What life is like around the world… but mostly Japan

LWIF EP135: Japan: Where Gods Aren’t Gods and Worshipers Aren’t Religious

October 10, 2019

Have you ever wondered about all the gates (torii) you see around Japan? They are entrances to the sacred ground of Shinto shrines (jinja). While some might see Japan’s traditional practices of Shinto as a religion, and their various kami as gods, it’s not quite as simple as that. Special thanks to David Chart for explaining the ins and outs of Shinto. Find out more about Shinto on his blog at https://www.mimusubi.com/ and support his writing on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/mimusubi. Also a big thanks to Yushima Tenjin http://www.yushimatenjin.or.jp/pc/index.htm and Shirahata-san http://shira80000.com for letting us film on their sacred grounds. As mentioned in the video, tourists snapshots at jinja are fine, but you should get permission to film within the sacred space if you’ll be using for the commercial or YouTube purposes. Lastly, thanks to my Patreon supporters who help me make videos like this. Become a patron yourself at https://www.patreon.com/lifewhereimfrom. Additional Sources

https://www.jinjahoncho.or.jp/en/
Emperor Akihito, Daijosai By Website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, CC 表示 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63998682
Emperor Akihito 20140424 By State Department photo by William Ng / Public domainEast Asia and Pacific Media Hub – President Obama and Emperor of Japan at the Welcome Ceremony in Japan | Flickr – Photo Sharing!, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32359352
The First Lady guided through torii (Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon) https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2015/03/26/pictures-first-lady-s-trip-japan-and-cambodia
Kyoto Gion Matsuri J09 060 By Corpse Reviver – Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7992458
Kyoto Gion Matsuri J09 111 By Corpse Reviver – 投稿者自身による作品, CC 表示 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7992819
Kyoto Gion Matsuri J09 136 By Corpse Reviver – 投稿者自身による作品, CC 表示 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7993041
國輝画「本朝英雄傳」より「牛頭天皇稲田姫」、大判錦絵 By 歌川国輝 – http://www.kabuki21.com/furisode.php, パブリック・ドメイン, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=632398
Drawing of Sugawara no Michizane By 菊池容斎 – Kikuchi Yosai, パブリック・ドメイン, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=655563
岩戸神楽ノ起顕（三代豊国）By 歌川国貞 – [1], パブリック・ドメイン, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=59538006
玉鬘図（『源氏物語』画帖の内）-“The Jeweled Chaplet” (“Tamakazura”), from The Tale of Genji (Genji monogatari) MET DP361161.jpg By Creator:Tosa Mitsuyoshi – This file was donated to Wikimedia Commons as part of a project by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. See the Image and Data Resources Open Access Policy, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=57381240

Comments

One response to “LWIF EP135: Japan: Where Gods Aren’t Gods and Worshipers Aren’t Religious”

October 20, 2019

Mugdha

Hello LWIF,

I loved this video. Very informative and put together. As a Japanese learning foreign student, it definitely made me appreciate the little nuances of the culture.

One of the things I got really curious about was the song playing at the end of the video. Can you please tell me the name of the track? I read that you mentioned the source but still it’s difficult to find it without the name.