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26 Jul 2020

SHINTO - Iwagami legends

https://japanshrinestemples.blogspot.com/2020/03/ishigami-stone-deity.html

shigami Stone Deity

. Ishigami 石神 Stone Deity .
- - - The related deity Iwagami is introduced on this page:

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Iwagami 岩神 "rock deity"
Often a special rock or boulder venerated by the villagers.

source and more photos: maebasisi/IwagamiInari...

御岩神社 - 岩神稲荷神社 Iwagami Inari Jinja
群馬県前橋市昭和町3-29-6 Gunma, Maebashi city, Showa town
In the back of the shrine is a huge boulder, iwagami no tobiishi 岩神の飛石 "the flying stone of the rock deity".

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- Reference : kojiki.kokugakuin...

. shingun 神軍 / jingun ジングン heavenly army phenomenon .
Stones like arrowheads falling from the sky.

. Shrine, Shinto Shrine (jinja　神社) - Introduction .

. kami　神　Shinto deities - ABC-LIST - .

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. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

- - - Iwagami 岩神 often refers to an unusual rock formation, venerated as a deity.

.......................................................................　Aichi 愛知県 .....
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豊川市 Toyokawa city 八幡町 Yawata town // 岩神

uwabami うわばみ is an old name for a large serpent.

Once upon a time, there lived a huge serpent in the area, as big as a huge tree. It caused a lot of damage to the local farmers. So they hired a Samurai to kill the serpent. They took the head of the serpent and venerated it.
uwabami うわばみ / 蟒蛇 is an old name for a very large serpent. In the local dialect, it changed to Iwagami.
The Uwabami name later changed to Orochi おろち, a serpent that likes Sake rice wind and is represented in the legend of
. Yamata no Orochi (ヤマタノオロチ) 八岐大蛇、八俣遠呂智、八俣遠呂知, .

- quote -
Translation: giant snake, great serpent
Alternate names: orochi, daija
Habitat: wilderness
Diet: carnivorous, very fond of alcohol; gluttonous
Appearance:
Uwabami are enormous serpents. Apart from their incredible size, they closely resemble ordinary snakes. They make their homes in the wilderness, far from civilization.
- Details are here :
- source : yokai.com/uwabami -

.......................................................................　Fukushima 福島県 .....
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館村 Datemura village // 岩神明神

tora no maki 虎之巻 scroll with a tiger
Once upon a time, umakata 馬方 the owner of a horse was on his way home when he met an old ill pilgrim on the road. He took him to his home and nursed him. Just before his death, the pilgrim said: "This is a secret scroll, you must never look at it!" and gave him the scroll.
Later there was a fire in the village and the horse owner took the scroll and brought it to the shrine where 岩神明神 Iwagami Myojin is venerated.
It stayed there with its name, Scroll with a Tiger and nobody has ever looked at it.

. umakata 馬方 owner of a horse .

.......................................................................　Hiroshima 広島県 .....
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庄原市 Shobara city 東城町 Tojo town

. Ishigami san 石神さん The Venerable Stone Deity .

.......................................................................　Kagawa 香川県 .....
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高松市 Takamatsu city 東植田町 Higashi-Ueta town // 岩神

Tanuki-chi タヌキ地 / 狸地 "Tanuki land"
At the foot of the mountain there are two rocks, venreated as 岩神 Iwagami.
East of them there was a small field, but people should not use it because bad things would happen. Tanuki, the messenger of Iwagami, would play his tricks.
So this field was called Tanuki-chi タヌキ地 / 狸地 "Tanuki land".

. tanuki 狸 - mujina 狢－ racoon dog, badger legends .

.......................................................................　Miyazaki 宮崎県 .....
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西都市 Saito city 銀鏡 Shiromi // 石神

tatsu no koma 龍の駒 horse of a dragon
On the Westernn slope of 龍房山 Mount Ryubusuyama there is a hamlet called 秋切集落 Akkiri.
There is 石神 a stone deity named Ryu no Tama 龍之玉. In the nearby river the tatsu no koma 龍の駒 horse of the deity comes do drink.

銀鏡(しらみ)神社 Shirami Jinja / 銀鏡神社（しろみ神社） Shiromi Shrine
- reference source : pmiyazaki.com/siromi_j... -

.......................................................................　Nara 奈良県 .....
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五條市 Gojo city 小島町 Kojima town // 岩神

In the hamlet of Kojima the ground is of one solid piece of rock. All stones and rocks around it are seen as
岩神様 Iwagami Sama.
Is someone takes a stone away, he will be cursed, there will be sickness in his family and people will die, the family will die out.
The villagers hold rituals at a small shrine to appease the deity.

Iwagami Jinja 岩神神社
415 Kojimacho, Gojo, Nara
For the veneration of the huge rock.
source and more photos : ameblo.jp/keith4862...

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- reference : nichibun yokai database -

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. Oiwa Jinja 御岩神社 / お岩神社 / Kabire Jingu 賀毘礼神宮.
in Ibaraki, with a Tengu.
Isonokami, iso no kami 石上 (ishi no ue) 石上サン on a rock

Ryugan Jinja 龍岩神社 in Shimane -- タツイワ様 Tatsuiwa San

Shiraiwa Jinja 白岩神社 in Kochi

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（蒲生郡安土町老蘇式内奥石神社『神社本紀』）

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- #ishigami #stonedeity #stone #rock #iwagami -
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SHINTO - Shibagami legends

https://japanshrinestemples.blogspot.com/2020/03/shibagami.html

Shibagami

On the way up to the Shrine is a red Torii gate and this male symbol.
People come here to pray for children, not getting female diseases and other problems during a pregnancy.
Once upon a timeon
a Samurai and his daughter passed here on a long journey. The daughter was very tired but her father got angry, killed her and buried her, putting a piece of shiba 柴 brushwood on the grave.
The villagers took pity of the girl and built a small Shrine to venerate her.
Since then women with female health problems come here to pray.
- reference source : washimo-web.jp/Information/Shibatatsuhime... -

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. Shrine, Shinto Shrine (jinja　神社) - Introduction .

. kami　神　Shinto deities - ABC-LIST - .

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. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

.......................................................................　Ehime 愛媛県 .....
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西海町 Saikai town // 柴折りさま

Oshiori Sama, O-Shiori sama オシオリサマ，足軽るさま Ashigaru Sama
At the entrance of the village is a valley called シオリ谷 Shioridani.
In former times, 柴折りさま Shibaori sama was venerated here.
If people offer some shiba 柴 brushwood before leaving the hamlet, they will walk easily (ashigaru, ashi ga karuku naru)

- - - - - オシオリサマ in 城辺町 Gusukube city
If there are two hamlets connected via a pass, there is just one way to reach each other.
Each hamlet has a statue of 地蔵 Jizo Bosatsu called オシオリサマ O-Shiori Sama.
If travelers pass the statue, they make offerings of shiba brushwood and pray that they will walk easily.

