Shinto: Kamidana

[OnlyAnEgg]

Of late, I've been exploring the Shinto faith. Maybe I'm just researching it, it's hard to say. ADHD affects my spirituality, too. There's so many ways to worship, I could easily spend my life examining each one. In fact, I probably will.

Shinto, though, has got my eye at this point. It is, more or less, the folk religion of Japan; however, neither is there a holy text nor is there a primary god, as such. Sure, there's Amaterasu : she seems to be the most important one; but, as it is, there are over 8 million kami (or gods) in Shinto belief. Any one of us round-eyes that has seen Princess Mononoke is familiar with at least one kami, the kodama. It's interesting to note that kami have much the same shortcomings as we humans do; but, they're gods. But, I digress.

Found in the homes of Shinto adherants (and many not so serious about religion, as well) is a set of items named kamidana. Kamidana is, in essence, a 'god-shelf'. On this shelf is a small, eetsy-beetsy house with a space closed by a door. Sometimes it's just the enclosed space. Sometimes it has a porch. Sometimes, there is more than one room. It all amounts to the same thing: a small shrine wherein dwell kami.

Within the eetsy-beetsy room is a prayer or blessing, written on rice paper and consecrated by a Shinto priest. This prayer is called ofuda.

Worship at the kamidana is a simple enough thing. There, one prays and makes offerings of rice, water, sake, flowers and such to the kami.

Here's a picture of a kamidana:

This one is considerably more elaborate:

Here's a link to making one from craft materials found around the house.
Link

It's all in what an individual may want.

I like the idea of having a household god. It's a comforting thing to have a place in your own home where the gods live.

 

[Kembudo-Kai Kempoka]

Shinto is considered by some in religious studies as one of the last bastions in 1st world cultures of some of the proto-shamanic asian ideas. The home spirit shows in many of the regional traditions, including the domovoi of Russia, and more.

A fundamental idea of these perspectives is that "die gotter sind da"...the gods are out there, everywhere. As a kid in Hawaii, there was a neat chance to see syncreticism at its best. These shelves ended up in Chinese, Japanese, & Polynesian homes, each with flecks from the others. There was even a blessing of stairs in and out of places...small kamidana placed conspicuously on staircases -- but slightly to the side -- from which the residing spirit was invited to function like a guard in a kiosk minding the luck that came and went from the home.

In many Hawaiian homes, the Japanese kamidana is decorated with lei's, and sits on a shelf next to a statue of Hotai, the 7 Chinese gods of luck, a little lava Lono, Ku, or Kane, or some other such mixed symbology. The over-riding idea being that each of these represents a real entity to be honored and respected, as they have impact in the lives of the incarnate. The shelf may also have favored belongings of ancestors, heirlooms, etc., as ancestors of particular mention can also function as guardians, guides, or tutelary spirits for the home and those who dwell within it.

Joseph Campbell's, "The Masks of God: Primitive Mythology" does a nice job of exploring some of the underpinnings of these traditions.

Thanks for the stimulus, from one ADHD brain to another,

Dave

 

[OnlyAnEgg]

And thank you for not only expanding the information; but, sharing your experiences