# Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan/Series 1/Volume 2/The Shintô Temples of Isé

THE SHINTÔ TEMPLES OF ISÉ.
BY
E. SATOW, Esqr.
Read before the Asiatic Society of Japan,
on the 18th February, 1874..
———o———
The Temples of Isé called by the Japanese ‘Fiô-dai-jin-gû,’ or literally the ‘Two great divine palaces,’ are situated in the department of Watarai, at a short distance from each other. They rank first among all the Shintô temples in Japan in point of sanctity, though not the most ancient, and have in the eyes of Japanese the same importance as the Holy Places of Palestine in the eves of the Greeks and Armenians, or Mecca in those of the Mahometans. Thousands of pilgrims resort thither annually, chiefly during the spring months, when the weather is most suited for travelling. In Yedo no artizan considers it possible to gain a livelihood unless he has invoked the protection of Daijingû Sama, as the common people are accustomed to call the gods of Isé, by performing the journey thither once at least, and the peasants are even more devout believers. In former years it was a common thing for the little shop-boys of Yedo to abscond for a while from their masters’ houses, and to wander along the Tôkaidô as far as Isé, subsisting on the alms which they begged from travellers; and having obtained the bundle of charms, consisting of pieces of the wood of which the temples are built, they made their way back home in the same manner. The Isé pilgrims are distinguished on their return by large bundles of charms, wrapped in oil-paper, which they carry suspended from their necks by a ​string. Stories are even told of dogs making the pilgrimage, no doubt in the company of these boys, and until a short time ago one of these holy animals was still living in Shinagawa.
In every Japanese house there is kept what is called a kami-dana, or ‘shelf for gods,’ which consists of a miniature Shintô temple in wood, containing paper tickets inscribed with the names of various gods, one of whom is invariably Ten-shôkô-daijin, the principal deity of Isé. This ticket, or rather paper box, is called o-harai, and is supposed to contain between two thin boards some pieces of the wand used by the priests at Isé at the two annual festivals in the 6th and 12th months of the year. These festivals are called ô-barai no matsuri, and are supposed to effect the purification of the whole nation from sin during the preceding half year. Every believer who has one of these o-harai in his kami-dana is protected thereby from misfortune for the next six months, at the expiration of which time he ought to exchange the o-harai for a new one, which he must fetch from Isé in person, but in practice the o-harai is only changed once a year, perhaps less often. The old ones ought to be cast into a river or into the sea, or may be destroyed by burning. They are usually employed to light the fire which boils the water for the bath prepared for the miko, or virgin priestesses, after their dance in honour of the uji-gami, or patron-god of the locality, at his festival. Up to the revolution in 1868, as it was pratically impossible for every householder to fetch his own o-harai from Isé, there existed a class of persons called oshi, who made it their trade to hawk the o-harai about the country, selling almanacs at the same time. This practice has been lately prohibited by the Mikado’s Government, and they can now be obtained only at the temples themselves or at the recognized agencies.
The route usually taken by Japanese pilgrims lies along the Tôkaidô, those who come from the west leaving that road at Séki, while those who come from the east turn off at Yokkaichi near Kuwana. The Temples are also ​easily reached from the harbour of Toba in Shima, which is distant only about seven miles from the nearest. The castle of Toba was built by one of the leaders of Toyotomi Hidéyoshi (Taicosama’s) expeditions against Corea, and some interesting relics are still preserved in it. The town is not large, and the chief business of the inhabitants seems to be furnishing supplies to the junks which frequent the port in small numbers.
The itineraries by the Tôkaidô are as follows:—
| to | Kambé. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 01 | ri. | 09 | chô. |
| to„ | Shirako. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 01 | ri.„ | 18 | chô.„ |
| to„ | Uyeno. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 01 | ri.„ | 18 | chô.„ |
| to„ | Machiya. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 01 | ri.„ | 00 | chô.„ |
| to„ | Tsu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 01 | ri.„ | 18 | chô.„ |
| to„ | Kumodzu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 02 | ri.„ | — | chô.„ |
| to„ | Tsukimoto. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | — | ri.„ | 18 | chô.„ |
| to„ | Rokken. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | — | ri.„ | 18 | chô.„ |
| to„ | Matsuzaka. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 02 | ri.„ | — | chô.„ |
| to„ | Kushita. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 01 | ri.„ | — | chô.„ |
| to„ | Miôzei. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 01 | ri.„ | 18 | chô.„ |
| to„ | Obata. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 01 | ri.„ | 18 | chô.„ |
| to„ | Yamada. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 01 | ri.„ | 18 | chô.„ |
| to„ | Gékû (Shrine). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
| to„ | Naikû (Shrine). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 01 | ri.„ | 14 | chô.„ |
| | | 17 | ri. | 23 | chô. |
| to | Kusuwara. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 01 | ri.„ | — | chô.„ |
| to„ | Mukumoto. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 01 | ri.„ | — | chô.„ |
| to„ | Ôkubo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 02 | ri.„ | — | chô.„ |
| to„ | Tsu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 01 | ri.„ | 18 | chô.„ |
| | | 05 | ri. | 18 | chô. |
From Toba the read lies through two villages called Asama and Kusubé. On the west of Asama village rises the lofty hill called by the same name, from which the view towards the sea is magnificent. The town of Furuichi, about eight miles from Toba, where the pilgrims lodge, stands on a long ridge between the two Temples. It consists entirely of inns, brothels and houses ​of entertainment, mostly of large size, though this fact is less apparent from their standing with their gables towards the street. In few towns in Japan does the architecture present such a solid appearance throughout. A traveller who takes the route from Séki or Yokkaichi would approach the Temples through the town of Yamada, north of the Gékû, and pass through Furuichi after visiting it, on his way to the Naikû. Yamada is also a considerable town, and contains numerous hotels.
