TORI GATE

When entering a shrine, one passes through a Torii. The Torii marks the separation between the finite
world and the infinite world of the Gods.

•The gate to a Shinto shrine (Jinja), the Torii designates holy ground. As Shinto is a religion of worship of
nature spirits, or Kami, most Shinto shrines are located outdoors. The Gate marks the gateway between
the physical and spiritual worlds, and is often the only indication that one is entering a shrine.

• The Torii is traditionally made in three pieces, three being a sacred number of the Kami. When
entering a shrine, a visitor will clap their hands three times, and bow three times to summon the spirits.

SHINTO TEMPLE

A full-fledged Shinto shrine is made of two-part structure as represented by the famous Nikko Toshogu
Shrine in Tochigi Prefecture:

• One is the oratory called Haiden, before which worshipers say a prayer, and the other is the inner
sanctum called Honden, the main dwelling of the deity built behind the Haiden. In contrast to Buddhist
temples, Honden contains no statues but houses symbolical and sacred objects of worship such as
mirrors and swords, in which the spirit of the deity is believed to reside. As its nature of sanctuary
shows, the laity can never get access to the sacred Honden. Haiden is more spacious than Honden as it is
used for rituals and ceremonies.

PRAYERS, THOUGHTS AND WISHES AT A SHINTO SHRINE

• One month after birth (31st day for boys and 32 days for girls, to be exact), parents and grandparents
bring him or her to a shrine, where they express gratitude to the Shinto deities for being given the baby
and have shrine priest pray for his or her good health and happiness.

• This is called Miyamairi {me-yah-my-re}, or Visit to Shinto Shrine, a Japanese version of infant Baptism.
Today, most of Miyamairi is practiced between one month or 100 days after birth.

• In famous and busy shrines, the ceremony is held every hour in turn. Naturally, weekends are busy. A
group of a dozen or so babies and their families are usually brought in the hall, one group after another.
There is no price list for the service. We usually pay 10,000 yen per baby.

• Next chance he or she may visit a shrine to mark the specific life stage is shichi-go-san {she-chee-goh-
san} (seven-five-three) festival of November 15 when 3-year-old boys and girls, 5-year-old boys and
sevenyear-old girls (nominal age based on the calendar. In an extreme case, a baby born on December
31 will be two years old the next day) call on shrine to pray for good health and have blessing by the
priest.

• The third time they are taken care of by Shinto priests will probably be wedding.

• Ceremony usually takes place at hotels or gorgeous ceremony halls specifically designed for wedding
with makeshift shrine altars.

• Here again, a Shinto priest with whom the hotel or hall has contract presides the wedding rituals
reciting prayer or norito.
• Unique in wedding ceremony under Shinto is the practice called san-san-kudo {san-san-koo-doh}
(three-three and nine times) or three-time exchange of nuptial cups. Three flat cups, almost like dishes
with small, medium and large size, in which sake is powered and the gloom first sips it three times.
Then, the bride follows him. The moment the ritual is finished, the couple officially become wedded
under Shinto

JIZO STONES

• Jizo was originally Bosatsu (Bodhisattva) of Buddhism who stood between the world of reality and the
world of the dead and saved those who were on their way to the netherworld. Jizo was entrusted with
the task of saving the people after the death of Buddha until such a time when the second Buddha
would appear. so in Buddhism he had an important position, and coming to Japan he has been
popularized, and has become the protector of the people.

• Jizo is thought to be a mild, gentle and kind Bosatsu - Jizo-gao (Jizo-face) means a gentle, smiling face.
• A Jizo-bosatsu helps relieve people who are suffering from distress.

• Dosojin is a roadside icon usually placed at a street corner or at the foot of a bridge to protect
pedestrians.

HOT SAND BATH

For a Shinto worshiper, purification is essential before offering a prayer and it is performed through
exorcism called Harai {ha-rah-e}, cleaning one's body with water. It is called Misogi {me-soh-ghe}, and
abstention from defilement or Imi {e-me}. In a large shrine, there is a stone wash-basin and visitors are
required to rinse their mouth and hands for Misogi before approaching the deity.

KOMAINU

• Komainu {koh-mah-e-noo}, or guard dogs In front of shrines, there are a pair of dog-statues facing
each other. They are guardian dogs and identical to Deva of Buddhist temples, one on the right always
has its mouth open and as if to say 'ah' while the other has its mouth closed and looks like saying 'um.

NOH THEATRE

• is a major form of classic Japanese musical drama that has been performed since the 14th century
(Ashikaga). Together with the closely-related kyōgen farce, it evolved from various popular, folk and
aristocratic art forms.

• By tradition, Noh actors and musicians never rehearse for performances together. Instead, each actor,
musician, and choral chanter practices his or her fundamental movements, songs, and dances
independently or under the tutelage of a senior member of the school.

KABUKI THEATRE

Kabuki is a traditional Japanese form of theater with its origins in the Edo period. Kabuki, in contrast to
the older surviving Japanese art forms such as No, was the popular culture of the townspeople and not
of the higher social classes.
 • Kabuki plays are about historical events, moral conflicts in love relationships and the like. The actors
use an old fashioned language which is difficult to understand even for some Japanese people. They
speak in a monotonous voice and are accompanied by traditional Japanese instruments.

• In the early years, both, men and women acted in Kabuki plays. Later during the Edo period, the
Tokugawa shogunate forbade the acting to women, a restriction that survives to the present day.
Several male kabuki actors are, therefore, specialized in playing female roles (onnagata).

BUNRAKU

One of the three major classical theaters of Japan, with kabuki and noh drama, bunraku is a
sophisticated puppet theater written and performed for adult audiences with cultivated sensibilities. It
reached its peak in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, and at one time even eclipsed kabuki in
popularity.