The torii gate what is it? What is its origin? How is it made? What is the meaning behind them? These are some of the questions I will try to answer for you. I will also share with you my first experience of going through a torii gate. I will explain about the way I felt and the meaning behind it. I will also talk about other instances of portals within other religions and their functions behind them. It was twelve years from today the first time I saw a torii. I had just PCS (Permanent Change of Station) from Schofield Barracks, Hawaii to Fort Campbell, KY. It was a beautiful sunny day in the month of June and after a week of in-processing, we were told what brigade and unit I was going to. As the motto of the 101st song says, …show more content…
To first understand the torii we must first have a brief understanding of the Shinto religion. The Shinto religion foundation of belief were built around the structure of ritual and practices that are carried out at local shrines a place of purity where the Kami are believed to reside. The basic principal needed to understand the torii and its meaning. The lineage of the torii is traced back to the mid-Heian period, in 922 when Buddhism had already been introduced in Japan. When walking into the shrines or temples in Japan the first thing you might come across is the torii. This religious symbol is the first thing you see. The tori, in fact, is a gate that signals the transition from the profound to the sacred. To this day the presence of toriis is found even in Buddhist sites but closely linked to that of Shinto shrines. Not all toriis were used to mark the entrance of shrines. Sites that believed to have a deep religious meaning may bear the presence of the torii like Meoto Iwa the married couple rocks in the sea off of Futami, Mie Japan. As we move along and began to talk about portals let's first start with the meaning and what it is. A portal is any gateway or doorway insofar as it elicits ritual actions or becomes a locus of concentrated architectural symbolism. It is a space to call attention to spiritual transition thus it has the characteristics of both a path and a place. The Tiahuanaco, Bolivia, "Gate of the Sun" many believe this to be the gate to the land of the gods covered from one block of stone nearly 14,000 years ago. The figure that appears on the wall is to be believed as human-like and wearing a rectangular
Sanderson, Jefferey. "GENERAL GEORGE S. PATTON, JR.” Last modified may 22, 1997. Accessed January 4, 2014. http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCwQFjAA&url=http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a331356.pdf&ei=tYbHUtv3HcGs2gX2u4HAAQ&usg=AFQjCNFU5EzdWjKlt81w8gh_Bj2UEttaZw&sig2=aAz3jIZg7U6peDzL_i8w9w.
Kasulis starts by comparing Shinto thought to non-Shinto ideas to lay a backbone for the rest of his analysis of this ancient Japanese religion. Once the backbone is complete he begins to discuss the connection between Japanese culture and Shinto practice by explaining many modern Japanese traditions and Shinto beliefs. Kasulis spend most of the work to bring the history of Shintoism in Japan from prehistory to 2002 as well as the mixture of Shintoism and Buddhism that eventually led to an imperialistic point of view after they were separated. He concludes this source by discussing the extenuating circumstances that led to the Yasakuni shrine controversy.
Hogan, D. (2004). Centuries of Service. Retrieved September 11, 2009, from the Center of Military History website
The origins of Shinto and Judaism are rich in history, yet it is the steadfast strength of their belief systems that are most fascinating. While the beliefs of most religions will evolve with time, the core beliefs of these two religions seem impervious to the cultural and generational changes in modern times. In fact, their belief systems seem to be the very foundations of which their cultures were originally built upon In exploring the completely diverse beliefs of Shinto and Judaism, an appreciation for the longevity of each is undeniable.
Alexander, Joseph H. “Suribachi.” Marines in WWII Commemorative Series. National Park Service, n.d. Web. 10 March 2010. .
Shinto: The Way Home written by Thomas Kasulis is a book designed to inform the reader of Shinto traditions and history, but how does his work stand on its own as a scholarly source. Kasulis uses simple organization strategies to control the flow of the work the simplest method is the separation of the book into six chapters as well as a two prefaces one from the editor and one from the author. The first chapter discusses Shintoism in the terms of a western audience while the second chapter confers the connection with normal Japanese culture with Shinto traditions. The third, fourth, and the fifth chapter canvases the history of Shinto traditions in chronological order from prehistory to 2002. Chapter 6 explains Issues with Shinto in a modern
In April, 1549, Xavier, Saint Francis left the Indo-Portuguese capital of Malacca on his first voyage to Japan. The Voyage went relatively fast and he arrived at the Kagoshima harbor, on the Feast Day of Our Lady of Assumption. Xavier stepped off unto the shores of what he thought to be the Promised Land. Xavier landed with high hopes, nor were his expectations disappointed. Xavier, describe the people of Japan has having good manners, not malicious and men of honor. He also stated that they have one quality in which he cannot recall seeing in Christians; that is however poor their gentry might be they and the commoners however rich, give as much respect to a poor man in passing as if he were a rich person. He noticed the Japanese to be very courteous in their dealings with one another; they highly regard arms by carrying a sword and dirk from the age of fourteen onwards.
