Musings of an Ujiko

A chronicle of the life and thoughts of a devotee of Inari Ōkami.

[inarishinkou]

Well, apparently the twisted rope has seen fit to block me after responding to my last post. To summarize the issue with their latest response, what they don’t seem to understand is that they were levying an accusation that Barrish-sensei sold Shrine property for personal gain (funding a cross-country move). This is a serious accusation. It is extremely different from the fact that the shrine board announced they are selling the property, the funds of which will be required by law to remain used for non-profit purposes.

[livingwithkami]

Information regarding the closing of Tsubaki Grand Shrine of America as per May 7th, 2023

Disclaimer #1: I am sharing this information for the English-speaking Shinto community online. This information was given to be by various parishioners of Tsubaki Grand Shrine of America and I have been requested to share this information for informational purposes and to clear confusion around the situation. Disclaimer #2: I am acting as an individual when sharing this information, not as a priestess or representative of Konko Faith or my shrine Konkokyo Yokosuka Shrine.  I have also not been a member of Tsubaki Grand Shrine of America since 2014-2015 though I have a connection as friends of mine are parishioners.

Disclaimer #3: I am not aware of, nor can provide any details about the situation beyond this information, I am only passing along what I was informed and requested to make an announcement about.  

Should Tsubaki Grand Shrine of America, or any members relating to the shrine and it’s operations make any official announcement, please refer to that as the most recent and correct information. 

Disclaimer #4: The purpose of posting this is not for commentary or reflections of my personal views, but solely for informational purposes. 

With that being said, this is what I was informed of:

“1. Rev. Barrish is suffering from a health condition that prevents him from continuing to oversee the running of the large shrine and it’s large grounds as it’s only priest.

 2.  Due to his health condition, a proposal was made by Rev. Barrish to the local board of Tsubaki Grand Shrine of America (*not the board of Tsubaki Okami Yashiro in Japan*) that would have transitioned the shrine operations to a new priest. 

However, the proposal concluded with a vote to close down the shrine and sell the land. Because of this vote, the shrine will be officially closed on June 30th, 2023 and cease operations.

3. Rev. Barrish is not retiring, nor ceasing his work as a priest and he will begin a new shrine, Kannagara Chikyu Jinja, in Kissimmee, Florida - it is a location 25 minutes from the Orlando International Airport and situated in the popular tourist destinations of the State with a variety of people. More information: https://earthshinto.org/”

That is the latest information I have.

I was not told the details of the proposal or vote, why it was voted to be closed, nor aware of Rev. Barrish’s specific health condition. I also do not know why Kissimmee was chosen in particular. 

To know those details will be up to members of the shrine and Rev. Barrish to share at their discretion.

 I am not sure if more information will come after the shrine’s closing on June 30th, 2023, but any updates that I am able to share, will be shared. 

Thank you very much.

[khensaptah]

Tsubaki Shrine of America Closing Abruptly, Stunning US Shinto Community - Unseen Japan

Tsubaki Grand Shrine, a vital location for many US Shinto practitioners, is closing with little notice or fanfare.

[ptah-ikemi-ka]

so he starts his own shrine with no known lineages and is enshrining a deity also with no established lineages, at florida, its not like he's dying but he's just setting up his own shop? in Florida? this is So Sus

[thetwistedrope]

i saw this link and went and looked at barrish's FB page and the TS website, and there is nothing that says this. does anyone have actual sources where it's stated that the WA location is closing?

[navelgazed]

I asked some folks in my Shinto discord that are more connected to the general Shinto community than I am, and it does unfortunately seem to be the case. This is pretty distressing, since TGSA is the only place I've been able to reliably obtain a Jingu Taima.

[thetwistedrope]

i find it incredibly sus that they are planning to close the shrine without any sort of real public notice at all. the lack of transparency isn't a good look at all.

[navelgazed]

Yeah. I think the root source is still the article, but we will see what happens in June, I guess...

In the meantime, for anyone that needs supplies, I can give links out for Shusse Inari and some shrines/missions in Hawaii that will send you things.

[thetwistedrope]

i feel silly because i looked at the posts, but must have missed the lines where it's mentioned (thanks ADHD). for those interested:

it's still not very transparent or clear, though, which i think is a disservice to all of the effort people have put into the organization over the years. it's quite unfortunately all around

[ptah-ikemi-ka]

I pray this have a really good end because to lose such an important place for community AND a place for worship, especially when shinto is very particular about shrines and the Kami they enshrine, like my heart goes out to all yall, I hope he picks out a successor, I hope yall be able to overcome this obstacle

[thetwistedrope]

i think the only way for this to have a good ending is if someone had enough money to purchase the property outright. i went and searched Tsubaki's address on a whim, and it's listed on zillow and refin, which i assume means that barrish is selling the place to fund his move to Florida.

like everything in this horrid country, you just need a ton of money to make it happen.

