An is a guardian

god In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...

or spirit of a particular place in the

Shinto Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shintois ...

religion Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. The ''ujigami'' was prayed to for a number of reasons, including protection from sickness, success in endeavors, and good harvests.

History

The ''ujigami'' is thought to have been more important only since the eighth century. In its current form, the term ''ujigami'' is used to describe several other types of Shinto deities. Originally, the term ''ujigami'' referred to a family god. It is believed that, at first, these deities were worshiped at temporary altars. After the Heian period, the Japanese manorial system was established and nobles, warriors and temples had their own private land, the family-based society fell out of use, and belief in ujigami diminished. In turn, the lords of the manors began to pray to the deities to protect their land. These guardian deities were referred to as . In the Muromachi period the manorial system declined, and so the guardian deities were enshrined along with the ''ujigami''. An is a god of the land of one's birth. Over time, the ''ubusunagami'' and ''chinju'' came to be seen as the heart of the community, and were eventually referred to as ''ujigami''.

Ujiko

The term is used to describe a person who worships an ujigami. Usually, the relationship between Ujigami and Ujigami arises from entering the Ujigami at the birthplace of the Ujigami or at a local shrine. In many cases, the

Ubusunagami in Shinto are tutelary kami of one's birthplace. Overview In Shinto, a guardian deity of the land of one's birth. It is believed to be a deity that protects you from before you are born until after you die, and that it will protect you throug ...

is often used as the Ujigami, just as the shrine visit is performed on the Ubusunagami, the god of the land where he was born. 小池康寿『日本人なら知っておきたい正しい家相の本』プレジデント社、2015年、90頁。 The ritual of visiting a palace and entering a parishioner is not always the same, but as mentioned above, after the distinction between a god of origin and a god of origin disappeared, visiting a palace often means entering a parishioner. Therefore, it is common to be awarded a proof of childhood card when visiting a shrine. On the other hand, those who are not of a family who worship the Ujigami or engage in festivals for generations often just customarily visit the shrine and often do not have the consciousness or awareness of the Ujigami. In addition, there are many cases in which a ritual of entering a parishioner is performed again for the Ujigami of the married family due to the marriage or marriage. Recently, the number of people engaged in festivals is aging, and the number of children participating in the festival is decreasing. In many cases, it is only paid and offered throughout the house.

History

Ujiko

See also

References

Further reading