As previously noted, the reverence of kami is essential to the practice of Shintoism, and as such has a rather notable place in most of the Miyazaki films that are focused on in this paper. Of the four films, the most notable is Spirited Away due to its setting being within the spirit realm. Due to this, we see many kami. There is Haku, whose true form is a white river dragon, and “kami of animals and vegetation, such as small baby chicks and a white sumo-like radish kami” (Boyd & Nishimura). One spirit character that is used in both Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro, is the Susuwatari, or soot sprites, that reside in old empty homes in My Neighbor Totoro, and help Kamaji keep the furnace going in Spirited Away. Another notable sprite This rattling seems to be connected to the Shinto kotodama which is the “vibratory connection to the divine and is literally translated as 'world soul'” (Shore 116). This connection explains Miyazaki's reason for including a group of sprites that might seem strange to the western viewer. Kami and other spirits like these may be kind and gracious within the films, but kami also have an opposite, known as yokai or demons. Any phenomenon can be considered either kami or yokai depending on the viewpoint, as “[a] lake can be viewed as one of kami – a sacred life source … [or] may be viewed as possessing yokai for the flooding can bring drowning and destruction” (Shore 54). In Princess Mononoke, we see this in the opening when the once kami boar Nago attacks Ashitaka's village taking on the role of yokai or demon. We also see the character of Calcifer from Howl's Moving Castle take on the role as both kami and yokai. He stole Howl's heart and even claims to be a fire demon, but in reality he is a star spirit and comes back to stay with the newly formed family because he cared for them. The title of the film Spirited Away, is also deeply connected to the kami. This is because the Japanese title is Sen to Chihiro
Akira Kurosaw’s Seven Samurai is a film that encompasses various ideologies in order to allow the audience to understand the lives of Japanese people during the 1600’s. The film delves deep in social issues of the roles of the people within the society, the expectations as well as the obligations within the respected castes and elements within groups of ; suffering, working together, protecting family and working for the better good of the community.
Shintoism is a polytheistic religion that believes the world was created by “Kami” (deities or spirits). Although Kami are thought to be invisible presences, they are treated as persons and are given names. Kami are not believed to be living beings in a distant realm; rather their presence is felt as powers in or near this world. Two of these Kami, Izanami (“female who invites”) and Izanagi (“male who invites”) are said to be the creators of the Japanese Islands, as well as three major
Image and Text.” Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 33.2 (2006): 297-317. Jstor. 12 Oct 2011.
The Hopi have a highly developed belief system which contains many gods and spirits. Ceremonies, rituals, dances, songs, and prayers are celebrated in year-round. The Hopi believed they were led to the arid southwestern region of America by their creator, because he knew they had the power to evoke rain with power and prayer. Consequently, the Hopi are connected to their land, its agricultural cycles and the constant quest for rainfall, in a religious way. The religious center of the community is the kiva, which is an underground room with a ladder protruding above the roof. The kiva is very important for several reasons. From the kiva, a connection is made with the center of the earth. Also, the kiva is symbolic for the emergence to this world. The room would represent the underworld and the ladder would represent the way to the upper world. In fact, a room is kept in the house to store ceremonial objects. A sacred ear of corn protects the room and symbolizes the ancestry of the family members. Kachinas are also a focal point of the religion. For a Hopi, they signify spirits of ancestors, dieties of the natural world, or intermediaries between man and gods. The Hopi believe that they are the earth's caretakers, and with the successful performance of their ceremonial cycle, the world will remain in balance, the gods will be happy and rain will come. Because they think of their crops as gifts, the Hopi Indians live in harmony with the environment.
The afterlife of the Zuñi is spent with the Kachinas. The Zuñi believe that their recently dead will join with the past dead, their spirits, known as Kachinas. The believe that this is to happen at the bottom of a nearby lake where their deceased will lead a life of singing and dancing and that they will, in their time in the afterworld, bring rain to the living Zuñi people that are still among the living. (Page 340; Cultural Anthropology: 14th Edition; Ember). The desire for rain was the predominant theme in Zuni ritual. Water imagery was plentiful. (Arizona Rocks Tours). Following death, the name of the deceased ceases to be used, except for rain priests, whose names are invoked by extant members to bring rain. (Countries and their Cultures).