The Gékû (Outer-Palace) stands in the midst of a large grove of aged cryptomerias. To reach it from Yamada, the street called Taté machi has to be traversed, and a bridge crossed, which gives access to a wide space enclosed by banks faced with stone. On the right hand side is a building occupied by Kannushi, or attendants of the temple, who are to Shintô what the bonzes are to Buddhism. They keep here for sale pieces of the wood used in the construction of the temple wrapped in paper, small packets of the rice which has been offered to the gods, and various other charm. Close by this building stands the ichi no torii, or first arch-way, which forms the front entrance, and whence a broad road leads through the trees to the Temple. As is the rule in all pure Shintô temples, the torii is of unpainted wood. It consists of two upright trunks planted in the ground, on the tops of which rest a long straight tree whose ends project slightly; underneath this is a smaller horizontal beam, whoso ends do not project.
The torii was originally a perch for the fowls offered up to the gods, not as food, but to give warning of day-break. It was erected on any side of the temple indifferently. In later times, not improbably after the introduction of Buddhism, its original meaning was forgotten; it was placed in front only and supposed to be a gateway. Tablets with inscriptions (gaku) were placed on the torii with this belief, and one of the first things done after the restoration of the Mikado in 1868 in the course of the ​purification of the Shintô temples was the removal of these tablets. The etymology of the word is evidently ‘bird-rest.’ The torii gradually assumed the character of a general symbol of Shintô, and the number which might be erected to the honour of a deity became practically unlimited. The Buddhists made it of stone or bronze, and frequently of red-painted wood, and developed various forms. It is to the present day a favourite subject for ex-voto.
About a hundred yards up the road through the grove stands a second torii, exactly similar to the first, and on passing through this the pilgrim comes in view of an oblong enclosure, situated close to the road by the right-hand side.
This enclosure is built of cryptomeria, as is the rule with all Shintô structures, neatly planed and perfectly free from any kind of paint. It is formed of upright posts about nine feet high, planted at intervals of six feet, the intervals being completely built up with planks placed horizontally. According to a plan given to me by the second official in charge of the temple, the front, which faces the road, is 247 feet in length; the right side, supposing the spectator to be standing with his face to the entrance, is 339 feet, the left side 335 feet, and the rear only 235 feet in length. It thus appears that the shape is that of an irregular oblong, the formation of the ground rather than any necessary relation of numbers having determined the proportions. This enclosure is called the Itagaki.
A little on one side of the centre of the front face is the outer entrance, eighteen feet in width, formed by a torii similar in shape to the other two, but of smaller dimensions. It is called San no torii in the drawing given in volume 4 of the Isé sangû Meisho Dzuyé, but Itagaki go mon in the plan above referred to. Opposite to it, at a distance of 76 feet, stands a wooden screen, called bampei, or fence, which recalls to mind the brick-built screen which in China occupies a similar position before the gate of a yamên or private dwelling of a rich ​person. There are four other entrances in the Itagaki, formed by torii, one on the east, one on the west, and two on the north side. Those on the east and west are near the lower or left-hand end, and opposite to each stands a bampei about 24 feet distant. Of those on the north side, one is situated about the middle, and has a bampei opposite to it. The other, which is smaller, only gives access to the mi-ké-den, which is probably the reason of the absence of the bampei. The whole of the Itagaki, with the exception of the San no torii on the south side, has been erected since the Restoration in 1868.
The third torii gives access into what appears to be a smaller Court, the further end of which is formed by a gateway protected by a thatched roof, and closed ordinarily by a curtain, the two sides being shut in by low wooden fences. On the left hand is a gatekeeper’s lodge.
Unless the pilgrim be a privileged person he is prevented by the curtain from seeing further into the interior. A full view can however be obtained by ascending a bank on the west side of the enclosure, from which the whole arrangement of the shrine is at once perceived.
The thatched gateway above mentioned is the principal opening in a second fence composed of very narrow boards alternately long and short placed at intervals of about a foot, with two horizontal railings, the one running along the top, the other along the centre. The distance of this fence from the outer enclosure varies, being 35 feet on the south, 27 feet on the west, 25 on the east, and 10 feet on the north. It is called the Soto Famagaki, and like the Itagaki has been erected within the last six years. Besides the gateway on the south, there are three others, one on each side, corresponding to the other three main torii in the Itagaki. These gateways are torii, closed with solid gates, an arrangement rarely seen in Shintô temples. On passing through the thatched gateway the visitor finds himself in a second court, on the right-hand side of which stands a sort of shed, 40 feet in length by 20 in depth, called the Shijô ​den. This a restoration of one of three buildings anciently called Naorai dono, which were set apart for the entertainments of the envoys sent by the Mikado, after the celebration of the great annual harvest festival called Kannamé no matsuri. Advancing through a torii, called the ko-torii, in a straight line for a distance of 99 feet, he comes to a third gateway, likewise covered in with a thatched roof (formerly called Tuma-gushi go mon, but in the plan Uchi-tamagaki go mon), which admits him to the interior of a third enclosure, called the Uchi-tamagaki. This palisade is formed of narrow planks, of about the height of a man, placed close together. Just within this is a small wooden gateway called the Bangaki go mon, and immediately beyond the latter a third thatched gateway, which forms the entrance to the fourth and last enclosure. The palisade, called Midzugaki, is formed of broad planks, and is almost a perfect square, the north and south sides being each 134 feet in length, the east and west 131 feet in length.
Within the enclosure thus formed stand the Shôden, or Shrine of the gods, at the back, and two hôden, or treasuries, right and left of the main entrance.
Japanese antiquarians tell us that in early times, before carpenter’s tools had been invented, the dwellings of the people who inhabited these islands were constructed of young trees with the bark on, fastened together with ropes made of the rush Sugé (scirpus maritimus), or perhaps with the tough shoots of the wistaria (fuji), and thatched with the grass called kaya. In modern buildings the uprights of a house stand upon large stones, laid on the surface of the earth, but this precaution against decay had not occurred to the ancients, who planted the uprights in holes dug in the ground.