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Ehime 宇和島市 Uwajima // シバオリサン

Shibagami シバガミ
If people pass a road with a statue of 石地蔵 Jizo Bosatsu or 道祖神 the Dosojin Wayside gods, they make offerings to シバオリサン Shibaori san of shiba brushwood and pray for the safety on the road.
To get protection from the pranks of tanuki 狸 badgers, yamainu 山犬 wolves or notsugo ノツゴ Yokai monsters, they break (ori) green grass by the roadside and make an offering.

notsugo (notsuko) is an invisible yokai that makes it difficult for villagers to walk in the forests.
In other places it makes the sound of a child crying or screaming.

- reference about notsugo -

.......................................................................　Kochi 高知県 .....
柴折さま

. Hidarugami ヒダル神 / ひだる神 / ヒダルカミ the Hunger Gods .
If people make proper offerings of shiba 柴 for 柴折さま the Shibaori Sama, they will not be bewitched by the Hidarugami ひだる神 Hunger Gods.

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高知県 Kochi 土佐山 Tosayama // 柴折様

The 石神さん Ishigami san is also シバオリさん a Shibaori san deity.
If people make a fire on the day of this deity, there will be a fire in their home.
. Ishigami 石神 Stone Deity .

Shibaori Sama 柴折様
If someone walks up a mountain road and suddenly feels very hungry and cold sweat, this is called ダリガミ Hidarigami
In Tosayama this is called kuwan クワン. In that case one must put something to eat into the mouth, even a rain of rice will do.
If one makes proper offerings to Shibaori Sama, this will not happen.
kuwan kuwan クワン imitates the sound of a fox.

. Hidarugami ヒダル神 / ひだる神 / ヒダルカミ Hidarigami Hunger Gods .

.......................................................................　Okayama 岡山県 .....
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久米町 Kume town // 柴取り

The third day of June is called 柴取りの口開け the "opening day of Shibatori".
From this day on people can cut and collect brushwood from the mountain forest.

.......................................................................　Tokushima 徳島県 .....
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三好市 Miyoshi

Shibaori Jizo san 柴折地蔵さん
A statue of Jizo Bosatsu along the road where someone has died is venerated with offerings of shiba 柴 brushwood.

兵庫県諭鶴羽山 Shibaori Jizo in Hyogo, Mount Yuzuruba (607 m)

Shibaori Jizo in Hyogo

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- reference : nichibun yokai database -
柴神 ok / 柴折 ok / 柴取 ok / シバオリ ok / トンビョウ神 ok

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- #shibagami #shibaori #oshiori #shibatori #shibatatsuhime #oshiori #ashigarusama -
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23 Jun 2020

SHINTO - saikigu ritual objects

https://japanshrinestemples.blogspot.com/2020/03/saikigu-ritual-instruments.html

saikigu ritual instruments

- quote -
Hassokuan, Sanbô, Takatsuki 八足案, 三方, 高坏
Utensils used in religious ceremonies, including the following:

Sanbô 三方
A stand used to bear the shinsen or food offerings. Usually made of unpainted hinoki (Japanese cypress).

Oshiki　折敷
The tray placed on top of the sambô.

Hassokuan 八足案
Eight-footed table used to bear items such as heihaku, shinsen, and tamagushi.

Takatsuki 高坏
Pedestal table used to bear the shinsen. In ancient times it was made of clay, but later it came to be made of wood and lacquered.
The kaku-takatsuki is angular, and the maru-takatsuki is round.

- source and photos : kokugakuin -

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. shinsen 神饌 Shinto - Food offerings .

CLICK for more photos ... www.tsukudo.jp

source : tsukudo.jp/sahou-kamidana

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kigu shokunin 木具職人 craftsman making wooden tables

source : edoichiba.jp..kigu...

They make special wooden tables for rituals and food offerings.
Made from hinoki 檜 Japanese cypress.

. Edo craftsmen　江戸の職人 .

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. Shrine, Shinto Shrine (jinja　神社) - Introduction .

. kami　神　Shinto deities - ABC-LIST - .

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- #saikigu #rituals #instruments #sanbo #sanpo #sambo -
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20 Jun 2020

SHINTO - shingun Kami fighting

https://japanshrinestemples.blogspot.com/2020/02/shingun-heavenly-army-phenomenon.html

source : sekiei.nichibun.ac.jp/GAI

- quote -
Dewa Province (出羽国, Dewa no kuni)
was a province of Japan comprising modern-day Yamagata Prefecture and Akita Prefecture, except for the city of Kazuno and the town of Kosaka. Dewa bordered on 陸奥国 Mutsu and Echigō Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was Ushū (羽州).
- Early period
Prior to the Asuka period, Dewa was inhabited by Ainu or Emishi tribes, and was effectively outside of the control of the Yamato dynasty. Abe no Hirafu conquered the native Emishi tribes at what are now the cities of Akita and Noshiro in 658 and established a fort on the Mogami River.
In 708 AD Dewa District (出羽郡, Dewa-gun) was created within Echigō Province. The area of Dewa District was roughly that of the modern Shōnai area of Yamagata Prefecture, and was gradually extended to the north as the Japanese pushed back the indigenous people of northern Honshū.
Dewa District was promoted to the status of a province (Dewa Province (出羽国, Dewa no kuni)) in 712 AD, and gained Okitama and Mogami Districts, formerly part of Mutsu Province.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

.......................................................................　Akita 秋田県 .....
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由利本荘市 Yuri Honjo city 矢島町 Yashima machi town

yanone ishi 矢ノ根石，hirekijin 霹靂碪，shingun 神軍
In Dewa no Kuni 出羽国 the Dewa Domain, there is a penomenon called 神軍 Shingun.
After a strong rainstorm there are stones falling from the sky, looking like yanone 矢の根 arrowheads.
At the beach called 矢嶋 Yajima near 鳥海山 Mount Chokaisan there are white clouds over the sea, coming from 松前 Matsumae. These white clouds are not moving and the earth begins to rattle like an earthquake. If people go to the beach a little later they find various yajiri ishi 鏃石 arrowhead stones on the beach.

This phenomenon is also seen in other parts along the coast, in 青森県 Aomori, 岩手県 Iwate, 茨城県 Ibaraki, even in 松前 Matsumae, Hokkaido.

.......................................................................　Miyagi 宮城県 .....
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also told in 石川県 Ishikawa and 茨城県 Ibaragi

神軍，矢の根石
In the old domain of Mutsu no Kuni 陸奥国 there is a place named Tori no Umi 鳥の海 (Sea of the Birds).
Every year during the coldest season there is a phenomenon called shingun 神軍. After a great rainstorm, there are yane 矢根 arrowheads falling from the sky.

.......................................................................　Niigata 新潟県 .....
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佐渡市 Sado city

Iso no kami いそのかみ
Every year on the 10th day of the second lunar month, the deity Isonokami comes walking over the mountains and the sea.
This is called shingun 神軍.
On this day there is usually a great storm and the ground is shaking. On the next day 石の矢の根 arrowhead stones are on the beach. Raifuishi 雷斧石 arrowhead stones can be found in other places too.