A thousand torches blaze with fire in dozens of cities and towns in Japan. It is January 15th, the start of the lunar year. Before World War II, the emperor of Japan used to light fires twice a year at the four corners of his palace in homage to Kagutsuchi, the God of Fire. Today, temples across the country continue to celebrate the fire festivals, known as Dosojin Matsuri, to honor the fire deities and ask for favors. Shintoism is not a normal religion. In modern perspective, it resembles the views of many modern pagan religions—for instance Wicca—in the sense that it involves ideas like animism, shamanism and the existence of a spiritual world; nevertheless, Shintoism, unlike western modern paganism, is deeply rooted in Japanese culture including its literature.
The Tannisho are the teachings of Shinran, Master of Shin Buddhism, which is a form of Shingon or Esoteric Buddhism. Shin Shingon Buddhism is also known as Pure Land Buddhism. This school of thought, therefore, comes out of the Mahayana tradition. It holds that the Dharma has become too corrupt to lead anyone on Earth to nirvana. Instead, there are “Buddha fields” (Gethin, 263) that one can be reborn into and obtain freedom from samsara through nirvana there. Through the Tannisho Shinran explains how one can call on the name of one of these Buddhas, and thus be saved from samsara by calling on the name of the compassionate Amida, Lord of the Western Paradise, Buddha of Immeasurable Light.
each side, containing scenes from the Old Testament. They were dubbed “ The Gates of
There are many regions that entail the belief of a spirit transcending into a place of serenity. One religion that focuses on transcending is Shintoism. Shintoism is a religion of Japanese origin that devotes its belief in spirits of natural forces. This is expressed by the meaning of Shinto, which means “the way of Kami.” A kami is a divine being or spirit in the religion such as the Emperor who was believed to be a sun goddess. In the movie, Spirited Away, Shintoism is expressed by Chihiro finds purity through the use of liminal process. Liminal Process are the steps needed to allow an individual to pass the threshold of the Earthly world to the Spiritual realm. These steps are similar to the way an alcoholic would reach sobriety.
Overtime many significant events have shaped history, from natural disasters, wars and the never ending feud of politics they have all played a significant role in history. But there is one that has had the most influential effect of all, religion. Throughout time there has been an abundance of different religions and practices formed over the years, from Christianity to Judaism, each of them having their own impacts on culture and society, one of the major religions that formed was Buddhism. Today we will discuss how Buddhism was founded, the practices of it, and how it has changed as it has entered a new area and interacted with a new people.
The religion of the Japanese people is called Shinto. Shinto translates to Way of the Spirits. Some say that it is more than a religion, it is a way of life for the Japanese people. It is closely paralleled by the Japanese cultures and way of life (Hirai, 2007). Shinto has been a way of practicing faith and living a pure life in Japan for over 2,000 years. Shinto is in every aspect of the Japanese life. For example: ethics, politics, social structure, artistic life, sporting life, and of course spiritual life (Religion, 2017). Nowadays, the people of Japan mix some Shinto and Buddhism in their lives as far as their spiritual beings are concerned. Shinto is a very free religion. There is no God, no commandments, no founder, and no scriptures. Rather than worshiping a God, Shinto followers worship kami, or spiritual energy (Hansen 2007).
Shinto is said to be among the oldest Japanese religious beliefs and practices. The statement Shinto is literally interpreted ‘the way of Kami’ where Kami refers to mystical, divine or superior power. In essence Kami refers to a sacred power or a range deities or gods. The primary reason for the introduction of Shinto into the Japanese culture was to distinguish native Japanese beliefs from Buddhism (Hiral). Shinto is a very unique faith with neither a founder nor a prophet accredited and without a major text that highlights its foremost beliefs. Even without these, it has managed to preserve its guiding beliefs over the past ages.
The Shinto religion is not a spiritual faith but more of a ritualistic way of life. Shinto or way of the gods, was not an established uniform religion until the 6th century c.e. after Buddhism was introduced into Japan through Korea in 538 c.e. However, the Shinto faith begins over a thousand years earlier around 660 b.c. when the world was still pure chaos. The two deities responsible for bringing order were Izanagi and his wife Izanami. They lowered a jeweled spear into the ocean and when they removed the spear 4 drops fell from the tip of the spear, which fell and formed the main islands of Japan. It was on this new paradise, where they decided to live and continue to create other gods and deities. Unlike Christianity or Buddhism, there is no founder or known true origins. However, the creation myth of the Shinto faith is written in the Kojiki (712 c.e.). In the Kojiki, the solar goddess Amaterasu-no-Omikami is born from the eyes of Izanagi. Amaterasu’s descendants will be told to be the high ruler of all Japan. Emperor Jimmu then becomes the first human ruler of Japan. This line is still in power to this day.