The ground plan of the hut was oblong, with four corner uprights, and one in the middle of each of the four sides, those in the sides which formed the ends being long enough to support the ridge-pole. Other trees were fastened horizontally from corner to corner, one set near the ​ground, one near the top and one set on the top, the latter of which formed what we call the wall-plates. Two large rafters whose upper ends crossed each other, were laid from the wall plates to the heads of the taller uprights. The ridge-pole rested in the fork formed by the upper ends of the rafters crossing each other. Horizontal poles were then laid along each slope of the roof, one pair being fastened close up to the exterior angle of the fork. The rafters were slender poles or bamboos passed over the ridge-pole and fastened down on each end to the wall-plates. Next followed the process of putting on the thatch. In order to keep this in its place two trees were laid along the top resting in the forks, and across these two trees were placed short logs at equal distances, which being fastened to the poles in the exterior angle of the forks by ropes passed through the thatch, bound the ridge of the roof firmly together.
The walls and doors were constructed of rough matting. It is evident that some tool must have been used to cut the trees to the required length, and for this purpose a sharpened stone was probably employed. Such stone implements have been found imbedded in the earth in various parts of Japan in company with stone arrow-heads and clubs. Specimens of the ancient style of building may even yet be seen in remote parts of the country, not perhaps so much in the habitations of the peasantry, as in sheds erected to serve a temporary purpose.
The architecture of the Shintô temples is derived from the primeval hut, with move or less modification in proportion to the influence of Buddhism in each particular case. Those of the purest style retain the thatched roof, others are covered with the thick shingling called Hiwada-buki, while others have tiled and even coppered roofs. The projecting ends of the rafters (called Chigi) have been somewhat lengthened, and carved more or less elaborately. At the new temple at Kudanzaka in Yedo they are shown in the proper position, projecting from the inside of the shingling, but in the majority of cases they merely consist of two pieces of ​wood in the form of the letter X, which rest on the ridge of the roof like a pack-saddle on a horse’s back, to make use of a Japanese writer’s comparison. The logs which kept the two trees laid on the ridge in their place have taken the form of short cylindrical pieces of timber tapering towards each extremity, which have been compared by foreigners to cigars. In Japanese they are called Katsuo-gi, from their resemblance to the pieces of dried bonito sold under the name of Katsuo-bushi. The two trees laid long the roof over the thatch are represented by a single beam, called Munaosae, or ‘roof presser.’ Planking has taken the place of the mats with which the sides of the building were originally closed, and the entrance is closed by a pair of folding doors turning, not on hinges, but on what are, I believe, technically called “journals.” The primeval hut had no flooring, but we find that the shrine has a wooden floor raised some feet above the ground, which arrangement necessitates a sort of balcony all round, and a flight of steps up to the entrance. The transformation is completed in some cases by the addition of a quantity of ornamental metal-work in brass.
All the buildings which form part of the two temples of Isé are constructed in this style, so disappointing in its simplicity and perishable nature. I am acquainted with but few other similar shrines. There are the shrine to the gods of Isé on the Nogi hill, and that of Ôtô no miya at Kamakura. None but those which are roofed with thatch are entitled to be considered as being in strict conformity with the principles of genuine Shintô-shrine architecture.
The Shôden of the Gékû is thirty-four feet in length and nineteen in width. Its floor, which is raised about six feet from the ground, is supported on wooden posts planted in the earth. A balcony three feet in width runs right round the building, and carries a low balustrade, the tops of whose posts are carved into the shape called hôshi no tama. A flight of nine steps fifteen feet in width ​leads up to the balcony in front, with a balustrade on each side. The steps, balustrade and doors are profusely overlaid with brass plates, but there is none of the elaborate wood-carving which may be seen on many of the shrines which for ages past have been in the charge of the Buddhists, as for instance, the shrines of Kami-no-Suwa and Shimo-no-Suwa in Shinshiu. The external ridge-pole, cross-trees, and projecting rafters are also adorned with brass, and the ends of the latter are prolonged more than is usual. The roof is what is termed a gable roof, but projects some three feet beyond the walls at each end.
The one peculiarity which more than all others distinguishes the pure Shintô temples from those of the Buddhists is the absence of images, exposed as objects for the veneration of the worshipper. It has been observed that Shintô temples often contain a mirror placed in a prominent position, and this mirror has been supposed by foreigners to be their distinguishing mark; but it is only to be found in those which have been under the influence of Buddhism. It is absent from all the pure Shintô temples. At the same time this latter nearly always contains some object in which the spirit of the deity therein enshrined is supposed to reside. The common name of this is mi-tamajiro, or ‘august spirit-substitute.’ Another name for it is kan-zané, or god’s seed.’ It is usually concealed behind the closed doors of the actual shrine, within some kind of casing, which alone is exposed to view when the doors are opened on the occasion of the annual festival. As the tamajiro at the Gékû are imitations of those at the Naikû, I will speak of them when I come to describe that temple.
The two hôden, or Treasuries, are much simpler in form, having no balcony and very little brass ornament except on the timbers of the roof. They stand facing towards the Shôden, one on each side of the gate, and have floors raised above the ground. Their contents consist of precious silken stuffs, silk fibre presented by the province of Mikawa, and sets of saddlery: for the sacred horses.
In the northwest corner of the area, between the ​Itagaki and the Soto-tamagaki, stands the Géheiden, or Heihakuden, of a construction similar to that of the two Treasuries. This building is destined to contain the gohei, or mitegura, as they are called by the pure Shintôists. A gohei, when plain, consists of a slender wand of unpainted wood, from which depend two long pieces of paper, notched alternately on opposite sides, so that they assume a twisted appearance. In some shrines which have been long in the hands of the Buddhists, gilt metal has been substituted for paper. The gohei represent offerings of rough and fine white cloth (aratae and nigitae are the words used in the norito or addresses to the gods), and as the offerings were supposed to have the effect of attracting the gods’ spirits to the spot, it was by a natural transition that they came in later times to be considered as the seats of the gods, and even as the gods themselves. At Isé, however, the gohei have retained their original meaning. There is but one gohei to each god worshipped at any particular shrine, and where three or five are seen in a row the fact indicates that the building is dedicated to the same number of deities. I mention this because it has been stated that the three gohei which are often seen in one shrine have some connexion with the dogma of the Trinity.