. Isonokami Jingu 石上神宮 Shrine in Nara .
one of the oldest extant Shinto shrines in Japan

- - - - -

Kabuse shingun 鹿伏神軍
yanone ishi 矢の根石
At the Shrine for 鹿伏明神社 Kabuse Myojin in Sado there is usually a strong rainstorm on the 9th day of the second lunar month, which gets wore over night. It calms down the next morning and on the 10th day there is fine weather. The local people on this night the shingun 神軍 is there and the people do not dare to go out.
On the next morning there are strange yanone 矢の根 arrowheads on the ground. People collect them and keep them for their protection
ー新潟県佐渡市相川鹿伏 Aikawa, Kabuse

.......................................................................　Yamagata 山形県 .....

shingun no yajiri 神軍の鏃
In 西浜 Nishihama, Tagawa in 出羽国田川郡 Dewa province there are places where there are no stones.
But after a strong rainstorm there are stones like arrowheads and spear heads on the beach, some are white and some are red.

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飽海郡 Akumi district

source : okab.exblog.jp...

Akumi shingun 飽海神軍
At the Akumi Shrine 出羽国庄内飽海社 the deity 大物忌大神 Omonoimi no Kami is venerated.
Once a year there is a strong storm and the weather is very wild. During this time yanone ishi 矢の根石 arrowhead stones fall from the sky.

鳥海山大物忌神社 Shrine Chokaisan Omonoimi Jinja

On the top of the sacred Mount Chokaisan.
1 Fukura, Yuza, Akumi District, Yamagata
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

A similar tale is told at 出羽国福浦村 Fukuura village.

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- reference : nichibun yokai database -
神軍 - 矢根 - ok / 16 霹靂碪 (09)

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- #shingun #arrowhead #yanone #yajiri #hekirekichin #神軍 -
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18 Jun 2020

SHRINE - Sakura Jingu

https://japanshrinestemples.blogspot.com/2020/02/sakura-jingu.html

Sakura Jingu

- quote
Sakura Jingū Association
The Association was built to enhance the spirit of the deities by thanking them and our ancestors, and to offer a 'healing' and 'connecting' place, aiming to make people's daily life peaceful, Members of the association have many benefits including a protective talisman offered anually our newsletter subscription, opportunities to pray in the sanctum, participation in meditation before kami, and wedding ceremonies and funerals.　

History and origin
Yoshimura Masamochi, the 65th descendant of Ōnakatomi, was a warrior of the imperial loyalists in Kyoto. During the early Meiji period, he worked at the Department of Shinto Affairs (which later became the Ministry of Religious Education), and took part in policy making for Shinto propagation under the government. Served as chief priest of a shrine, he devoted himself into spreading the teachings of Shinto.
However, when the Meiji government suddenly altered their religious policy, Masamochi decided that it was his mission to lead people to the traditional Shinto values. He founded a religious organization and established a religious facility (a shrine) in Kanda. It became an independent sect called Shinshu-kyō, sanctioned by the Meiji Emperor in 1882.
Masamochi, who was highly favored by Saigo Takamori and Ito Hirobumi as well as other key government officials, spent time with Percival Lowell, an American astronomer and a devout Christian, and taught him Shinto beliefs during his stay in Japan. Introduced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the books of Lowell, more than 200 Westerners visited annual festivals at the shrine during the Meiji period. Masamochi received an oracle just before his death, which resulted in the relocation of the shrine to the current location in the early Taisho period.

Mitamashiro (A physical object of worship)

The mirror (mikagami) of Chrysanthemum of 16 petals is the object of worship. The mirror was enshrined in Edo castle during the Edo period before the buildings of shrine in the castle was destroyed by a fire. After approved by the Imperial court, the mirror was then enshrined in Shin- mei-gū shrine by Keikōin in Reigan-jima island in Fukagawa, Tokyo. The mirror was moved again to a Grand Shrine after the Meiji Restoration. The then supreme priest of the shrine, Kuninomiya Asahiko Shinnō (Prince), who confided Masamochi, he himself divided the spirit of the enshrined deity of the Grand Shrine to the mirror, which was then granted to the shrine when Masamochi left his post.

Rituals (Shinji)
Godō jigoku shiki, or Kamanari (The purifying sound of iron pot)
Chinka shiki (The fire calming ceremony)
Kugatachi shiki or Yutate (The sprinkling of boiling water on the body)

Worshipping via Internet
"Remote" Worship is available for those who live abroad or in a remote place, or those who are unable to come due to their work or health issues, by simply following the guide on our website. We offer inquiries and consultation services as well.
- source : sakura.jingu.net/english

河津桜 Kawazu Sakura
one of the earliest-blooming cherry blossoms in the outskirts of Tokyo.

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- quote -
Percival Lawrence Lowell (1855 – 1916)

was an American businessman, author, mathematician, and astronomer who fueled speculation that there were canals on Mars. He founded the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona and formed the beginning of the effort that led to the discovery of Pluto 14 years after his death.
Percival graduated from the Noble and Greenough School in 1872 and Harvard University in 1876 with distinction in mathematics. At his college graduation, he gave a speech, considered very advanced for its time, on the nebular hypothesis. He was later awarded honorary degrees from Amherst College and Clark University. After graduation he ran a cotton mill for six years.
In the 1880s, Lowell traveled extensively in the Far East.
In August 1883, he served as a foreign secretary and counselor for a special Korean diplomatic mission to the United States. He lived in Korea for about two months. He also spent significant periods of time in Japan,
writing books on Japanese religion, psychology, and behavior.
His texts are filled with observations and academic discussions of various aspects of Japanese life, including language, religious practices, economics, travel in Japan, and the development of personality.
Books by Percival Lowell on the Orient include
Noto: An Unexplored Corner of Japan (1891) and
Occult Japan, or the Way of the Gods (1894), the latter from his third and final trip to the region.
The most popular of Lowell's books on the Orient, The Soul of the Far East (1888), contains an early synthesis of some of his ideas, that in essence, postulated that human progress is a function of the qualities of individuality and imagination.
The writer Lafcadio Hearn called it a "colossal, splendid, godlike book."
At his death he left with his assistant Wrexie Leonard an unpublished manuscript of a book entitled Peaks and Plateaux in the Effect on Tree Life.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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Noto: An unexplored corner of Japan
Percival Lawrence Lowell (1855-1916) was a businessman, author, mathematician, and astronomer who fueled speculation that there were canals on Mars, founded the Lowell Observatory and formed the beginning of the effort that led to the discovery of Pluto 14 years after his death. Percival graduated from Harvard University in 1876 with distinction in mathematics. In 1883, he served as a foreign secretary and counsellor for a special Korean diplomatic mission to the United States. He also spent significant periods of time in Japan, writing books on Japanese religion, psychology, and behavior. His texts are filled with observations and academic discussions of various aspects of Japanese life. Books by Percival Lowell on the Orient include Noto: An Unexplained Corner of Japan (1891) and Occult Japan (1894).
The most popular of Lowell's books on the Orient, The Soul of the Far East (1888) contains an early synthesis of some of his ideas, that in essence, postulated that human progress is a function of the qualities of individuality and imagination.
Amongst his other books are Mars (1895) and The Genesis of the Planets (1916)

