Kodo

**Kodo** (古道 "ancient way") is the traditional religion of the Ishi Islands that focuses on ritual practices to be carried out diligently to establish a connection between present-day Nantou and its ancient past. It is henotheistic and worships the spirit and energy that flows through all things (musubi) as *Tenchi Kane No Kami*, or the Golden Kami of the Universe.

Kodo practices were first recorded and codified in the 7th century. However, rather than referring to a unified religion, these writings only document a collection of native beliefs and mythology.

## Beliefs

### Kami

Kami (神) is defined as "the energy generating a thing". Kami refers to the divinity, or sacred essence, that manifests in multiple forms. Rocks, trees, rivers, animals, places, and even people can be said to possess the nature of kami. Kami and people exist within the same world and share its interrelated complexity.

### Tenchi Kane No Kami

The Tenchi Kane No Kami, or "Golden Kami of the Universe," is regarded as the first kami, and the concept of the source of the universe according to theologies. The Golden Kami has no defined form and is not assigned a specific gender.

### Creation of the Ishi Islands

The generation of the Ishi Islands is expressed in mythology as the action of divine intervention by Tenchi Kane No Kami to bring life to the planet. A water wagtail was sent by the Golden Kami to create habitable land in the watery world below. The little bird fluttered over the waters, splashing water aside and then he packed patches of the earth firm by stomping them with his feet and beating them with his tail. In this way the Ishi Islands where the Ishi were later to live were raised to float upon the ocean.

### Yōki yusan

The Joyous Way (陽気遊参 yōki yusan) in Kodo is defined as charity and abstention from greed, selfishness, hatred, anger and arrogance. Negative tendencies are viewed as "dust" that can be swept away from the mind through hinokishin and ritual. Hinokishin, voluntary effort, is performed not out of a desire to appear selfless, rather it is to be an expression of joy and gratitude that materializes in the world through service for one's community or surroundings.

### Purity

Kodo teaches that certain deeds create a kind of ritual impurity that one should want cleansed for one's own peace of mind and good fortune rather than because impurity is wrong. Wrong deeds are called "impurity" (穢れ kegare), which is opposed to "purity" (清め kiyome).

Purification rites called Harae are a vital part of Kodo. They are done on a daily, weekly, seasonal, lunar, and annual basis. These rituals are the lifeblood of the practice of Kodo. Shinsen (food offerings of fruit, fish, and vegetables), tamagushi (sakaki tree branches), shio (salt), gohan (rice), mochi (rice cake), and sake (rice wine) are all typical offerings in the rites. On holidays and other special occasions the inner shrine doors may be opened and special offerings made. New buildings made in Ishikoku are frequently blessed by a Kodo priest (神主 kannushi) or noro priestess during the groundbreaking ceremony (Jichinsai 地鎮祭). On occasion priests visit annually to re-purify.

## Practices

### Shrines

The principal worship of kami is done at public shrines or worship at small home shrines called kamidana (神棚 "god-shelf"). The public shrine is a building or place that functions as a conduit for kami. A fewer number of shrines are also natural places called mori. The most common of the mori are sacred groves of trees, or mountains, or waterfalls. All shrines are open to the public at some times or throughout the year.

Shrines are fronted by a distinctive Ishi gate (鳥居 torii) made of two uprights and two crossbars denoting the separation between common space and sacred space. The torii have 20 styles and matching buildings based on the enshrined kami and lineage.

There are a number of symbolic and real barriers that exist between the normal world and the shrine grounds including: statues of protection, gates, fences, ropes, and other delineations of ordinary to sacred space. Usually there will be only one or sometimes two approaches to the Shrine for the public and all will have the torii over the way. In shrine compounds, there are a haiden (拝殿) or public hall of worship, heiden (幣殿) or hall of offerings and the honden (本殿) or the main hall. The innermost precinct of the grounds is the honden or worship hall, which is entered only by the high priest, or worshipers on certain occasions. The honden houses the symbol of the enshrined kami.