[inarishinkou]

@thetwistedrope this is highly irresponsible of you to post, and I’m disappointed in you for doing so. Literally every address in the United States is listed on Zillow with an estimated appraisal value, and furthermore, Zillow’s page for the address explicitly says “Off market”:

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/17720-Crooked-Mile-Rd-Granite-Falls-WA-98252/38455481_zpid/

Not only that, but the shrine property is owned by the shrine, not Rev. Barrish.

I haven’t posted anything on Tumblr in many years, but am posting this reply to try and counter your completely unfounded accusation.

[thetwistedrope]

i didn't realize that that was the case, if that's so, then i retract my previous statement.

but then it still leaves a big question of "why is the shrine just being shuttered"

[ptah-ikemi-ka]

yeah, like, thats really the actual issue here, like ITS GREAT to know the shrine is its own entity, but then WHO owns it? and why is it being closed down??? Like forgive my dumbassery but cant they fly in someone from elsewhere? from Japan? for like a few months or something??? why is the entire shrine tied down to just one man???

[inarishinkou]

The shrine board is appointed by the head shrine in Japan. It’s under control of the head shrine in Japan.

[khensaptah]

Tsubaki Shrine of America Closing Abruptly, Stunning US Shinto Community - Unseen Japan

Tsubaki Grand Shrine, a vital location for many US Shinto practitioners, is closing with little notice or fanfare.

[ptah-ikemi-ka]

so he starts his own shrine with no known lineages and is enshrining a deity also with no established lineages, at florida, its not like he's dying but he's just setting up his own shop? in Florida? this is So Sus

[thetwistedrope]

i saw this link and went and looked at barrish's FB page and the TS website, and there is nothing that says this. does anyone have actual sources where it's stated that the WA location is closing?

[navelgazed]

I asked some folks in my Shinto discord that are more connected to the general Shinto community than I am, and it does unfortunately seem to be the case. This is pretty distressing, since TGSA is the only place I've been able to reliably obtain a Jingu Taima.

[thetwistedrope]

i find it incredibly sus that they are planning to close the shrine without any sort of real public notice at all. the lack of transparency isn't a good look at all.

[navelgazed]

Yeah. I think the root source is still the article, but we will see what happens in June, I guess...

In the meantime, for anyone that needs supplies, I can give links out for Shusse Inari and some shrines/missions in Hawaii that will send you things.

[thetwistedrope]

i feel silly because i looked at the posts, but must have missed the lines where it's mentioned (thanks ADHD). for those interested:

it's still not very transparent or clear, though, which i think is a disservice to all of the effort people have put into the organization over the years. it's quite unfortunately all around

[ptah-ikemi-ka]

I pray this have a really good end because to lose such an important place for community AND a place for worship, especially when shinto is very particular about shrines and the Kami they enshrine, like my heart goes out to all yall, I hope he picks out a successor, I hope yall be able to overcome this obstacle

[thetwistedrope]

i think the only way for this to have a good ending is if someone had enough money to purchase the property outright. i went and searched Tsubaki's address on a whim, and it's listed on zillow and refin, which i assume means that barrish is selling the place to fund his move to Florida.

like everything in this horrid country, you just need a ton of money to make it happen.

[inarishinkou]

@thetwistedrope this is highly irresponsible of you to post, and I’m disappointed in you for doing so. Literally every address in the United States is listed on Zillow with an estimated appraisal value, and furthermore, Zillow’s page for the address explicitly says “Off market”:

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/17720-Crooked-Mile-Rd-Granite-Falls-WA-98252/38455481_zpid/

Not only that, but the shrine property is owned by the shrine, not Rev. Barrish.

I haven’t posted anything on Tumblr in many years, but am posting this reply to try and counter your completely unfounded accusation.

[satsekhem]

Why would you expect TTR to know that? Some people are aware of how those types of websites are setup (me, for example) and some people aren't (TTR, for example). Why would someone (TTR) who has probably been on Zillow a grand total of 1 time be expected to know how the website functions?

People make mistakes about things. No one expects them to be perfect all the time except seemingly you who seems to believe that TTR should ooze perfection at every given opportunity. That's impossible, not just for TTR but for everyone. Your expectations based on this comment is at god-tier when it should be down at human levels.