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Occult Japan: Shinto, Shamanism and the Way of the Gods
Shinto, or The Way of the Gods, is the oldest religious faith of the Japanese people. Based on the aboriginal worship of nature and ancestors, it is a religion of innumerable deities and rituals. As Buddhism established itself in Japan, it absorbed many of the Shinto beliefs while assigning them an inferior status. Officially unrecognized by the Buddhist state, ancient Shinto practices have been kept alive to this day as an occult tradition embodying the magical, primeval, and shamanic rites central to the Japanese culture.
'Occult Japan'
was originally published in 1894 and is still unrivaled in its detailed descriptions of Shinto 'miracles, possessions, and incarnations.' Percival Lowell, an explorer and author of several other works on the Far East, drew these descriptions from his own observations and experiences during his travels throughout Japan at the end of the 19th century. Unlike other accounts written on the subject by religious missionaries, his are startling in their frankness and objectivity, neither underestimating nor romanticizing the Shinto religion, but presenting its many contradictions with candor and literary grace.
- wikipedia -

Occult Japan: The Way of the Gods
"Occult Japan" is a wonderful collection of lore compiled from the Shinto path, dating to an important era in which the nation of Japan was rapidly changing; the Meiji period which had begun several decades before was erasing traditional technology even as it changed cultural and behavioral norms- this work then is both about the traditional spiritual system and the effects of then-modern reform on the same. It is as much a work about culture in the secular as the religious sense.It ought to be noted that some trappings of ethnocentrism were applied in the study here.
- wikipedia -

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- Reference : 桜神宮
- Reference : Tokyo Sakura Jingu

. Shrine, Shinto Shrine (jinja　神社) - Introduction .

. kami　神　Shinto deities - ABC-LIST - .

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[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
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30 May 2020

SHINTO - Ametsuchi legends

https://japanshrinestemples.blogspot.com/2020/01/ametsuchi-tenchi-heaven-earth.html

Ametsuchi Tenchi Heaven Earth

[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
. Shinto Shrines (jinja　神社) - Introduction .
. kami　神　Shinto deities .
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Ametsuchi 天地 Tenchi - Heaven and Earth
the world, the universe

A quote from 古事記 the Kojiki
自天地開闢始、以訖于小治田御世。故、天御中主神以下、日子波限建鵜草葺不合尊以前、爲上卷、神倭伊波禮毘古天皇以下、品陀御世以前、爲中卷、大雀皇帝以下、小治田大宮以前、爲下卷、幷錄三卷、謹以獻上。臣安萬侶、誠惶誠恐、頓首頓首。

ほろびのほのお　湧きいでて
つちとひととを　つつめども
こはやすらけき　くににして
ひかりのひとら　みちみてり
ひかりにみてる　あめつちは

. zooka no sanshin (sanjin) 造化の三神 three Deities of creation .
Kotoamatsukami 別天津神

Ame no minaka nushi no kami
天之御中主神（あめのみなかぬしのかみ）
- 至高の神

Takamimusuhi no kami 高御産巣日神
（たかみむすひのかみ）
- 征服や統治の神

Kami musuhi no kami 神産巣日神（かみむすひのかみ）
- 生産の神

. Tenjin Sama, Tenshin Sama 天神様 Honorable Deity of Heaven .
The Kami of the Sky, as expressed in 天神地衹 Tenshin Chigi.

.......................................................................

天の神と地の神 the Deity of Heaven and the Deity of Earth
天津神・国津神（あまつかみ・くにつかみ）
「つ」は現代語の「の」のことで、天の神・国の神という意味
- wikipedia

.......................................................................

- quote -
Amenominakanushi (天御中主 or 天之御中主神,
"Heavenly Ancestral God of the Originating Heart of the Universe")
is, according to the Shinto Kojiki, the first kami and the source of the universe. In Japanese mythology, Amenominakanushi is described as a "god who came into being alone" (hitorigami), the first of the zōka sanshin ("three kami of creation"), and one of the five kotoamatsukami ("distinguished heavenly gods").
- Origin
Amenominakanushi had been considered a concept developed under the influence of Chinese thought, but now most scholars believe otherwise. With the flourishing of kokugaku the concept was studied by scholars. The theologian Hirata Atsutane identified Amenominakanushi as the spirit of the North Star, master of the seven stars of the Big Dipper. The god was emphasized by the Daikyōin[clarification needed] in the Meiji period, and worshipped by some Shinto sects.[2] There are also scholars who believe that the Amenominakanushi concept was introduced in Japan sometime in the 7th or 8th century by the Nestorian or the Keikyo believers, underpinning its Christian origin.
- Kami concept
The god manifests in a duality, a male and a female function, respectively Takamimusubi and Kamimusubi. In other mythical accounts the originating kami is called Umashiashikabihikoji ("God of the Ashi [Reed]") or Kuninotokotachi (the "God Founder of the Nation"), the latter used in the Nihon Shoki. Some sources identify these deities as the three Kamis called (three creator-Kami", a conceptualization that also reflect the so-called Kami of the threefold whirl (Amatsu uzu-uzushiyatsunagi) in Yamakage Shinto. These three gods, identified as a third of the three versions of the cosmogonic myths involving the kami, appeared in Takamanohara or the "domain of heaven" during the birth of the cosmos.
According to The Ancient Shinto Deity Ame-no-minaka-nushi-no-kami Seen in the Light of Today, by Professor Katō Genchi, no authentic shrines dating from antiquity were dedicated to this deity, though two "recent" shrines, Wada-jinja (founded in A.D. 1659) and Okada-jinja, are allegedly dedicated to this god. Shinsen Shōjiroku mentioned only two families as descendant of Ame-no-Minaka-Nushi-no-Kami: Hattori-no-muraji and Miteshiro-no-Obito.
With the shinbutsu bunri separation, the deity of Buddhist origin Myōken, the "North Star", which was worshiped at many shrines, was changed to Amenominakanushi.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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天之御中主神（あめのみなかぬしのかみ、あまのみなかぬしのかみ）
Ame no Minakanushi no Kami
日本神話において最初に登場する神。天地開闢の際に、別天津神・造化三神の初めの1柱として宇宙に生成された存在であるとされる。
神名は
天の真中を領する神を意味する[1]。『古事記』では神々の中で最初に登場する神であり、別天津神にして造化三神[2]の一柱。『日本書紀』の正伝には記述がなく、異伝（第一段の第四の一書）に天御中主尊（あめのみなかぬしのみこと）として記述されている。『古事記』『日本書紀』共にその事績は何も記されていない。そのため天之御中主神は中国の思想の影響により創出された観念的な神であるとされるが、これに否定的な論もある。
平安時代の
延喜式神名帳』には天之御中主神を祀る神社の名は記載されておらず、信仰の形跡は確認できない。この神が一般の信仰の対象になったのは、近世において天の中央の神ということから北極星の神格化である妙見菩薩と習合されるようになってからと考えられている。現在、天之御中主神を祀る神社の多くは、妙見社が明治期の神仏分離・廃仏毀釈運動の際に天之御中主神を祭神とする神社となったものである[3]。また水天宮も天之御中主神を主祭神の一つとしている。
天之御中主神は
哲学的な神道思想において重要な地位を与えられることがあり、中世の伊勢神道では豊受大神を天之御中主神と同一視し、これを始源神と位置づけている。江戸時代の平田篤胤の復古神道では天之御中主神は最高位の究極神とされている。 ...
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

- quote -
天地初発之時 - - 天地初めて発りし時に、
高天原に成る神の名は、
- reference source : kojiki.kokugakuin.ac.jp... -

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Another meaning is given in
- Kotobank -

書物・荷物などの、上と下。「紙の天地」
the top and bottom of things, for example books or parcels.

