi-jinja (Gose, Nara) massha.jpg|Some
File:Hokora-DSC2202.jpg|A
File:安住神社(バイク神社).jpg| is famous not only for praying for safe childbirth, but also as a motorcycle shrine.
</gallery>
See also
- Dambana
- Giboshi
- Glossary of Shinto
- List of National Treasures of Japan (shrines)
- List of Shinto shrines
- Modern system of ranked Shinto shrines
- Senjafuda
- Shrine Shinto
- Twenty-Two Shrines ()