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[isetonihon2018]

[isetonihon2018]

３月７日

In the morning we participated a tea ceremony in chashitsu (茶室, "tea room") located on Kōgakkan University Campus. Mr. Asanuma 浅沼 (who is an Urasenke 裏千家 tea master) and his students taught us the rules that one must obey during the ceremony. We prepared and drank some matcha which is a special shade-grown type of Japanese tea. We were asked to write on a piece of paper our nationality, name and the word which means “tea” in our native language. 

In the afternoon we went to Ōmiya which used to be a harbour and place where salt was produced. We’ve been to a small ship museum and admired Setagawa from the rooftop of the building. Then we went for a walk in the area and learned about how it used to look like in the past. We’ve also been to the senior karaoke club. 

We went on a short cruise on Setagawa, on a small wooden ship. There were flags of our countries hung on the ship. I thought that was a very considerate and kind gesture. 

Two kind ladies voluntarily gave us a guide in Hihomiyama Hachiman shrine, where we saw a magnificent, old pine tree so big it has to be sustained with special wooden bars. We went to a museum that was created about 13 years ago in the place where bugyō had his palace. Bugyō were local governors during the Tokugawa shogunate period. 

In the end, we’ve seen a blacksmith workshop and we could observe how nails for Ise Shrine are produced.

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[isetonihon2018]

[isetonihon2018]

３月６日

Today we had two very interesting lectures. One of them was about bushidō (samurai codes of honour) and its connection to Shintō. Although samurai are usually associated with Zen Buddhism, as a part of the Japanese traditions they are also connected to Shintō. In Japan, just like in may other traditions mountains are treated as a domain of gods. First warriors in Japan “conquered” mountains and made deal with gods. The samurai warriors, unlike European knights, didn’t defend the rules and general order in the country but their own piece of land and their family. Their wives didn’t have to be beautiful like princesses known from eastern tales. All in all the true Japanese warrior should have the physical strength and ability to understand other people’s feelings. That’s where Japanese phrase 文武両道 comes from. Nowadays it describes a person who’s equally good at humanities and sports.  

The second lecture was about Japanese natural disasters and history of Ise ports. We’ve learned about the influence that tsunami and earthquakes have on the landscape. We’ve read the records of Japanese shipbuilding left by one of the first missionaries to Japan - Luis Frois. 

[isetonihon2018]

[isetonihon2018]

３月５日

For the last two days, we’ve been on a trip to Kioto and Nara. 

We visited famous Yasaka Jinja where Amaterasu’s brother Susanoo is worshipped. We could enter the main building and see the hidden statue of budda which is dated to Nanbokuchō Era (1336 – 1392). This shrine is also an example of combined worship of Buddhism and Shintō. Yasaka is the place where many weddings take place and we could admire one of them that day. We learned about Shintō priests’ life from our guide. He said that working at the shrine isn’t just about the prayers but it’s mainly a hard work especially during summer shintō festivals when the rituals require working in hot weather conditions. Shintō priests wear traditional Japanese clothing. Their rank is indicated by the colour of their hakama (a type of trousers).  

Among all the interesting places we’ve seen these days, the one I liked the most was Kasuga Taisha. Both Nara and Kioto used to be capital cities of Japan. The capital in Nara was built 1300 years ago according to the ancient tales. Kasuga shrine was built at the foot of Mt. Mikasa, which is believed to be a holy mountain. The shrine is surrounded by a forest of stone lanterns called tōrō. Then there is a park where the famous deer live. They are considered to be special species according to Shintō religion. It is said that in ancient times, killing a deer was punished by death. There is a ceremony very similar to shikinen sengu held in Kasuga Taisha. Every 20 years main buildings of the shrine are being repaired and renewed. Just like in Ise, it was said one should not pray for their own cause but for the peace and welfare of the whole country and the Emperor. 

[isetonihon2018]

[isetonihon2018]

[isetonihon2018]

３月２日

Today we were taken on a trip to Futami-ga-ura and old beach resort which is a part of Ise-Shima National Park. First, we’ve seen the places where salt for Ise Jingu rituals is extracted from salt water in a traditional way. Then we went to Hinjitsukan which used to be an exclusive hotel (once even visited by the emperor Taisho, who stayed there for 3 weeks) and nowadays is a museum. I took many pictures of the magnificent interiors and exhibition of kimonos and hina dolls which are traditionally displayed in Japanese houses on 3rd of March - Hinamatsuri which is Girl’s Day in Japan.