大辞林第三版の解説
① 大空と大地。宇宙。てんち。「－のともに久しく言ひ継げと／万葉集 814」
② 天の神と地の神。「－の堅めし国そ大和島根は／万葉集 4487」
① 天と地。空と大地。
② 宇宙。世界。「－創造」
③ 自分の存在・活動の場として認識している、限られた範囲。「新しい－を求める」
④ 本や紙の上と下。また、荷物などの上面と下面。
⑤ 相違のはなはだしいこと。「実力の差は－ほどもある」「以前に替る事－也／浮世草子・桜陰比事 1」

〘名〙
① 天と地。乾坤(けんこん)。宇宙、世界の全体。
※万葉（８Ｃ後）五・八一四「阿米都知(アメツチ)の共に久しく言ひ継げとこの奇御魂(くしみたま)敷かしけらしも」
② 天の神と地の神。天地の神。天神地祇。
※万葉（８Ｃ後）二〇・四四八七「いざ子どもたはわざなせそ天地(あめつち)の固めし国そやまと島根は」
※古今（905‐914）仮名序「ちからをもいれずして、あめつちをうごかし、めに見えぬ鬼神をも、あはれとおもはせ」
③ 「あめつち（天地）の詞(ことば)」の略。
※口遊（970）書籍門「大為爾伊天奈徒武和礼遠曾〈略〉衣不禰加計奴謂之供名文字、今案世俗誦阿女都千保之曾、里女之訛説也、此誦為勝」
④ 天地の詞を書くのに主として用いた字体の意か。万葉がな字体とも、行書体ともいわれ、諸説がある。
※宇津保（970‐999頃）国譲上「青き色紙に書きて松に書きたるはさうにてなつの字。赤き色紙に書きて卯の花につけたるはかな。はじめにはをとこにてもあらず、をんなにてもあらず、あめつちぞ。そのつぎにをとこで、はなちがきに書きて」
[1] 〘名〙
① 天と地。あめつち。天壌。また、天の神と地の神。
※大仏殿西曼荼羅銘（756）「等二日月一而貞明、同二天地一而長久」
※源氏（1001‐14頃）明石「ここら、横ざまなる波風には、おぼほれ給はむ。天地、ことわり給へ」〔礼記‐曲礼〕
② 宇宙。世界。世の中。
※太平記（１４Ｃ後）二九「三間芳屋千株松風、ことに人間の外の天地也けりと」
③ ある限られた生活の場を比喩的にいう。
※油地獄（1891）〈斎藤緑雨〉一「下宿屋秋元の二階を、登って左りへ突当りの六畳敷を天地(テンチ)とする」
④ 天と地ほどの大きな差違があること。天地の相違。天地懸隔。
※蔭凉軒日録‐延徳二年（1490）閏八月一七日「月翁事者、西山与二東京一相隔天地也」
⑤ 紙、本、荷物などの上部と下部。うえした。
※洒落本・通言総籬（1787）一「ひゃうぐもようござりやした。天地はやっぱりふとじけだが」
⑥ (━する) 上下をひっくりかえすこと。
※滑稽本・早変胸機関（1810）「裾廻しは天地(テンチ)するだよ」
⑦ 算盤の桁より上の玉が一個ある所（天）と、その下の玉が五個ある所（地）。江戸時代、上方でいった語。
※新板なぞづくし（1830‐44）五「天地の大算用（とかけて）あづさみこ（ととく心は）くちをよせる」
⑧ 雑俳の折込みの一種で、同一の漢字を頭と尾に置くもの。たとえば、「戸」の題で、「戸袋は戸隠山か引く雨戸」の類。
[2] 「てんちまる（天地丸）」の略。
※雑俳・柳多留‐六六（1814）「和歌のみか天地の動く御船唄」

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. Shrine, Shinto Shrine (jinja　神社) - Introduction .

. kami　神　Shinto deities - ABC-LIST - .

. Tenjin Sama - Sugawara Michizane Legends 天神菅原道真伝説 .
天神様 Tenjin Sama refers to a shrine for Michizane.
Legends about his shrines are collected here.

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. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

.......................................................................　Fukui 福井県 .....
Tenshin chigi天神地衹 The Kami of the Sky 天の神
During the New Year he comes down from heaven and is venerated as Toshigami 年神.

. toshigami 年神 God of the Year .

.......................................................................　Hokkaido 北海道 .....
.......................................................................

. kaminari 雷と伝説 Legends about Thunder and Lightning .
The trees Chisakini チサキニ (Chikisani) and Ohyo (Atoni) おひょう（アトニ).
akadamo あかだも（チサキニ chisakini）

.......................................................................　Kagoshima 鹿児島県 .....
.......................................................................
大島郡 Oshima district // Ten no Kamisama 天の神様

hijama 火玉 / ヒジャマ ball of fire - in local dialect
Once 天の神様 got an order and went to burn a home with a hijama ヒジャマ（火玉）fire ball.
But the qheen of the house was very careful and did not get burned.
She never left the lid on the water jar outside and when it begun to make a strange sound, she kenw that a hijama would fall down soon.

. hinotama, hi no tama 火の玉と伝説 Legends about fire balls / 火玉 .
- - - - -
天の神様 Ten no Kamisama
On special days people are not allowed to thatch a roof. If they do Ten no Kamisama will come and cause fire or a flash of lightning.
Once this happened to a home and a blue fire came fallilng from the sky, burning the roof.

.......................................................................　Kochi 高知県 .....
.......................................................................
香美郡 Kami district 物部村 Monobe village

tachi 太刀 long sword
During 天の神の祭 the festival for Ten no Kami they use tachi 太刀 a long sword during a dance where a mortar is hit by it. Sometimes this causes sparks and a fire starts.
Once a man stole this long sword but his home burned down and he brought the sword back to the owner.

.......................................................................　Nara 奈良県 .....
.......................................................................
吉野郡 Yoshino district 上北山村 Kami-Kitayama village

oni 鬼 demon / Yamanokami 山の神
A fisherman named 六兵衛 Rokubei came to get some material for a new net. At night to came to the cave 大蛇嵓 Daijagura and lit a fire. There came a woman of about 40 years, ate rice with him and drunk his sake 酒 rice wine. They met there regularly until a 天地鳴動 loud sound from heaven and earth was heard and Rokubei lost conciousness.
When he came back to his senses, there was the woman and an old man with white hair.
The woman turned out to be the local Oni and the old man the Yamanokami of Odaigahara.

Odaigahara 大台ケ原

This spectacular hiking course features a moss-draped forest, a beech forest, wild animals including deer and views as far as the sea. Some have compared the views to the scenery in the movie "Avatar."
From the summit is a panoramic view of the surrounding countryside that in the autumn bursts with the rich colour of turning leaves. The best time to visit is mid-October to early November when the various tree species are at their most brilliant.
- source : vill.kamikitayama.nara.jp/kanko... -

. 山の神 Yamanokami in Nara .

