Kanjo
Encyclopedia
in Shinto
terminology indicates a propagation process through which a kami
, previously divided through a process called bunrei
, is invited to another location and there reenshrined.
or bodhisattva
to remain in this world to preach and save other human beings. The concept then evolved further to mean the act (and the actual words) of asking buddhas or bodhisattvas to descend to the altar during a Buddhist service. In Japan, the word gradually assumed the present meaning of enshrinement of a buddha or kami in a building for the first time.
.
The transfer does not necessarily take place from a shrine to another: the new location can be a privately-owned object or an individual house. The case is recorded of Inari being re-enshrined in a fox
hole In fact, the first recorded Inari
kanjō, in 842, involved the kamis transfer to Ono no Takamura
scepter. The kami was then transported to Mutsu no Kuni (Aomori) by its owner. Some years later he returned to Kyoto
, and Aomori's people asked him to leave the spirit behind, which he did in what would become Takekoma Inari.
In 1194, Emperor Go-Toba decided that only Fushimi Inari Shrine could perform any of the parts of the Inari kanjō, however abuses were such that the shrine started providing an authenticity certificate with each divided spirit. The process was briefly outlawed nationwide during the Meiji era, but was brought back by popular demand and nowadays most large Inari shrines will perform it for a fee, sometimes decided by the shrine, sometimes left to the discretion of the worshiper. As of 1990, Fushimi Inari Shrine had performed it eighty thousand times for private citizens.
The faithful are often given the option to give a personal name to their personal kami. At Toyokawa Inari
the worshiper can buy a statue and then participate in the ceremony, called kaigen, to animate it.
When one of Inari's forms is reenshrined with a different name, it may also be worshiped for a specific function. All the new functions are thereafter assumed to be specialties of the kami, particularly in case of a great success in the reenshrinement, even when those functions are very far from its original nature, as for instance fishing is in Inari's case.
Shinto
or Shintoism, also kami-no-michi, is the indigenous spirituality of Japan and the Japanese people. It is a set of practices, to be carried out diligently, to establish a connection between present day Japan and its ancient past. Shinto practices were first recorded and codified in the written...
terminology indicates a propagation process through which a kami
Kami
is the Japanese word for the spirits, natural forces, or essence in the Shinto faith. Although the word is sometimes translated as "god" or "deity", some Shinto scholars argue that such a translation can cause a misunderstanding of the term...
, previously divided through a process called bunrei
Bunrei
is a Shinto technical term that indicates both the process of division of a Shinto kami to be re-enshrined somewhere else, and the divided spirit which is the result of the division.For details, see the article about the similar term Kanjō....
, is invited to another location and there reenshrined.
Evolution of the kanjō process
Kanjō was originally a Buddhist term and later entered the Shinto vocabulary. A kanjō was the request of the Buddha's sermon with a sincere heart, and later came to mean the urging of a buddhaBuddhahood
In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened...
or bodhisattva
Bodhisattva
In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is either an enlightened existence or an enlightenment-being or, given the variant Sanskrit spelling satva rather than sattva, "heroic-minded one for enlightenment ." The Pali term has sometimes been translated as "wisdom-being," although in modern publications, and...
to remain in this world to preach and save other human beings. The concept then evolved further to mean the act (and the actual words) of asking buddhas or bodhisattvas to descend to the altar during a Buddhist service. In Japan, the word gradually assumed the present meaning of enshrinement of a buddha or kami in a building for the first time.
The kanjō process
Before it can be transferred to its new location the kami must be divided. The division sub-process and the divided spirit itself are called , or . The process of propagation, described by the priests as akin to the lighting of a candle from another already lit, leaves the original kami intact in its original place and therefore doesn't alter any of its properties. The wakemitama has all the qualities of the original and is therefore "alive" and permanent. The process is used often, for example during Shinto festivals (Matsuri) to animate temporary shrines called and their mikoshiMikoshi
A is a divine palanquin . Shinto followers believe that it serves as the vehicle to transport a deity in Japan while moving between main shrine and temporary shrine during a festival or when moving to a new shrine...
.
Inari kanjō
The kami Inari has been subjected to the kanjō process more often than any other kami, and is therefore a good example of its use.The transfer does not necessarily take place from a shrine to another: the new location can be a privately-owned object or an individual house. The case is recorded of Inari being re-enshrined in a fox
Kitsune
is the Japanese word for fox. Foxes are a common subject of Japanese folklore; in English, kitsune refers to them in this context. Stories depict them as intelligent beings and as possessing magical abilities that increase with their age and wisdom. Foremost among these is the ability to assume...
hole In fact, the first recorded Inari
Inari
Inari may refer to:* Inari , a Shinto spirit** Mount Inari in Japan, site of Fushimi Inari-taisha, the main Shinto shrine to Inari** Inari Shrine, shrines to the Shinto god Inari* Inari Sami, one of the Sami languages...
kanjō, in 842, involved the kamis transfer to Ono no Takamura
Ono no Takamura
also known as was an early Heian period scholar and poet.-Life:Takamura is a descendant of Ono no Imoko who served as Kenzuishi, and his father was Ono no Minemori. He is the grandfather of Ono no Michikaze, one of the...
scepter. The kami was then transported to Mutsu no Kuni (Aomori) by its owner. Some years later he returned to Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
, and Aomori's people asked him to leave the spirit behind, which he did in what would become Takekoma Inari.
In 1194, Emperor Go-Toba decided that only Fushimi Inari Shrine could perform any of the parts of the Inari kanjō, however abuses were such that the shrine started providing an authenticity certificate with each divided spirit. The process was briefly outlawed nationwide during the Meiji era, but was brought back by popular demand and nowadays most large Inari shrines will perform it for a fee, sometimes decided by the shrine, sometimes left to the discretion of the worshiper. As of 1990, Fushimi Inari Shrine had performed it eighty thousand times for private citizens.
The faithful are often given the option to give a personal name to their personal kami. At Toyokawa Inari
Toyokawa Inari
is the popular name for a Buddhist temple of the Sōtō sect located in the city of Toyokawa in eastern Aichi Prefecture, Japan. The temple’s true name is , or full name is...
the worshiper can buy a statue and then participate in the ceremony, called kaigen, to animate it.
When one of Inari's forms is reenshrined with a different name, it may also be worshiped for a specific function. All the new functions are thereafter assumed to be specialties of the kami, particularly in case of a great success in the reenshrinement, even when those functions are very far from its original nature, as for instance fishing is in Inari's case.