The heart of the shrine is periodic rituals, spiritual events in parishioners' lives, and festivals. All of this is organized by priests who are both spiritual conduits and administrators. Shrines are private institutions, and are supported financially by the congregation and visitors. Some shrines may have festivals that attract hundreds of thousands, especially in the new year season.

#### Kaminchu

Kaminchu (神人 "god people") are people specializing in Ishi magico-religious practices, usually those involving incorporeal beings. Their social roles correspond to those of a shaman in that, depending upon their classification, they serve as mediums, especially influential prayer and offering performers, healers/guardians, precognosticators/fortune-tellers/diviners, and sources of mediation both within the living community and between material and immaterial beings. Although they may assist in the transference of the mabui (まぶい "essence of the self") of the deceased, they do not act as psychopomps, because they do not help guide a spirit out of this world and into the afterlife. Women are the primary interlocutors between humans and spirits in the religion.

The noro (祝女) priestesses are the oldest kaminchu in the Ishi Islands. The noro priestesses emerged from the idea of onarigami (おなり神 "spiritual superiority of women") derived from Suzano, a "creation goddess" of the Ishi Islands. They communicate with, make offerings to, and, at times, channel ancestors, local gods and more powerful deities. Their primary duty is to officiate at community-wide festivals and rituals. These rituals take place in a sacred space, usually in a grove, at a cave or by the sea. Another of their primary functions was the protection and fueling of the communal fire, which was used to establish new households.

### Family-centered worship

The kamidana (神棚 "god-shelf") is the primary focus ancestor worship. It is a space, usually a small closet, dedicated to the family altar and various memorial plaques featuring the names of ancestors. Incense and alcohol are offered to ancestors at the kamidana. The kamidana is placed in a room called the ichibanza (一座, literally "first seat" and this room also serves as the guest room).

The kamidana is passed from generation to generation, first son to first son and only those who have inherited the parental house and carried on the main line possess a kamidana. The kamidana serves as the family gathering place on special holidays. Normally the kamidana receives offerings of incense, tea, water and cooked rice. During festivals the kamidana is lavishly adorned with offerings of pineapple, mango, apples, tangerines, exotic tropical fruits, sugar cane, and rice cakes.

The hinukan (火ぬ神) is a hearth god, represented by three small stones and usually located in the kitchen. It is regarded as the guardian of the "family fire"; its worship is officiated by the family matriarch. Hinukan, by extension, is also the guardian of sacred communal fire; his worship is officiated by the community priestess.

### Amulets and talismans

Ema are small wooden plaques that wishes or desires are written upon and left at a place in the shrine grounds so that one may get a wish or desire fulfilled. They have a picture on them and are frequently associated with the larger shrines.

Ofuda are talismans—made of paper, wood, or metal—that are issued at shrines. They are inscribed with the names of kami and are used for protection in the home. They are typically placed in the home at a kamidana. Ofuda may be kept anywhere, as long as they are in their protective pouches, but there are several rules about the proper placement of kamidana. They are also renewed annually.

Omamori are personal-protection amulets that are sold by shrines. They are frequently used to ward off bad luck and to gain better health. They are generally replaced once a year, and old omamori are brought to a shrine so they can be properly disposed of through burning by a priest.

Omikuji are paper lots upon which personal fortunes are written. The fortunes can range from daikichi (大吉), meaning "great good luck," to daikyou (大凶), meaning "great bad luck."

## Sects

### Koyamabushi

A small sect, known as Koyamabushi Kodo (古山伏 "mountain prostrate"), is a mystic branch of Kodo with some influence from BUDDHISM of mainland Shijie. The Koyamabushi stress physical endurance as the path to enlightenment. Through their spiritual practices, they aim to acquire magical skills, medical powers, and long life. Practitioners perform seclusion, fasting, meditation, magical spells, recite sutras, and engage in austere feats of endurance such as standing/sitting under cold mountain waterfalls or in snow. Another particular practice is to set up stone or wood markers along mountain trails, leaving proof of their mystical journeys up the mountain.