. Oni densetsu 鬼伝説　Regional Demon Legends .

.......................................................................　Oita 大分県 .....
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東国東郡 Higashi-Kunisaki district 安岐町 Aki town

. Yamanba, Yamauba 山姥 the Mountain Hag .

.......................................................................　Yamagata 山形県 .....
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. tenaga ashinaga 手長足長 "long arms, long legs" Yokai .
and the island 飛島 Tobishima.

.......................................................................　Yamanashi 山梨県 .....

sanshichuu 三尸虫 / サンシチュウ the thre worms
. san-shi no mushi, sanshi no mushi 三尸の虫 The Three Worms .

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- reference : nichibun yokai database -
天の神 OK
22 地の神
30 天地 collecting

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[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
- #tenchi #ametsuchi #kojiki #sanshi -
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16 May 2020

SHINTO - kaze no kami catching cold

https://japanshrinestemples.blogspot.com/2020/01/kaze-catching-cold-kami-legends.html

kaze catching cold kami legends

source : yokai.com/kazenokami - Matthew Meyer
Kami of the Wind,
but since January 2020, also bringing the Coronavirus Kaze Influenze thread all over the world.

. kaze 風邪 (かぜ) common cold .
and its season words

. hayariyamai はやり病 / 流行病と伝説 Legends about epidemics .

..............................................................................................................................................

The word kaze 風邪 can also be read fuuja ふうじゃ.
In this case the deity is called go-fuuja sama ごふうじゃ様 Go-Fuja Sama.
If he comes to a person, this person will catch a cold.

The human body has a special acupuncture point called
fuumon 風門 "gate for the cold wind"
and this is where the Deity of the common cold comes into a body.
Keeping this part of the body warm will prevent the Deity to come in.

.......................................................................

Kaze no Kami okuri 風邪の神送り Seeing off the deity of catching a cold
Rakugo story, told by 3代目桂米朝、8代目林家正蔵など。

In the Edo period many people lost their lives catching a cold.
If there was a bad cold epidemy in town, people performed a ritual to send the Deity off. They made a small paper figure of the deity and carried if off to the border of their village or town with music of drums and gongs. The paper figure could also be floated away in a river or at the beach.
Once a group went to do that and chanted
"Let's see him off, fast, let's see him off, the Deity of catching cold!"
But there was one person in the village who regretted this act.
It was the local kusuriya 薬屋 drugstore (or the local doctor).
Once the villagers came together to sent the Deity off with great effort, floating it down the river, but 夜 that night it got caught in the ami 網 net of a fisherman and thus came back.
What had happened?
It got caught at night (yo 夜) in a net (ami 網) - a pun with yowami 弱み weakness.

. rakugo 落語 comic storytelling .

..............................................................................................................................................

. kaze 風邪と伝説 Legends about catching a cold .
The character for kaze 風 means wind.

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. kooshin 庚申伝説 Legends about the Koshin Cult .
The Koshin Deity 庚申さん Koshin San is also seen as Kaze no Kami 風邪の神 the Deity of catching cold.
for example in Shiga 滋賀県

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. Shrine, Shinto Shrine (jinja　神社) - Introduction .

. kami　神　Shinto deities - ABC-LIST - .

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- - - - -　 H A I K U　 - - - - -

なやらひをすませて憑かる風邪の神
角川源義 Kadogawa Genyoshi (1917 - 1975)

なにもせざれば風邪の神にも会はざりき
星野麥丘人 Hoshino Bokugyujin (1925 - 2013)

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. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

.......................................................................　Ehime 愛媛県 .....
.......................................................................
今治市 Imabara 玉川町 Tamagawa

. kotatsu heater and day of the Inoko 亥の子 wild boar .

.......................................................................
Ehime 伊予郡 Io district 砥部町 Tobe town

. Sai no Kami 幸神 / 幸の神 / さいの神 Deity of Fortune and Good Luck .
When Sai no Kami was sleeping by the roadside, one of his legs was cut off by a car and he had to live with one leg only.
Therefore as an offering for the New Year and 盆 O-Bon for the ancestors people make only one zoori 草履 straw sandal.
Sai no Kami is also seen as 風邪の神 Kaze no Kami.

.......................................................................　Kyoto 京都府 .....
.......................................................................
天田郡 Amata district 三和町 Miwa town

風邪の神 Kaze no Kami is also seen as 庚申さん Koshin san.
When a child is healed from hashika はしか the measles, people pack some nigiri おにぎり rice ball offerings in straw and bring them to his shrine.

.......................................................................　Miyazaki 宮崎県 .....
.......................................................................
東臼杵郡 Higashi-Usuki district 西郷村 Nishigo village

. neko 猫 / ねこと伝説 Legends about cats, Katzen .
Once an old hag living with her family killed the cat by throwing it under the usu 臼 mortar.
But the family became cursed and to make up for it venerated the cat in a small shrine in the garden as
猫神様 Kami of cats
風邪の神様 Kami against the cold
乳が出る神様 Kami to make mothers milk flow.

.......................................................................　Osaka 大阪府 .....
.......................................................................
岸和田市 Kishiwada city

Once there lived a poor man in a run-down house.
One day in winter he caught a cold. He roasted some surume スルメ squid and drunk some sake 酒 rice wine, when suddenly an old man came out of the closet and left the house.
Well, the old man was 風邪の神 Kaze no Kami, who can not stand the smell of roasted squid. The man wa healed in no time.

.......................................................................　Yamanashi 山梨県 .....

During a cold epidemic, people press the hand of a small child on a red piece of paper and write
「吉三さんはおりません」 Kichizo san is not here. Thjs is hung at the entrance, to prevent the Deity of the common cold from coming into the home.
They say when Yaoya no O-Shichi 八百屋お七 Greengrocer's Daughter Oshichi was in love with Kichizo and died from her love, she became Kaze no Kami 風邪の神 Deity of the common cold.
She walks around the village looking for Kichizo, but if there is a red piece of paper she realizes that this is not her Kichizo and goes away.

. Yaoya no O-Shichi 八百屋お七 Greengrocer's Daughter Oshichi .

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- reference : nichibun yokai database -

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24 Apr 2020

SHINTO - Toshitokujin New Year Legends

https://japanshrinestemples.blogspot.com/2019/07/toshitokujin-legends.html

Toshitokujin legends

. Toshitokujin 歳徳神 God of the Year.
- Introduction and Haiku -

. shinnen 新年 the New Year .
The New Year of the Gregorian calendar falls on 1 January.

. The Asian Lunar Calendar and its seasons .
spring begins, February 4, risshun 立春
summer begins, May 6, rikka　立夏
autumn begins, August 8, risshuu　立秋
winter begins, November 7, rittoo　立冬

. kamidana 神棚　household Shinto altar, "shelf for the Gods" .
- A special one is often set up for the New Year celebrations.