Now, as someone who works in a world of email, I know that I shouldn't read tone into words on a website. But the phrasing you used makes it pretty difficult to not read tone. And the tone of your comment is condescending and rude. There were a thousand and one ways to respond to the information TTR presented and this comment was the one you went with. Don't do that. Text based communication or not, you're still speaking to a human being with feelings.

That said, sorry to everyone who is upset about the shrine closing. It is in fact a bummer and it is in fact incredibly curious that this was sprung on people with absolutely no warning whatsoever. Maybe the truth about it all will come out eventually and if it does, I hope it gives everyone who is upset about this the closure they deserve.

[inarishinkou]

It prominently says “Off market” in bold letters on the Zillow page for the shrine address — the page TTK states they checked.

Posting these kind of serious accusations and referencing a site which plainly and directly contradicts that accusation is a far cry from being “a bit short of perfection” — it’s the literal definition of fabricating misinformation.

The reason I left Tumblr was precisely due to this kind of irresponsible behavior that runs rampant — people here will nonchalantly level serious accusations, but can’t for a second stand it when held to account for their irresponsibility. Your defense of this kind of behavior only further confirms my point.

For those of you who are not familiar with the Shinto scene, it is very important to understand that the culture here is very different in Japan — and by extension, in the Shinto sphere. In Japan, the posting online of information — whether false or even true — that can harm another’s reputation is a criminal offense that carries prison time, and something you can file a report for at the koban.

I’m not saying that people here need to worry about that directly here, but it’s extremely important to keep in mind that what “goes” in the Pagan community is completely unacceptable in the Shinto one. Maybe you don’t care about that, but you should, because every time something like this happens, someone in Japan hears about it, and thinks, “Yahari, Shinto overseas is a lost cause.”

These kinds of actions have consequences. Be better.

[khensaptah]

Tsubaki Shrine of America Closing Abruptly, Stunning US Shinto Community - Unseen Japan

Tsubaki Grand Shrine, a vital location for many US Shinto practitioners, is closing with little notice or fanfare.

[ptah-ikemi-ka]

so he starts his own shrine with no known lineages and is enshrining a deity also with no established lineages, at florida, its not like he's dying but he's just setting up his own shop? in Florida? this is So Sus

[thetwistedrope]

i saw this link and went and looked at barrish's FB page and the TS website, and there is nothing that says this. does anyone have actual sources where it's stated that the WA location is closing?

[navelgazed]

I asked some folks in my Shinto discord that are more connected to the general Shinto community than I am, and it does unfortunately seem to be the case. This is pretty distressing, since TGSA is the only place I've been able to reliably obtain a Jingu Taima.

[thetwistedrope]

i find it incredibly sus that they are planning to close the shrine without any sort of real public notice at all. the lack of transparency isn't a good look at all.

[navelgazed]

Yeah. I think the root source is still the article, but we will see what happens in June, I guess...

In the meantime, for anyone that needs supplies, I can give links out for Shusse Inari and some shrines/missions in Hawaii that will send you things.

[thetwistedrope]

i feel silly because i looked at the posts, but must have missed the lines where it's mentioned (thanks ADHD). for those interested:

it's still not very transparent or clear, though, which i think is a disservice to all of the effort people have put into the organization over the years. it's quite unfortunately all around

[ptah-ikemi-ka]

I pray this have a really good end because to lose such an important place for community AND a place for worship, especially when shinto is very particular about shrines and the Kami they enshrine, like my heart goes out to all yall, I hope he picks out a successor, I hope yall be able to overcome this obstacle

[thetwistedrope]

i think the only way for this to have a good ending is if someone had enough money to purchase the property outright. i went and searched Tsubaki's address on a whim, and it's listed on zillow and refin, which i assume means that barrish is selling the place to fund his move to Florida.

like everything in this horrid country, you just need a ton of money to make it happen.

[inarishinkou]

@thetwistedrope this is highly irresponsible of you to post, and I’m disappointed in you for doing so. Literally every address in the United States is listed on Zillow with an estimated appraisal value, and furthermore, Zillow’s page for the address explicitly says “Off market”:

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/17720-Crooked-Mile-Rd-Granite-Falls-WA-98252/38455481_zpid/

Not only that, but the shrine property is owned by the shrine, not Rev. Barrish.

I haven’t posted anything on Tumblr in many years, but am posting this reply to try and counter your completely unfounded accusation.