In the end, we walked to the beach, where we could admire the famous view of Meto Iwa rocks, which are said to represent a married couple. The bigger one 9 metres high represents a male while 4 meters high smaller rock a female. They are joined by a large shimenawa which are being changed 3 times a year during special ceremonies. Meto Iwa is another sacred place for Shintō religion and so by the coast, Futami Okitama Shrine was built. This is the place where cleaning and purification rites take place for those who participate in rebuilding Ise Jingu.

[isetonihon2018]

[isetonihon2018]

[isetonihon2018]

３月１日

About 10 km north-west from Ise there is the Saiku Heian-no-Mori Historic Park. This is the place where Saio lived. Saio was an institution of an unmarried female member of the Imperial Family who was sent to live away from the capital and had to devote her life to serve Amaterasu goddess in the name of the emperor. It is said this system existed for about 660 years (from 7th to14th century). The life at Saiku reminded a lot the one at the capital. Apart from her religious duties, Saiku used to play court games like Kai-awase (shell matching game) and compose poetry. The Saiku remains were discovered in the Showa period (1926-1989). Basing on discovered wooden fundaments, 3 of the Saiku buildings were recreated according to ancient architectural rules and they can be seen now in the Historic Park of Saiku. In the Saiku Historical Museum, we could see many old plates that were probably used by Saio and we’ve learned about her life at Saiku.  We watched a short but interesting film about the excavation process. We also could try on clothes similar to those used in Heian period (VII-XII century).

I thought that in spite of all the wellness and the important role she played, Sai o led a rather sad a lonely life. In the booklet, I was given in the museum I’ve read a heartbreaking story about Saio who fell in love with a member of the imperial court but due to her status, they had to part.

[isetonihon2018]

[isetonihon2018]

２月２８日

At the morning lectures, we’ve learned about the significance of shimenawa straw rope used for ritual purification in Shintō and o-fuda amulets.  We visited an old residence which belonged to Maruoka Sodayu. He lived in the Edo period and was an onshi (a priest, guide and an innkeeper for pilgrims coming to Ise). The Maruoka family used to continue the onshi tradition until 1872 when it was officially taken down by the Meiji government. Although the building itself looks a little bit run down, it’s an exquisite pearl of old wooden architecture. This part of Ise used to be called Yamada (this was the name of a town which developed around Geku). 

That day we also visited the ruins of Tamaru castle in the nearby town of Tamaki. We were told that it is possible to see the Mt. Fuji from the Tamaru ruins but due to weather conditions, it wasn’t visible. What we could see were the routes that pilgrims followed while travelling to Ise. We visited a Memorial House dedicated to Ozaki Gakudo, a notable politician from Meiji and Showa period.

Back in town, we went to the Ise Kawasaki Merchant Museum. Kawasaki was a place called the „Kitchen of Ise”. Because of its location, it originated as a town which used Setagawa River to transport goods like sake which were produced in this area. We’ve seen amazingly beautiful interiors of the traditional Japanese house and in the end, enjoyed a stunning view of rooftops bathed in sun. 

[isetonihon2018]

[isetonihon2018]

２月２７日

The Ise pilgrimage tradition began after the Sengoku period (XV-XVI century) when the country was devastated by the war and funds were needed to maintain the shrine. It was then the onshi priests became guides for the visitors in the Ise city and they started the activity of attracting pilgrims to Ise. Especially during the Edo period Ise was just like Jerusalem is for Christianity. People used to cover incredibly long distances to get to this famous shrine. It was said one should visit it at least once in a lifetime. Each pilgrim travelled with hishaku  - bamboo ladles. Nowadays hishaku are used for purification by water and can be found in every Shintō shrine. Following the path of the ancient pilgrims, we visited what used to be a „drug store” which sold mankintan - a miraculous cure that was said to be working only for those who pray. Then we went to the Ise Washi Manufacture. We’ve learned about the papermaking process which although is mechanised to some extent nowadays, is still very traditional as the manufacturer has to provide paper for the Ise shrine. Then we went by taxi (!) to an old ryokan (Japanese style hotel). Asakichi ryokan was built on a hillside so it has a very interesting architectural structure. In the hotel, we could see many utensils used by the pilgrims who visited Ise in XVIII century! It is possible to book a room there but the prices range from ¥10,000 to ¥15,000 which is about 140 dollars per night.