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. Sai no Kami 幸神 / 幸の神 / さいの神 / サイノカミ
Deity of Fortune and Good Luck .
toshi no kami 歳の神 Deity of the Year (another name for Sai no Kami).

u no hi, unohi 卯の日 the first day of the rabbit
collecting legends

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Toshigamidana 年神棚 Shelf to venerate the Toshigami
Article by 榎戸貞治郎 Enokido Sadajiro

Also called
Toshitokudana 年徳棚
Ehodana 恵方（えほう）棚
The shelf is set up in the direction (eho) of the Deity of the Year.
If people do not have place for a shelf, they celebrate and make offerings in the 床の間 Tokonoma
or at the normal 神棚 Kamidana of the family.

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. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

3自然を読む民俗：山口県 - 内日の五年神
Yamaguchi, Utsui - Gonengami
吉村美広 Yoshimura Mihiro

If the villagers forget this ritual of every five years, monkeys comes from the mountains to remind them
at 赤田代 Akatashiro.
氏子が集まって、神事を何年目毎にしようかと相談していたところ、五年神は耳が遠く、「１２…５年目毎？」と聞き返してきたので、祟られると恐ろしいので５年目毎にいとなむようになった。
- 五年神神事下関・秋吉台・宇部エリア = Yama no Kami
５年毎の１１月初申の日に行われる山の神の祭りで、神の森は、村落のすぐ裏にあり、神聖不可侵とされています。
トリモチの巨木が御神体で、根元に１個の壷が置かれ、石の蓋がされてます。
全国に伝わる山の神では、オコゼを供える例が多く、これは山の神がことのほかみにくい容ぼうで、世の中に自分よりみにくいものがあるといってよろこぶからといわれていますが、ここはドロバエ（コイ科の淡水魚）で、山の神の供え物としては珍しいといえます。
- reference source : oidemase.or.jp/tourism... -

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.......................................................................　Ehime 愛媛県 .....
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choochin no yoo na hi 提灯のような火 a fire like a lantern
Late at night on the last day of the year, behind the sanctuary for Ujigami there was a light coming down and a strange sound was heard.
The elders of the village say this is the time when Toshitokujin comes down for the New Year.

. ujigami　氏神 clan KAMI deities .

.......................................................................　Fukui 福井県 .....

Tenjinsama 天神様 Tenjin Sama
The Kami of the Skay, as espressed in 天神地衹 Tenshin Chigi.
During the New Year he comes down from the Sky and becomes 年神 Toshigami.

- quote -
神祇 Jingi, 天神地祇 Tenshin Chigi
An appellation for the objects of worship in Shinto.
An honorific term extolling the sacred authority and sublime virtue of spiritual beings.
- source : kokugakuin -

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kamigami no toshitori 神々のトシトリ New Year for the Gods
Different Kami have different days to start a new year:
お地蔵様 O-Jizo sama on the 23 and 天神様 Tenjin sama on the 25th.
. Aomori 青森県 - Yama no Kami .

.......................................................................　Fukushima 福島県 .....
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福島市 Fukushima city 中茂庭 Nakamoniwa

Toshigami sama 年神様
comes down on the 8th day of the 12th lunar month. He is venerated at the Shrine Tensho Kodai Jingu 天照皇太神宮 Tenshokodai Jingu.

- reference : Tenshokodai Jingu -

.......................................................................　Gunma 群馬県 .....
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邑楽郡 Ora district 大泉町 Oizumi town

Toshigami Sama 年神様
comes on the day 卯の日 U no Hi to supervise taue 田植え the planting of the fields.

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Gunma 館林市 Tatebayashi city 下早川田 Shimo-Sagawada

When planting rice seedlings on u no hi 卯の日 the day of the rabbit, Toshitokugami comes down on 卯の刻 the hour of the rabbit.

.......................................................................　Hiroshima 広島県 .....

. Toshitoku san トシトクさん - Tanokami and the wild boar .
He comes on the day of Inoko Wild Boar, therefore people leave the door open and also the kotatsu コタツ heated table for him to come and sit in the home.
The comes to the fields on the 1st day of the second lunar month and leaves for his home on 亥の日 the day of the wild boar in the 10th lunar month.

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三次市 Miyoshi city 三良坂町 Mirasaka town

On the second day of the second lunar month, children get a moxabustion treatment called ヤイト yaito.
On this day Toshitokujin goes back to Takamagahara 高天原 the Fields of Heaven.

. yaitobi やいと日 day for moxabustion treatment .

.......................................................................　Kagawa 香川県 .....

Toshigami San 年神さん
In the hamlet of 真鈴 Marin when people wake up on gantan 元旦 the first day of the New Year, they have to open the door of the zashiki 座敷 living room to let Toshigami San inside.

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Kagawa 東かがわ市 Higashi-Kagawa city

Toshigami 年神
okuri shogatsu オクリ正月 is the day to send off the deity on The 15th of January. This day is also called
Jugonichi shogatsu 十五日正月 New Year day of the 15th.
People make offerings to the Toshigami and pray for a good harvest and safety for the family. Then they go to the river with the offerings, light a fire with shimenawa 注連 a ritual rope and eat the offerings.
This is also called dondo トンド (Dondo Yaki)
The smoke of the fire is used by Toshigami to go back to the sky.
. dondon yaki どんどん焼き ritual fire at New Year 　 .

.......................................................................　Kagoshima 鹿児島県 .....
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曽於郡 Soo district

. Toshigami and 山の神 Yama no Kami .

.......................................................................　Kanagawa 神奈川県 .....
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足柄上郡 Ashigara-Kami district 山北町 Yamakita town

Toshigami 年神 / 歳神
Toshigami comes every year on the first day of January and leaves on the 14th day.
In other villages he leaves on u no hi ウの日 / 卯の日 the first day of the rabbit.
On this day people make offerings of azuki mochi 小豆餅 rice cakes with auspicious red beans.
On the first day of the New Year people make offerings of zooni 雑煮 to Toshigami and Kuwagami 桑神 the protector deity of mulberries and silk.

.......................................................................　Kagoshima 鹿児島県 .....
曽於郡 Soo district

. Toshigami, Yamanokami and Tanokami .

.......................................................................　Kyoto 京都府 .....
大年神社 / 王歳神社 / 大歳神社 Otoshi Jinja

- There are many shrines with this name in Japan.
The deity Toshigami 年神 / 歳神 is venerated there.
- Wikipedia has a list -

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tanuki 狸 badger
Near the corner on the road to the shrine 大年神社 Otoshi Jinja it often happened that a Tanuki posing as a priest came out and threw sand at the pilgrims.

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Kyoto 三和町 Miwacho Ashibuchi Fukuchiyama

. ushi oni, ushioni, gyuuki 牛鬼 "bull-demon" .
The part North of the Shrine 王歳神社 Otoshi Jinja is called Yuri-ga-hana 百合ヶ花 "lily flowers". This is where the Ushioni lives.
On the mountain side of the river is Yonaki Matsu 夜泣き松 "the pine which cries at night". The Ushioni lives in the cave above it.
Sometimes he comes out behind the pine and plays tricks on the humans.

Near the Shrine is a withered matsu no ki 松の木 pine tree. Toward the end of the Meiji period there was just part of the stem left.
People peel a bit of the bark and make a small fire. Children who see this fire will stop yonaki 夜泣き crying at night.