Spirited Away, titled Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi in Japan, follows a young girl named Chihiro on an adventurous, yet threatening journey into a magical realm after her parents are turned into pigs. She forms relationships with people that will help her find her way back home such as Haku, Zeniba, and Mr. Kamaji. She also encounters those like Yubaba who try to make her time in the realm of spirits difficult. Spirited Away quickly became Japan’s highest grossing film of all time. It received many great reviews in every aspect of filmmaking. It won several awards, including A Golden Bear in 2002 at the Berlin International Film Festival, and an Academy Award in 2003 for Best Animated Film. Hayao Miyazaki, the film’s writer and director, strongly encourages Japanese culture and its survival. He believes that “surrounded by high technology and its flimsy devices, children are more and more losing their roots”(Reider). Hayao Miyazaki’s aim is to present not only an animated motion picture, but a work of art. He does so by using certain animation and film techniques, applying Japanese culture, and creating in depth characters, all of which highlight key symbols in the film.
"Shinto in History."Shinto in History: Ways of the Kami. Ed. John Breween and Mark Teeuwen.
William Simmons stated, “A powerful spirit known as Hobbamock was said to enter certain persons and to remain in their bodies as a guardian and familiar.” Hobbamock was the Native American creator. The spirit Hobbamock was the “souls of the dead” that would take the shape of the human body and animals.
Hayao Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke is a development of Japanese animation that can be seen as a romantic fable of two characters that were brought together through one cause; however, Miyazaki’s film can be seen as a Japanese cultural production. It is seen as a cultural production because it shows elements of Shinto through the Kami and the use of water for purification, as well as the female stereotype reversal that was quite dominant in the time of the Heian period. The characters in Princess Mononoke interact with the kami (gods or spirits) when they are in sacred sites or areas that assist in the contact. In Princess Mononoke, the mountain is the place where the characters make contact with the kami, which is their Shinto shrine because
Author Unknown. Blessed Be. Online Wicca Resource Center, publisher unknown date of resource creation unknown. Publication unknown. Sept. 30th 2011.
the one who murdered her, but instead seeks vengeance on people who enter the house and people who come into contact with someone who has entered the house. This vengeful spirit seems to act more like a deadly disease rather than how it is traditionally suppose to act. Another goes that goes against traditional Japanese folktales is Takeo’s ghost which appears near the end of the movie. In many Japanese folktales, the ghosts of a male are usually seen as nonthreatening and often are seen as guides. Many of the male ghosts are often from men who have fallen in battle and then later roam the earth grieving over their death. They have also been know to help out others who are on a journey and act as more of a warning than as a angered spirit.
...al. Our culture believes in ancestral spirits as well as deities, and it is something I am appreciative about. Outsiders find this strange and “Voodoo” like, but the nkisi nkondi is an important religious item to us Kongo people.
An important part of Chinese mythology is the themes found in each story. Themes in Chinese mythology often coincide with religious values during the time. A common theme in Chinese mythology includes the respect for nature. This theme came to be as a result of Shinto and Daoist influence in parts of China. Shinto and Daoist people believe that spirits are embodied into everything, living or non-living. They also claim that angered spirits are the sole cause for natural disasters like storms, droughts, and floods. In a number of Chinese myths, the idea of spirits, their control over natural events, and the need to constantly appease them was evident (Collier 23). These myths ultimately led people to respect and preserve nature as much as possible. Another theme often found in Chinese mythology is the reverence for ancestors. Also a consequence of the Daoist religion, the veneration towards one’s ancestry is very significant in many Chinese myths. Daoists hold ceremonies and build shrines commemorating the dead ancestors of one’s lineage (Roberts 38). These tribute...
Evidence suggests that the image of the Makara has been around since at least the 3rd century BC (Robbins and Bussabarger, 39). During the course of Hindu and Buddhist mythology, it has always been connected with deities associated with life-giving properties, such as fertility and sustenance. For example, in some of the early Buddhist sites of India, Makara is associated with the Yakshas—tree deities—who represent the life-giving sap of trees (Robbins and Bussabarger, 38). As Bussabarger and Robins, experts in the field of Indian Art, and authors of The Everyday Art of India eloquently summarize, the Yakshas are “playful deities that live in trees and assist in child-birth” (Robbins and Bussabarger, 42). Here, we can directly see how the Yakshas are associated with fertility and the sustenance of life. Therefore, the association of Makara with the deities responsible for birth is indicative of its association with the overall characteristics of fertility and
In “The Beach of Falesa,” the protagonist Wiltshire asserts that the native Kanakas have a natural predisposition for superstitious beliefs. As he explores Case’s “devil’s bush,” Wiltshire tells the reader, “Any poor Kanaka brought up here in the dark, with the harp...