The history of the kami honored at the Gion Festival have intriguing parallels - and differences. The Yasaka Shrine claims they are the same, but are...
It’s hardly surprising that the Gion festival became an annual event since epidemics have ravaged Kyoto in the oppressively humid summers up to modern times.
This mid-summer spectacle was born from fear, nourished by hope, and today is an expression of unbridled joy and universal yearning for good health.
The Nasu Tourist Association which has jurisdiction over the Killing Stone held what they called a "Ceremony to Appease the Spirit of the Nine-Tailed Fox at...
Yasaka Koshindo is a Koshin temple, a folk faith with links to Taoism, Buddhism, Shinto and others.
‘What Japan can most beautifully offer to the world right now is not the futurism its technology and big companies often represent, but its closeness to...
The number of COVID-19 infections in Japan (positive tests) exceeded 100,000 on October 29. At a glance, this may seem like a very large...
Out of the way and nestled in the foothill forests of the Shima peninsula, Ise is home to the inner and outer Ise shrines. An...
(Part 10 of A Series on Ukiyo-e) The exhibition Last Ukiyoe: Inheritors of Ukiyo-e from the Isao Toshihiko Collection at the Ota Memorial Museum...
Questions have been raised as to whether Emperor Naruhito’s enthronement ceremony violated the separation of political and religious institutions established by the Constitution. Criticism...
Many of Japan’s traditions and ideas are unfamiliar to those outside of Japan. Therefore, JAPAN Forward and Jinja Honcho have collaborated to bring readers an explanation...
Many of Japan’s traditions and ideas are unfamiliar to those outside of Japan. Therefore, JAPAN Forward and Jinja Honcho have collaborated to bring readers an explanation...