(no subject)
My first adventure after meeting my host family was a trip to Shimogamo Shrine.
Shimogamo Shrine (下鴨神社 or Lower Kamo Shrine) is an ancient and famous shrine in Northeastern Kyoto. It houses a kami (spirit/god) that traditionally was seen to have lived on a rock on northeastern Mount Hiei. This location is significant as according to tradition, the demons and evil in the world come from the Northeast. Thus, the mountain's location in the northeast of Kyoto as well as the god's residence on it offer protection.
This shrine gained further notoreity from Kamo no Chomei, who wrote about the failures of the people's spirituality in a time when Kyoto was impacted by several natural disasters. He was originally supposed to be the head of the shrine, but was passed over for political reasons, which really pissed him off. He ran off to live as a recluse in a hut, in which he wrote his famous works.
We were given the honor of a ceremony conducted on our behalf to ask the enshrined gods for blessings and success while in Japan. Taking pictures of the inner part of the shrine is disrespectful to the gods, so I'll have to detail it in words!
First, pictures of the outer grounds:
A replica of the hut Kamo no Chomei lived in.
For the ceremony, we entered the shrine building itself and first underwent a purification ritual. When you first enter the shrine grounds, you have to wash your hands with water, but this ritual involved bowing, chanting, and having a wand waved over our heads. We proceeded to an open hallway in front of the place were the gods actually reside. They live in this ornately decorated house with huge gold lions and ornate wooden staircases. The priest made an offering of sake and chanted more. The priest's assistant shook bells to represent the gods' acceptance of our prayers. We then went back into the shrine building, and drank a little sake as we went. We also received these o-mamori/お守り/charms:
Afterwards, some of us went out to kaiten zushi. This is what I ate:
This is SOME of what Ashley ate:
She is a champion.
In other news, I was dying for American food today. Mom, if you're reading this, please send me some snacks!!
Shimogamo Shrine (下鴨神社 or Lower Kamo Shrine) is an ancient and famous shrine in Northeastern Kyoto. It houses a kami (spirit/god) that traditionally was seen to have lived on a rock on northeastern Mount Hiei. This location is significant as according to tradition, the demons and evil in the world come from the Northeast. Thus, the mountain's location in the northeast of Kyoto as well as the god's residence on it offer protection.
This shrine gained further notoreity from Kamo no Chomei, who wrote about the failures of the people's spirituality in a time when Kyoto was impacted by several natural disasters. He was originally supposed to be the head of the shrine, but was passed over for political reasons, which really pissed him off. He ran off to live as a recluse in a hut, in which he wrote his famous works.
We were given the honor of a ceremony conducted on our behalf to ask the enshrined gods for blessings and success while in Japan. Taking pictures of the inner part of the shrine is disrespectful to the gods, so I'll have to detail it in words!
First, pictures of the outer grounds:
A replica of the hut Kamo no Chomei lived in.
For the ceremony, we entered the shrine building itself and first underwent a purification ritual. When you first enter the shrine grounds, you have to wash your hands with water, but this ritual involved bowing, chanting, and having a wand waved over our heads. We proceeded to an open hallway in front of the place were the gods actually reside. They live in this ornately decorated house with huge gold lions and ornate wooden staircases. The priest made an offering of sake and chanted more. The priest's assistant shook bells to represent the gods' acceptance of our prayers. We then went back into the shrine building, and drank a little sake as we went. We also received these o-mamori/お守り/charms:
Afterwards, some of us went out to kaiten zushi. This is what I ate:
This is SOME of what Ashley ate:
She is a champion.
In other news, I was dying for American food today. Mom, if you're reading this, please send me some snacks!!