Gohei is compounded of two Chinese words meaning ‘august’ or ‘imperial’ and ‘presents.’ Mité-gura is compounded of the honorific mi, corresponding in meaning to the Chinese go, té, a contraction of taë, an archaic word for cloth, and kura, a seat. This is the derivation given in the Wakunkan. Motoöri, in the Kojikiden (Vol. VIII p. 43) says that kura, which he connects with kureru, to give, means a present, and that té is either ‘hand’ or a contraction of tamuké, an offering. If té is hand, then the compound signifies that which is taken in the hand and presented. The wand was originally a branch of the sacred tree called sakaki (Cleyera japonica).
On the northeast corner in a special enclosure within the Itagaki stands the mikéden, a building in the same ​form as the hôden. It is here that the water and food offered up to the gods every morning and evening are set out. These gods are seven in number, namely the principal deity and three secondary (called aidono) of the Gékû, and the principal deity and two aidono of the Naikû. Formerly, that is to say, up to the year 729, as the legend states, the food offerings for the Naikû, after being prepared at the Gékû, were conveyed to the former temple, there to be set out. In that year, as the offerings were being carried thither as usual they were unwittingly carried past some polluting object which happened to be in the road. The consequence was that the Mikado fell ill, and the diviners attributed his sickness to the anger of the goddess of the Naikû. An envoy was deputed by him to carry his apologies to the offended deity, and the mikéden was then erected at the Gékû for the service of both temples. This account would appear to suggest that no mikéden existed at all before this occurrence, but that can hardly be possible.
The offerings made to each of the two principal deities consist of four cups of water, sixteen saucers of rice, four saucers of salt, and food, such as fish, birds and vegetables, offered up by the surrounding villages. The proportion for each of the aidono consists of one half of the quantities offered to the principal deities.
The principal deity worshipped at the Gékû is Toyouké-himé no kami, called Ukémochi no kami in the Nihongi and Ôgetsuhimé no kami in the Kojiki. Toyo means abundant: uké, food: himé, lady, and the whole signifies ‘abundant-food-goddess.’ Ukémochi no kami signifies the ‘food-possessing god.’ In the name Ôgetsu-himé no kami, the first element ô (written oho) is simply an honorific like the o in colloquial; gé is uké deprived of its first syllable and with the nigori of composition; tsu is the archaic generic particle, himé as before, and the whole means ‘goddess of food.’ Hirata Atsutané’s compilation of myths from the most reliable sources (Koshi-Seibun) contains the following account of her (Vol. II, p. 1).
​Hereupon Ama-terasu-ô-mi-kami spake unto Kamu-haya-susanoö-no-mikoto and said: “I have heard that there is a god named Ukemochi-no-kami in the central country of luxuriant reedy moors (Japan). Go thou and see.” Then Haya-susanoö-no mikoto, obeying the most august command, descended from heaven, and coming to the august abode of Ukémochi-no-kami, asked for food from that Ukémochi-no-kami. When Ukémochi-no-kami hereupon brought forth from nose, mouth and hinder parts various kinds of food, and arranging them in various forms on a banqueting-table, entertained him, Haya-susanoö-no-mikoto stood and watched the proceedings, and thinking that she was offering foul things, was angry and grew hot, and spake, saying:—“Foul indeed, despicable indeed. Why feed me with foul things?” Having spoken, he drew his sword, and having struck that Ukémochi-no-kami dead, reported, and when he told the matter in detail, Amaterasu-ô-mi-kame was very angry, and having said: “Thou art a wicked god, I do not desire to meet thee,” remained secluded from him one day and one night.
Then when Amaterasu-ô-mi-kami afterwards a second time sent Amé-kuma-no-ushi and caused him to see, Ukémochi-no-kami was really dead. As to the things which grew on the body of the goddess whom he (Susanoö-no-mikoto) had killed, awa grew on the forehead, a silk-worm and mulberry tree grew on the eyebrows, hiyé grew on the eye, a rice-seed grew on the belly, barley, a large bean and a small bean on the private parts, and the head changed into a cow and horse. When Amé-kuma-no-ushi then took them all and presented them, Amaterasu-ô-mi-kami rejoiced and spake, saying: “These things are things on which the beautiful green-human-herb eating may live.” Then she constituted awa, hiyé, barley and beans seeds of the dry-fields, and constituted rice seed of the watery-fields. Also she appointed lords of the villages of heaven, and for the first time made them plant those rice-seeds in the narrow fields and long fields of heaven, so that in the ​autumn the drooping ears were abundantly luxuriant, and ripened very well. Also she planted the mulberry-trees on the fragrant hills of heaven (Ame-no-kagu-yama), and reared silkworms, and chewing the cocoons in her mouth spun thread. The arts of silkworm-rearing and weaving commenced from this time.
The secondary deities (aidono) are Amatsu-hiko-ho-no nini-gi no mikoto, Amé-no-koya-né no mikoto and Amé-no-futo-dama no mikoto. The first of these is the grandson by adoption of the goddess Amaterasu ô-mi-kami, and great-grandfather of Jimmu tennô. According to the legend the goddess wished to send her adopted son Oshi-no-mimi no mikoto down upon earth to subdue it, but he put forward his own son instead as leader of the expedition. The goddess then presented Nini-gi no mikoto with various treasures, amongst which the most important were the mirror, sword and stone (afterwards the regalia of the Japanese sovereigns), and attached to his person the last two gods. With reference to the mirror she said: “Look upon this mirror as my spirit, keep it in the same house and on the same floor with yourself, and worship it as if you were worshipping my actual presence.”
