Shintoism and Buddhism are the two major
religions in Japan. Shintoism originated in Japan. It is a polytheistic
religion. Some of its deities are people who created Japan. Other deities reside in mountains,
trees, rocks and so on. Therefore Shintoism has the characteristics of
animism. Its leader was originally the emperor or Tennou/天皇. The distinctive feature of the shrine is the torii gate. There are
no statues of deities in the shrine, but Shinto worshipers believe that shrines are
inhabited by deities.
Torii gate of Hofu shrine, Yamaguchi、山口県防府天満宮 |
Main hall of Hofu shrine、防府天満宮本殿 |
Buddhism, on the other hand, didn’t
originate in Japan but it was practiced in Japan from the mid-6th
century. Buddhism had the philosophy to promote peace and stability of the
state, so the Japanese dynasty welcomed it and spread it all over Japan as a
national religion. Temples are dedicated to Buddha and/or his disciples. Temples
are also training facilities for monks. There are Buddhist statues in the halls
of the temples.
Todaiji temple, Nara、東大寺大仏殿 |
In the Edo period, shrines and temples were popular
tourist destinations for ordinary people. Markets were built in front of major
shrines and temples, and some places became larger towns. For example,
Ujiyamada City is in front of Ise Shrine and Nagano City is in front of Zenkoji
Temple. The shrines developed the oshi system, which is an inn plus a travel agency. The
oshi was also the name of a person hired to walk around Japan and invite people
to his shrine, whereas the temples had pilgrim's lodgings or “Shukubou”, on the
temple ground in order to accommodate pilgrims.
(The history of travel of Japanese ordinary people (published in 1971) 1/2 )
(The history of travel of Japanese ordinary people (published in 1971) 1/2 )
The approach to Zenkoji Temple、善光寺参道 |
江戸時代には社寺は庶民にとっても人気の旅行先となり、社寺の前には市が立ち町ができた。神社には御師という旅行代理店兼宿屋があり、寺には宿坊という施設があって、参拝客を迎えた。
(庶民と旅の歴史 PartⅠ)
(庶民と旅の歴史 PartⅠ)
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