.......................................................................　Miyagi 宮城県 .....
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黒川郡 Kurokawa district 大和町 Taiwa village

In this village 歳の神 Toshi no Kami is called in the local dialect
オドストクズン Odosudokuzun, Odosu toku zun (Otoshi Toku Jin).

.......................................................................　Nagano 長野県 .....

According to ancient Asian lore, the new year comes with a new female deity.
She comes on the evening of day 30 of the 12th lunar month. People prepare the special kamidana 神棚 Shelf of the Gods for her.
When the year is over they tear it down and burn it, then built a new one.

.......................................................................　Niigata 新潟県 .....

正月準備：年神様 Niigata no Toshigami Sama
新潟県史　資料編22　民俗1 大竹信雄 Otake Nobul

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東蒲原郡 Higashi-Kanbara district 阿賀町 Aga town

. chinjugami　鎮守神 tutelary deities .
Toshitokujin comes for the New Year as a tutelary deity.

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Niigata 糸魚川市 Itoigawa city

Toshi no Kami 年の神 comes on the New Year day from the direction of アキ / 亜希 Aki.
All preparations for his coming must be finished by lunchtime.
No more cleaning of the home after lunchtime. If someone uses a broom, Toshitokujin will be swept out.

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Niigata 長岡市 Nagaoka city 福島町 Fukushima town

For the New Year, komedawara 米俵 a bale of rice from last year's harvest is decorated in the living room as a welcome for Toshigami sama 年神様.
In many parts 歳徳神 Toshitokujin comes on the first u no hi 卯の日 the day of the rabbit.
If this falls on the 12th day of the year, it is a bad omen and might bring a bad harvest.

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Niigata 中魚沼郡 Naka-Uonuma district 津南町 Tsunan town

Shogatsu sama 正月様
comes home from Tenjiku 天竺 India in January. Once he met Daishi Sama 大師様 Kobo Saishi on the way. Daishi Sama nad eaten rice cakes and crumbs, but Shogatsu sama laughed and said, he had gotten quite a lot of food offerings to eat.

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Niigata 佐渡市 Sado city

For the New Year a special toshidana 歳棚 (kamidana) shelf for the New Year is put up for 歳徳神 Toshitokujin.
He comes from the direction of 亜希 Aki town and goes back to this direction.

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Niigata 十日町市 Tokamachi city

正月様 Shogatsu Sama - Deity of the New Year
Toshigamisama 歳神様 comes from the high sky and thus lands on a high tree.

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Niigata 十日町市 Tokamachi city 松之山 Matsunoyama

歳徳神 Toshitokujin comes on the 30st of December.
A special kamidana 神棚 Shelf of the Gods is put up for her.
After the New Year celebration, this shelf is taken down.

.......................................................................　Okayama 岡山県 .....
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In the oku no ma 奥の間 living room in the back people prepare a special kamidana 神棚 shelf ror the gods to venerate 年神 Toshigami.
They also venerate other deities there, like the Gods from 出雲大社 Izumo Shrine and 金毘羅 Konpira shrine together with the Ujigami 氏神 clan deities.
In a separate small shelf below this they venerate 金神 Konjin and 庚申 Koshin.
Toshigami is also called ワカドシ Wakadoshi san, "Young Deity" and has only one leg, so they offer only one new zoori 草履 sandal.
If they offer the sandals they were wearing then a horse or cow was lost, they are sure to find the animal.

. Konjin 金神 "God of metals" .

. Kooshin 庚申 Koshin, ka no e saru deity .

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Okayama 美作市 Mimasaka town

Wakatoshi sama 若年様 "Honorable Young Deity"
The nando 納戸 / ナンド closet for storage, is often used for the young couple as a bedroom.
For the New Year, they prepare a special shelf to venerate San no Kami 産の神 the Deity of Birth together with 若年様 the Deity of the New Year.

. san no kami お産の神 deity of birth .

.......................................................................　Saitama 埼玉県 .....
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Saitama 北埼玉郡 Kita-Saitama district 騎西町 Kisai town

Toshigami sama 年神様
This Deity comes on the morning of the New Year, so the master of the house has to prepare the decorations and offerings.
The Deity leaves the home on u no hi 卯の日 the first day of the rabbit and the decorations and offerings are taken down.
The food offerings are used to prepare zooni 雑煮 New Year soup.

.......................................................................　Shimane 島根県 .....

Toshigami Sama 年神様
This deity brings a special toshidama 年玉 New Year Gift on the last day of the Year.
Once a man, who did not want go get older, hid in the thicket to have a look. Since Toghigami threw the gifts from above, he could not see him.
So he could not help but getting older another year.

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Shimane 八束郡 Yatsuka district 美保町 Miho town

Toshigami 年神
has only one leg. Once he came down in a field of nasu 茄子 eggplants and lost one leg.

.......................................................................　Tokushima 徳島県 .....

January 15th is called okuri-shogatsu 送り正月 "seeing off the New Year".
All the decorations made for the New Year are being taken to the local Shinto shrine and burned in a special ritual.
After that special kagamimochi 鏡餅 rice cakes for the New Year are offered, they are fried in this fire, taken home and eaten with the family.

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Tokushima 池田町 Ikeda town

January 15 is the koshoogatsu 小正月 "small New Year", 歳徳神 Toshitokujin is offered a new light and special food on the shelf.

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Tokushima 美馬郡 Mima district 貞光町 Sadamitsu town

January 15 is the koshoogatsu 小正月 "small New Year", sometimes called agari shoogatsu 上がり正月 - day to put down the New Year decorations and sending 歳徳神 Toshitokujin home.

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Tokushima 三野町 Mino town

January 15 is the koshoogatsu 小正月 "small New Year, sometimes called okuri shoogatsu おくり正月 "sending the New Year off".
The New Year decorations are burned at the local Shinto Shrine or under a bridge.
歳徳神 Toshitokujin is sent off with the smoke of these fires.

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Tokushima 三好郡 Miyoshi district 東祖谷山村 Higashi-Iyayamason village

年神さん，正月神さん okuri shoogatsu オクリ正月
January 15 is 小正月 the small new year, also called okuri shoogatsu オクリ正月.
All the food offerings from the kamidana 年棚 shelf are put into a pot and cooked over a fire.
The Deity uses the smoke of the fire to go back to the sky.

.......................................................................　Yamaguchi 山口県 .....
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豊浦郡 Toyoura district 豊浦町 Toyoura town // 大歳神社 Otoshi Jinja

. ushi oni, ushioni, gyuuki 牛鬼 "bull-demon" .
In the year 958, the monster Ushioni came from 新羅国 Silla in Korea and lived at the castle of mount 鬼ヶ城山 Onigajo. From there he did a lot harm to the farmers living there.
The daughter of the priest a the shrine 大歳神社 Otoshi Jinja became the concubine of this Ushioni.
On the evening of th 14th day of the 10th lunar month, the priest shot an arrow at the Ushioni and hit his eye. The Demon fled to the mountain and died on its top.
Since then the mountain is called Mount Onigajo.
Flies at the top of the mountain have only one eye.

- source : pinterest -

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