The Gékû was founded in the year 478 (the 22nd of Yûriaku Tennô). It was removed from Manaihara in Tamba in accordance with a revelation from Amaterasu ô-mi-kami 482 years after the establishment of that goddess’ temple at Uji in the province of Isé in the 26th year of Suinin Tennô (4 B. C.). The perishable nature of Japanese architecture of course renders it impossible that the original buildings should have lasted down to the present day, and in fact it seems to have been the rule from time immemorial to rebuild the temple once every twenty years, alternately on each of two sites which lie close to each other.
From the Gékû to the Naikû is a distance of about three miles through the localities called Miôkenmachi, Furuichi, Ushidani and Uji, which form a continuous succession of houses. Through the middle of Uji flows a ​stream called the Isuzu-gawa, crossed by a fine wooden bridge, and the torii on the outskirts of the grove in which stands the Naikû is only a few hundred years from the bridge and close to the river bank. Just within the torii are some steps leading down to the water, and here the pilgrims are wont to wash their hands before proceeding to worship at the temple. The practice of cleansing the hands before praying at a shrine seems common to both Shintôists and Buddhists; it is symbolic of purification, but the water used for this purpose does not seem to have any miraculous virtues like the holy water of the Chrisians.
The whole arrangement of the Naikû is similar to that of the Gékû. There are the same number of torii in the avenue by which it is approached, and it is surrounded by the same four-fold enclosure. There is, however, some difference in the shape and size of the different enclosures. The Itagaki is 195 feet long in front, 369 feet at the side and 202 at the back, thus being narrower and deeper than that of the Géku. The innermost enclosure, or Midzugaki, measures as follows: front 149 feet, back 150 feet, each side 144 feet. It is therefore larger in every direction than that of the Gékû.
The principal deity worshipped at the Naikû is Ama-terasu ô-mi-kami, and the secondary deities or aidono are Ta-jikara-o no kami and Yorozu-hata-toyo-aki-tsu-himé-no kami.
The first of these may be called the Sun-goddess, and is nothing but a deification of the sun. She has several names, of which this is the most common. It signifies literally, the “From-heaven shining great deity.” According to the legend in the Koshi-seibun she was produced from the left eye of Izanagi no mikoto in the course of the long purification by washing in the sea which he underwent after having defiled himself by intruding on the privacy of his consort Izanami no mikoto in the lower regions. From his right eye was produced Tsukiyomi no mikoto, also called Takehaya-Susanoö no mikoto. This is the moon, a masculine deity.
​Izanagi no mikoto produced a large number of gods, but of all his children, he loved these two the most. Ama-terasu ô-mi-kami shone beautifully and illuminated the heavens and earth. He therefore resolved not to keep her on earth, and transferred her to heaven, to be its ruler. At this time the earth was close to heaven, and the goddess had no difficulty in climbing up the pillar on which heaven rested, and in reaching her realm. Susanoö no mikoto was made ruler over the blue sea, but he neglected to keep his kingdom in order. He wore a long beard which descended to his bosom, and cried constantly, until the land became a desert und the rivers and seas were dried up, so that human beings perished in great numbers. When his progenitor demanded the reason of his evil temper, he replied that he wished to go to his mother (Izanami no mikoto), who was in the region under the earth. Izanagi no mikoto therefore made him ruler over the kingdom of night. After this he committed various other offences, one of which was flaying a live piebald horse from the tail towards the head, and throwing the body into the room where his sister was seated at her loom. The goddess was so frightened that she hurt herself with the shuttle, and in her wrath retired into a cave which she closed with a rocky door. Heaven and earth were plunged in utter darkness, which endured for a considerable time. A rationalistic writer, the editor of the Kokushiriaku, explains this event to have been the first solar eclipse. The more turbulent among the gods profited by the darkness to make a noise like the buzzing of flies, and the general disaster was great.
Then all the gods assembled on the dry bed of the river called Ame-no-yasu-no-kawa, and held council as to the best means of appeasing the anger of the great goddess. By order of Taka-mi-musu-bi no kami, they entrusted the charge of thinking out a plan to Amé-no-koya-né no mikoto, the wisest of the gods. He suggested that an image of the goddess should be made, and artifice be employed to entice her forth. A large rock from near the source of the river having been taken to form an anvil, ​the god Ishi-kori-domé no mikoto and the blacksmith Ama-tsu-mare no mikoto made a mirror in the shape of the sun with iron taken from the mines in heaven. To make the bellows they took the whole skin of a deer. The first two mirrors which they succeeded in making were too small, and did not please the gods, but the third was large and beautiful. “This,” says the legend, “is the august deity in Isé.”
Takami-musu-bi no kami then ordered two of the gods to plant the broussonetia (kôdzu) and hemp (asa), and to prepare the bark of the one and the fibre of the other, while other three gods were appointed to weave the materials so obtained into course striped cloth and into fine cloth for the goddess’ clothing. The gods, who seem to have been the first carpenters, cut down timber in the ravines on Amé-no-kushi-akaru-tama no mikoto to make spades with, erected posts and built a palace. Next he commanded Amé-no-kushi-akaru-tama no mikoto to make a string of magatama, [such as were worn in those days as ornaments in the hair and as bracelets. The magatama is supposed by Motoöri to have been so called from its curved shape and to be identical with the pierced pieces of soapstone answering to that description found in the earth in different parts of Japan. They are generally about two inches in length, but some have been found in Liukiu which are twice as large]. Two other gods made tamagushi from branches of the sakaki (Cleyera japonica) and the suzu (kind of small bamboo). [The tamagushi was originally a wand to which were attached valuable stones, but afterwards pieces of cloth and in modern times paper took the place of the stones. It is a smaller gohei, carried in the hand.]
When these preparations were complete Taka-mi-musu-bi no kami then called before him Amé-no-koya-né no mikoto and Amé-no-futo-dama no mikoto, and instructed them to find out by divination whether the goddess was likely to be induced to reappear. They caught a buck, and having torn the bone out of one of its forelegs, set it free again. They placed the bone in a fire of cherry bark, ​and the direction of the crack which the heat produced in the blade of the bone was considered a satisfactory omen.
