Here in Japan one of the most common belief systems is that
of Shintoism. I am sure that many people (including myself) are curious about
what this belief system entails. As I am here longer in this country I am sure
that I will have more time to study this Japanese philosophy of life in greater
detail since it is at the center of Japanese understanding of life. Recently,
Katie and I were able to have some first hand encounters with Shintoism by
going to Yoyogi Park in Tokyo during Japan’s “Labor Thanksgiving Day”. Some of
you may have seen the pictures on Katie’s facebook page. We went to Yoyogi park
because of its close location, free attendance, and close proximity to Harajuku
street (popular area in Tokyo). Unbeknownst to me is that within Yoyogi Park is
the Meiji Shrine, which is a large shrine that apparently dedicated to the
‘deified spirits’ of Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken. The Meiji era in Japan
was considered to be one of the most vital times in this country’s history, so
this shrine is very well beloved. In 1920 this shrine was constructed for the
purpose of enshrining their souls. I do not entirely know what this entails.
We decided to check out the shrine and to learn about
Shintoism since it is one of the main world views that Japanese are taught to
view reality through. However, Katie and I do not endorse entering any shrines
as a practice since they are places of heavy spiritual oppression as
will be described later. Those of you who are not Christians reading this blog
please understand that this is not some kind of light-hearted cultural
exchange. The reality is, is that heavy spiritual oppression exists in this
land of which I will later describe. Most Japanese are in bondage to actual
spirits or a form of spiritual oppression, and it is no laughing matter. Many rituals are actually inviting spirits to abide with them and their children. Katie and I are here in Japan also for
the ministry of reconciliation of Japanese people to God through the sharing of the gospel. ( 2 Timothy 2:24-26 ) The Bible indicates that the *god of this world* blinds the minds of unbelievers. (2 Corinthians 4:1-6) Before I continue know that this is the Christian prospective according to the scriptures.
Before entering the shrine areas we walked through some
large ‘Torii’ gates. From what I understand these gates are to mark the entry
into ‘holy places’ as considered in Shintoism, with each gate entered through
signifying an increased level holiness before actual shrine entry.
After entering through the first Torii gate we came across a
large area with barrels of wine as well as barrels of sake. The inscriptions on
these barrels indicated that they were dedicated to the ‘deified spirits’ of
Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken from various people around the world. In
Shintoism there are thousands of gods which are mostly various people of the
past that have been ‘deified’ and worshiped. This is essentially ancestor
worship. This article quote from a Japanese blog website describes Shintoism:
“Shinto is a loose collection of faiths without any written
commandments or creed. It is conveyed by ritual, practice, and behavior rather
than by word. The following linguistic description of Shinto is, therefore, at
best an external analysis rather than “Shinto doctrine” since Shinto avoids
linguistic definition to the extent that other religions avoid idolatry.
An infinite number of gods or spirits are revered in Shinto,
but at the supreme level in the Shinto cosmology is the unity of nature from
which all things are born. Humans depend upon the spirits, which are features
of nature (such as mountains, waterfalls, trees and the sun) and our human
ancestors. The spirits depend upon humans and by being enshrined and how
revered they come to be.”
It is no wonder then on this national holiday that many
people came to the Meiji shrine for various reasons which I will show later.
Before entering the shrine a small building on the side was dedicated to a
purification ceremony.
The idea is apparently to remove evil and pollution with
water so that one may enter the shrine for a form of worship. (Japanese have a different idea of sin/pollution than Western-thinking people. I will speak on this on another blog.) Obviously many
people were rinsing out their mouths and fingers before entry into the shrine,
since they believe in this act for purification. I could not help but notice
that this ritual was much like that of ancient Israel before entering the
temple. I will allude to this later in another post with an interesting link
about Japan and Ancient Israel.
On the outside of the shrine exists some small booths that
sell items that are akin to talismans, charms, and items that are apparently
endowed with blessings to increase certain attributes in life. (luck, fortune, health, etc.) After paying
your homage in the shrine you can come out and purchase some of these things
for yourself. They are roughly eight dollars or more a piece. I could not help
but see similarities between this and that of hearing of pre-reformation
Catholicism in which icons as well as relics were purchased and believed to be
endowed with certain real-life benefits.
Spiritual Items for Purchase
Before we entered the shrine area for pictures I could sense
the ominous spirit of the whole matter of being in this area within my soul,
but it was not until I had entered the shrine itself that I could feel the heavy
spiritual pressure not of God. It was quite intense, like a feeling of
utter emptiness and doubt.
I would like to say that the design of the shrine is
impressive. The craftsmanship is really something to write home about.
Within this shrine is a tree that contains prayers. You can
pay to have your ‘prayer requests’ posted for the Shinto priests to dedicate
when they do their rituals. I also learned that offerings are required in the
shrine lest the spirits become angry and bestow you with misfortune! I
witnessed many people tossing coins into a box in the main area. Apparently
money, gifts, food, and flowers can be offered.
Prayer Tree and Prayers on Cards
Shinto Prayer Request Cards
While in the shrine we witnessed a lot of activity going on.
Many people were getting married, many children were being dedicated in
ceremonies, and many people were generally involved in spiritual activities in
the shrine. The weddings appeared to be very serious and solemn occasions!
Wedding Ceremony in Temple
Apparently at certain ages Japanese children are dedicated
through various ceremonies. (link) This is one of the reasons why many believe
that Christians are few in this land. Hearing the gong during the ceremony was
particularly ominous.
Child Dedication far inside
Large Drum used as part of ceremony
One of the side buildings which contained some golden
tablets had a particular ominous sense of spiritual heaviness about it, and I
could only bare to withstand it for a short period of time enough to get a
picture.
At this point we took a few pictures and were glad to leave
the area. Once exiting out of the side Torii gate I could feel the some of the spiritual heaviness
disappear. Even writing about it now brings back a certain sense of spiritual
oppression. After having been to this shrine I am certainly thankful that as I
child that I was not dedicated to strange spirits on multiple occasions. This
is all the more reason why it is such a major event when a Japanese person
becomes a born-again Christian. They are often essentially rejecting a lifetime of deeply
ingrained pressures to conform to Shintoism, spiritual oppression, as well as
the apparent shame of their ancestors and family for their decision. This is a lot of pressure to
bare, but all the more reason why becoming a born-again Christian is an amazing
miracle for a Japanese person! The power of God is really supernatural to enable a person to go against so much of what they have been taught! This is also a good reason to pray for Japan.
Newly born-again Christians have a lot to learn and must make some incredible
sacrifices to remove the Shinto influences from their homes and lives over a long period of time. Though
an advantage in this country is that it is quite clear what separation from the
world means when becoming a Christian! Please continue to pray and comment. God Bless.
