Shintai

In Shinto, , or when the honorific prefix ''go''- is used, are physical objects worshipped at or near Shinto shrines as repositories in which spirits or ''kami'' reside.''Shintai'', Encyclopedia of Shinto ''Shintai'' used in Shrine Shinto (Jinja Shinto) can be also called .

In spite of what their name may suggest, ''shintai'' are not themselves part of ''kami'', but rather just temporary repositories which make them accessible to human beings for worship. ''Shintai'' are also of necessity '' yorishiro'', that is objects by their very nature capable of attracting ''kami''.

Description

The most common ''shintai'' are man-made objects like mirrors, swords, jewels (for example comma-shaped stones called ''magatama)'', '' gohei'' (wands used during religious rites), and sculptures of ''kami'' called , but they can be also natural objects such as rocks (), mountains (), trees (), and waterfalls () Before the forcible separation of ''kami'' and Buddhas of 1868 (''shinbutsu bunri'') a ''shintai'' could even be the statue of a Buddhist deity.

Famous ''shintai'' include the mirror (part of the Imperial Regalia of Japan), Mount Miwa, Mount Nantai, the Nachi Falls, and the Meoto Iwa rocks. Many mountains like Mount Miwa or the Three Mountains of Kumano (Kumano sanzan) are considered ''shintai'' and are therefore called .Ono, Woodard (2004:100) The most widely known and renowned ''shintai'' is Mount Fuji.

A '' yokozuna'', a wrestler at the top of sumo's power pyramid, is a living ''shintai''. For this reason, his waist is circled by a '' shimenawa'', a sacred rope which protects sacred objects from evil spirits. A kannushi, that is, a Shinto priest, can become a living ''shintai'' when a kami enters his body during religious ceremonies.

The founding of a new shrine requires the presence of either a pre-existing, naturally occurring ''shintai'' (for example a rock or waterfall housing a local ''kami''), or of an artificial one, which must therefore be procured or made to the purpose. An example of the first case are the Nachi Falls, worshiped at Hiryū Shrine near Kumano Nachi Taisha and believed to be inhabited by a ''kami'' called Hiryū Gongen. In the second, the '' mitama'' (spirit) of a ''kami'' is divided in half through a process called '' kanjō'' and one of the halves is then stored in a ''yorishiro''. This is the process which has led to the creation of networks of shrines housing the same ''kami'', as for example the Hachiman shrine, Inari shrine or Kumano shrine networks.

Because over the years the ''shintai'' is wrapped in more and more layers of precious cloth and stored in more and more boxes without being ever inspected, its exact identity may become forgotten.

The first role of a shrine is to house and protect its ''shintai'' and the ''kami'' which inhabits it. If a shrine has more than one building, the one containing the ''shintai'' is called ''honden''; because it is meant for the exclusive use of the ''kami'', it is always closed to the public and is not used for prayer or religious ceremonies. The ''shintai'' leaves the ''honden'' only during festivals (''matsuri''), when it is put in a "divine palanquin" (''mikoshi'', a term usually translated in English as "portable shrine"), and carried around the streets among the faithful. The portable shrine is used to physically protect the ''shintai'' and to hide it from sight..

Examples

An example of the importance of a sacred tree is the 700-year old camphor growing in the middle of Kayashima Station. Locals protested against moving the tree when the railway station had to be expanded, so the station was built around it.

See also

* Glossary of Shinto
* Fetishism
* Sacred tree
* Tree of life
* '' Yorishiro''

Notes

References

*Encyclopedia of Shinto
Shintai
accessed on September 20, 2009.
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{{Shinto shrine

Shinto in Japan
Shinto religious objects