Hereupon Amé-no-koya-né no mikoto pulled up a Sakaki by the roots. On its upper branches he hung the string of maga-tama, to the middle he attached the mirror, and to the lower branches he fastened the coarse and fine cloth. This formed a large mitegura (or gohei), which was held by Ama-no-futo-dama no mikoto, while he pronounced an address in honour of the goddess. [In most of the pictures which represent this scene in the mythology, the mitegura is drawn stuck in the ground, the artists having probably omitted to consult the books which contain the legend.]
Next they collected a number of cocks and set them to crow in concert. Ta-jikara-o no mikoto, whose name signifies that he possessed great strength in his hands, was placed in concealment by the door of the cavern. Amé-no Uzu-mé no mikoto was appointed superintendent of the dance. She blew a bamboo with holes pierced in it between the joints, while other deities kept time to the music with two pieces of wood, which they struck together. [Every one who has been in a modern Japanese theatre has seen and heard this part of the performances. Uzu-mé no mikoto is the goddess whose mask with swollen cheeks and diminutive forehead is often to be seen on the wall in Japanese houses. She is vulgarly called Okamé.] Amé-no-kamato no mikoto made a sort of harp by placing six bows close together with the strings upwards. [This was the origin of the Japanese musical instrument called koto, and it is said that specimens are still extant which preserve distinct marks of this form.] The strings were made of the Saru no ogasé, a kind of moss found hanging to the branches of the pine-tree (matsu) high up on the hills. His son Naga-shiraha no mikoto produced music from this harp by drawing across the strings grass and rushes (the chi and sugé) which he held in his two hands. Uzumé no mikoto also made herself a headdress ​(called kadzura) of a long kind of moss (kikagé) which hangs from the pinetree, and bound her sleeves close up to her body under the arms-pits with the masaki’ [Evonymus radicans Sieb. a creeping plant. This proceeding is called putting on a tasuki, and is practised to this day by every Japanese woman when about to perform household duties, such as drawing water or sweeping]. She provided herself with a bundle of twigs of sasa (a kind of bamboo-grass) to hold in the hand, [no doubt as a sort of bâton with which to direct the movements of the others,] and a spear wound round with the grass called chi, and with small bells attached to it. Bonfires were lighted in front of the cavern, to dispel the darkness which had been created by the sudden retirement of the goddess. Then the uké, a sort of circular box, was laid down for Uzumé no mikoto to dance upon. [In a picture illustrating this legend which is given in one edition of the Nakatomi no harai, the uké is represented as being diverted from its proper use to serve as a drum, which is no doubt an error of the draughtsman.]
Having mounted on to the uké, Uzumé no mikoto began to tread it and cause it to resound, and she became possessed by a spirit, which seems to have been the spirit of folly. The verses of six syllables, which are said to have been her song: are
Mito futa miyo Itsu muyu nana Ya koko-no tari Momo chi yorodzu.
These words are said to have been subsequently chosen to express the principal numbers, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, hundred, thousand and myriad. The only difficulty is tari for ten, which is towo (pronounced tô) in modern Japanese. But they may also be interpreted in quite a different manner. Hito futa miyo ​is ‘men! look at the lid.’ By men are meant the gods, there assembled. [Hirata quotes several examples of the application of the word ‘men’ to gods.] ‘Look at the lid’ means ‘look at the door of the cavern.’ Itsu is for idzu, an old word meaning ‘majesty’ or ‘terrible glory.’ Muyu is the conclusive form of muyuru, the same as moyeru, to spring up, to sprout, to bud. Nana is to be taken as nari-nareri, has been successful, i. e. the stratgem by which the goddess is induced to put her haed out of the cavern has succeeded. Ya is the same as iya, an archaic word signifying ‘greatly.’ Kobo is the same as kokoro, mind, feelings; the abbreviated form seen in kokochi, feelings, sensations. Tari is the same as tarashi, an honorific form of taru, to suffice, and expresses ‘satisfaction.’ Momo chi mean ‘thighs and bosom,’ and yorodzu must be taken to be the same as yoroshi, good. The last three lines therefore mean: “Majesty appears; hurrah! Our hearts are quite satisfied.” “Behold my bosom and thighs.” When Uzumé no mikoto (says Hirata) lets her dress fall down so as to expose the whole of her person, her thighs are plainly seen, and at the same time she bares her breasts; the line is an invitation to the assembled gods to enjoy the sight of her charms. These proceedings, which were caused by the spirit which had descended on the goddess, excited the mirth of the gods, who laughed so loudly that heaven shook.
Amaterasu ô-mi-kami thought this all very strange, and having listened to the liberal praises bestowed on herself by Amé-no-ko-yané no mikoto said: “Men have frequently besought me of late, but never has anything so beautiful been said before.” Slightly opening the cavern door, she said from the inside: “I fancied that in consequence of my retirement both Ama-no-hara ​(heaven) and Ashi-wara no naka-tsu-kuni (Japan) were dark. Why has Amé-no-uzumé danced, and why do the gods all laugh?” Thereupon Amé-no-uzumé replied: “I dance and they laugh because there is an honourable deity here who surpasses your Glory (alluding to the mirror.” As she said this Amé-no-futo-dama no mikoto pushed forward the mirror, and showed it to her, and the astonishment of Amaterasu ô-mi-kami was greater even than before. She was coming out of the door to look, when Amé-no-tajikara-o no kami, who stood there concealed, pulled the rock-door open, and taking her august hand dragged her forth. Then Amé-no-koyané no mikoto took a rice straw rope, and passed it behind her, saying: “do not not go back in behind this.” As they were putting the mirror into the cave it struck against the door, and received a flaw which it has to this day.
They then removed the goddess to her new palace and put a straw rope round it to keep off evil gods, a practice still observed by the Shintô-ists.
