In 1952, an abandoned shrine was found in the Wakayama prefecture of rural Japan. This temple, known as Rabu Shrine (çŸ
ç¶ç„ćźź), appeared in old Edo period maps, but was incorrectly believed to have burned down a century prior. The government undertook a survey, identifying signs of occupation dating as late as the 1920s. The following documents, including a set of postcards and manuscripts written by the young priest SĆkĆ« (æĄç©ș), were recovered at the site:
ă«ç„ăèČïšèČăăćźźç„ç¶çŸ
(At Rabu Shrine, the insect God is raised and worshipped.)
âO Spirits, why must you test our faith so? The Child ShinchĆ« has absorbed one more of us today, yet she will not transform into a God. The elder priest TĆji says we must keep waiting. That the Child still hungers. That the more she takes in, the more divine she will become. And yet, nineteen people has she taken into itself and her shell will not harden. She only grows larger, hungrier.â
ă æ
°ăČç„ăăă±ăŻă€ăćŒŠçźĄăŹăąă䟶ć§ăćźźç„ç¶çŸ
(The Priests at Rabu Shrine soothe the young God with music.) Priest SĆkĆ« pictured left.
âThe older faithful of the shrine still remember the elder siblings of ShinchĆ«, and how simple it was to help them grow. A single soul would often suffice, and the union would transform them into beautiful Gods in the shape of scarabs, butterflies, and bees. Yet the Child refuses her ascension, and our numbers dwindle. Her Father does not guide us, blind as he is in his old age. I fear that life is fading beneath his shell, and his spirit readies to depart.â
ç„ă«ă±çăăĄăżăŹă©æăăćźźç„ç¶çŸ
(Rabu Shrine's Sacred Father, a God living amongst us.)
âMany of the faithful have left the shrine. They feel fear in their hearts that they will be chosen next, absorbed into the Child fruitlessly; they feel anger towards the young God who will not grow, all the while taking their loved ones. They say the disappearances will cause suspicion, that someone will discover the secret of our shrine and, filled with envy, will kill ShinchĆ«âs young siblings, who are yet unready to ascend.â
ăȘäŸăèČăă«ă€ć„ăæ± çŁăćźźç„ç¶çŸ
ăćăç„ (The God Children grow healthy in the Rabu Shrine purification pond.)
âThere are only three of us left. Those who lost their faith have reneged their vows and left the temple. The rest of us, who remain devout in our worship, have continued uniting with the Child to no avail. Today, it was TĆjiâs turn to read his fortune in the Omikuji, and he was awarded the Great Blessing of becoming one with the Child. But he would not accept it. He attempted to flee, leaving his Omikuji tied in the temple lest fate follow him. It took the three of us to bring him back and force him within ShinchĆ«âs soft shell. We pray he may be the last. The faithful need hope to come back.â
çŸ
ç¶ç„瀟ăźçŸ
ç¶ç„ăŻăăżăćŸĄćăšć
±ă«ç„ă«ăȘăăăéžă°ăă ć
±ă«çăăç„ăšăȘăćŸĄćăźăăĄăă„ăă»ă©ăăăăŻăăżăćŽæăă
(GREAT BLESSING: The Sacred Father of Rabu Shrine has chosen you to become a God with His Child. Together, you will become a Living God and live an eternal blissful life, and the people of Rabu Shrine will worship your new name.)
âI am the last one here. Day after day, the Omikuji spares me of the Great Blessing. I feel weary, and my faith is fading. Is the ShinchĆ« really the God they promised? Or is she a demon, using our faith to trick us into feeding her? The Father has stopped moving, and her younger siblings grow weak without our care. I have found myself alone with her. Watching after her does not comfort me as it once did. I have decided to read only one more Omikuji. Let my fate be decided.â
At the time of its discovery, most of the shrine had fallen into ruin as the wooden beams rotted in the humid climate. A single structure was still standing, containing some of the templeâs statues and treasures. Today, only these documents and several photos from the 1952 survey remain.
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