Yorodzu-hata-toyo-akitsu-himé no kami, the second of the aidono of the Naikû, is another of the subordinate deities attached to Ninigi no mikoto when he descended upon the earth.
The mirror which plays such a prominent part in this legend was, as I have related above, given to Ninigi no mikoto, and by him handed down to his descendants, who kept it in the royal palace. In the year 92 B. C. there was a rebellion in Japan, which the reigning mikado (long afterwards canonized as Sûjin Tennô) believed to be a punishment for his having kept the sacred emblem under his own roof. He therefore placed the real mirror and sword in a shrine built for this purpose at Kasanui in Yamato, and appointed one of his own daughters to be priestess. The copies of the mirror and sword which he had made were placed in a separate building within the palace called kashiko-dokoro, or ‘place of reverence.’ Late on, in consequence of a warning from the goddess, the princess carried the mirror from province to province, ​seeking a suitable locality, but having grown old in the search she was replaced in the reign of the following mikado (Suinin Tennô, B. C. 29–A. D. 70) by the princess Yamato-himé no mikoto, who after many changes finally chose the present site, on the bank of the Isuzu river, by the village of Uji in Isé. This happened in the year 4 B. C.
This mirror is spoken of by some Japanese writers as if it were actually a deity by itself, but others take it to be merely the image of the goddess. All the mirrors in Shintô temples, whether exposed to view, as in those which have fallen under Buddist influence, or concealed within the honsha, as at the Gékû, are imitations of this one. It appears that the tamajiro of the principal and and secondary deities of both Naikû and Gékû are mirrors, but strictly speaking Amaterasu ô-mi-kami is the only deity who should be so represented.
Each mirror is contained in a box of hinoki, furnished with eight handles, four on the box itself and four on the lid. The box rests on a low stand and is covered with a piece of cloth said to be white silk. The mirror itself is wrapped in a brocade bag, which is never opened or renewed, but when it begins to fall to pieces from age, another bag is put on, so that the actual covering consists of numerous layers. Over the whole is placed a sort of cage of unpainted wood with ornaments said to be of pure gold, and over this again is thrown a sort of curtain of coarse silk, descending to the floor on all sides. The tamajiro of the aidono are contained in similar boxes, without the outer cage, and of smaller size. The boxes, or rather their coverings, are all that can be seen when the shrines are opened at the various festivals.
The Isé Guidebook, which I have already mentioned by its title, speaks of numerous smaller temples (sessha and massha) within the groves of the Gékû and Naikû, but most of these have been demolished within a few years, and I am unable to state which of them still exist. The temples of Isé were until lately unknown to foreigners. During a voyage of inspection made by the Japanese ​Government steamer Thabor in December 1872 to the lighthouses on the southern coasts, she put into Toba harbour, and arrangements were most liberally made by Mr. Ôkuma, Councillor of State, and Mr. Yamao, Vice-Minister of Public Works, for giving to the party of Europeans on board an opportunity of visiting these temples. I had the good fortune to be a member of the party, and endeavoured to observe as much as the limited time at our disposal would allow of, but no doubt there still remains much to be investigated by future travellers.
The foregoing paper by Mr. Satow was illustrated by drawings, specimens of “O-harai,” and the model of a Primeval Hut, such as would seem to have furnished the type of Shintô Temple architecture, and on its conclusion
The President tendered the thanks of the Society to Mr. Satow for his very interesting paper. He knew there were some gentlemen present who had made the subject of Shintôism a study, and hoped they would favour the Society with their views. As for himself he had earnestly endeavoured to find out what there was in it, but had long given it up, unable to find any thing to reward his labor;—excepting a small book of Shintô prayers, he had not been able to find any book on the subject. In these prayers man was recognized as guilty of the commission of sin and in need of cleansing.
The Rev. Mr. Syle quoted from Oliphant’s narrative of Lord Elgin’s Mission to Japan a passage which claims that “the Shintô religion has produced results which entitle it to a very high rank among the religions of the world.” (Vol. 2 p. 86.)
Mr. Satow agreed with the President’s opinion that Shintôism contained no moral code. Indeed that view was expressly maintained by Motoori, one of the leaders of the modern revivalists of pure Shintôism. According to Motoori morals were invented by the Chinese because they were an immoral people, but in Japan there was no necessity for any system of morals, as every Japanese acted aright if he only consulted his own heart. Further, Motoori declared that all the duty of a good Japanese consisted in obeying the commands of the mikado, without questioning whether those commands were right or wrong. It was only immoral people like the Chinese who presumed to discuss the characters of their Sovereigns. Shintôism, as expounded by Motoori, was nothing else than an engine for reducing the people to a condition of mental slavery, and this was the reason why such a high rank was assigned to ​the Department of Shintôism by the Mikado’s government, in placing it on a level with the Council of State shortly after the revolution in 1868.
Mr. Von Brandt thought that a distinction should be drawn between Shintôism as it existed in ancient times and the doctrine as it was developed by the writers at the Court of the Mikados in the more modern times. The one was originally a veneration of the common source of life, the fire, light or sun, which was considered as the generating power; afterwards it was found more convenient to subdivide this principal power into its elements and to give to each of its emanations a special kami as its representative; the history also of the Sun Goddess having withdrawn for a certain time into a cavern in consequence of her brother Sosan’s behaviour might be explained by the changes of the seasons rather than by an eclipse of the sun; the withdrawal of the sun representing the winter, her re-appearance the new spring. In ancient times the chiefs of the families and tribes were the first priests, their houses the first temples, and it was only several centuries after Jimmu that the temple of the Sun Goddess was separated from the dwelling of the Mikado. There appears to be good evidence that Shintôism resembles very closely the ancient religion of the Chinese; we find the same sacrifices made by the Japanese as are reported to have been made by the Chinese; sacrifices consisting first in the killing of the animal offered to the god, and in later years in the setting at liberty of the animals so offered; birds, especially quails, appear to have been used generally, but also larger domestic animals, and even cattle are mentioned.
Sir Harry Parkes expressed the disappointment which he in common with others had felt in being unable to learn what Shintôism was. Japanese in general seemed utterly at a loss to describe it, but this circumstance was intelligible if what was once an indigenous faith had been turned in later days into a political engine. Under such circumstances its character as a religion would be lost, and it would become for the time what the rulers of the country chose to make it. Infallibility on the part of the head of the State, which was naturally attributed to rulers claiming divine descent, was as convenient a doctrine for political purposes in China or Japan as elsewhere. It was evident that we must look to early times for the meaning of Shintôism. He was disposed to agree with M. Von Brandt that its origin was closely allied to the early religion of the Chinese. The name seemed to imply such a connection—Shintô being a pure Chinese term meaning The Way of the Gods or Spirits. It seemed to point to one of those primitive or national systems of religion, often found coincident with early national life, which attribute spiritual agencies to the elements or natural phenomena. The sacrifices alluded to by M. Von Brandt included at a remote period human sacrifices at the graves of chiefs, in Japan as well as in China. The Gohei spoken of in Mr. Satow’s paper pointed also to a connection with other Asiatic superstitions of a very early date. The practice of ​putting up sticks with shavings or paper attached, in order to attract the attention of the spirits, is observable among certain hill tribes of India as well as among the Ainos of Yezo. The Hindoos, Burmese and Chinese have converted these sticks into flags and streamers. It was interesting to see from Mr. Satow’s paper how some of the customs and practises of the present day were connected with the earliest mythology of the Japanese, also to learn from it what a myth Jimmu was, whose reputed birth-day upwards of six hundred years B. C. was made the occasion only the other day for salutes from ships and batteries. He certainly did not agree with the estimate formed by Oliphant of the merits of Shintôism. If it had worked great results or had ever taken deep hold on the religious feeling of the Japanese people it would scarcely have been superseded so completely as it had been by Buddhism.
Rev. Dr. Brown said, he could but reiterate the statement of the gentlemen who had preceded him, for so far as he could learn Shintôism was in no proper sense of the term a religion. It would be strange, if during a residence of more than fourteen years in Japan, he had not endeavoured to inform himself upon this subject, but, as had been said by the President, Dr. Hepburn, his search for information in the literature of the country had been but poorly rewarded, unless he counted the discovery of the emptiness of Shintôism as a compensation for his pains. The Japanese books in which he had hoped to find something that would command his respect, had utterly disappointed him. The Kojiki is the only work that professedly treats of the subject in extenso, but it hardly repaid the trouble of perusal. Professing to go back to the origin of all things, it proves to be atheistical, for the first material substance wants a creator. The details of the cosmogony it treats of are puerile and unphilosophical. The Kojiki contains no system of morals, discusses no ethical questions, prescribes no ritual, or points to any god or gods as objects of worship. All the essentials of a religion are wanting in Shintôism, and it is difficult to see how it could have ever been denominated a religion at all. Besides, the Kojiki is acknowledged by Japanese historians to be the work of a female peasant, who was possessed of so extraordinary a memory, that she could repeat all the traditions she had ever heard verbatim et literatim, and when in A.D. 712, the dynastic records had ceased to be worthy of credence, this woman reproduced the ancient traditions from the beginning of all things down to her own times. The credibility of the work therefore rests upon no trustworthy foundation and criticism of such a book is destructive of its pretensions. It had been intimated in the remarks of one gentleman at this meeting, that Shintôism was of Chinese origin. If so, it must have originated in pre-historic times. But it has rather the look of an original Japanese invention, the resemblance in forms of worship between it and those that have existed among other people being more probably those similarities that in many other departments of life, such as the arts and implements of husbandry, tend to demonstrate the unity of the human ​race. Wherever it may have originated, it is, as a religion, hollow, empty and jejune beyond any other that is known among men. It is certain, that the Japanese government in attempting to substitute Shintôism for the long prevalent Buddhistic faith, has undertaken a herculean task. Buddhism appeals to men’s religious susceptibilities, and has long been the popular faith, but Shintôism has nothing in it that comes down to men’s hearts, and it is futile to attempt to make it the substitute for that religion to which the people have been accustomed for ages, and which is intimately interwoven with the whole social fabric. The government tacitly confesses that Shintôism is a vapid lifeless thing when it sends men to preach throughout the country, and provides them with texts taken from no Japanese sacred-book but borrowed from Confucius and Mencius. The endeavour to revive the interest in this would-be religion must end in entire failure.
Mr. Mori considered the leading idea of the Shintô system to be reverential feeling toward the dead. As to the political use that was made of it, he thought that the state was quite right in turning it to account in support of the absolute Government which exists in Japan. He must admit that the early records of Japan were by no means reliable.
* ↑ Vide Vol. VI. p. 2 of the Katahisashi by Saitô Hikomaro.
* ↑ Gunsho ruijin. Vol. I. p. 71/2.
* ↑ Vide drawings on p. p. 11/2 and 2 in vol. VI. of the Katahisashi.
* ↑ Gunsho-rujiu, vols. I. and II.
* ↑ Panicum italicum.
* ↑ Panicum crus corvi.
* ↑ Koshi Seibun Vol. IV.
* ↑ Eulalia japonica.
* ↑ Lycopodium Sieboldii.
* ↑ Hirata ingeniously suggests that tari would naturally be contracted into chi, which might become to, and wo is merely the echo or prolongation of the vowel. This is according to the principle by which any syllable may be changed first into any other in the same perpendicular line of the table called gojiu in, and then changed again into any syllable on the same horizontal line as the syllable produced by the first transmutation. Upon this system any two words may be proved to be identical. Muyu is mu in modern Japanese, but the original form is preserved in muyuka or muika, six days. Vide Koshiden, vol. XI, p. 53 et infra, where the whole subject is fully discussed.
* ↑ Said to be the origin of the pamtomimic dances called kagura; kagura is derived from kamu, divine und eragi, to laugh.