#ihai

[scribblysomethings]

so can anyone else relate to the feeling of having an au for 2+ years and then suddenly having your brain go, hey! but what if? and it enriches your story but it also changes the entire shape of your story and it's a good thing but it also causes you physical pain

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DATE YOU CANT START USING INFO YOU GAINED ON THE ENTIRE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE FLOWCHART I'M GOING TO TAKE YOUR KNEECAPS

[studentofshinto]

Ihai all the rage

Yes, we've discovered Ihai. A quick look through sites like eBay or Pinterest will turn up hundreds, perhaps thousands of pictures.

Ihai is a wooden tablet inscribed with the posthumous Buddhist name of a deceased person to enshrine the spirit of the person. https://www.japanese-wiki-corpus.org/culture/Ihai%20(mortuary%20tablet).html

Why do I mention this in a blog on Shinto? It's because I'm seeing photos where people are placing them on their "Shinto" alters. I kind of feel like calling many of them "Shinto Plus" alters. Shinto plus whatever other tradition comes to mind that they want to blend in. Now I'll admit that my own Kamidana tends to get a little cluttered with votive offerings. I make sure I don't put up anything that might be inappropriate and shift items away to other locations when I clean to make room. There are foxes all over the house now. That said, I'll repeat myself in stating my desire to never put up anything that would be inappropriate on the Kamidana shelf.

There should not be anything associated with death displayed on a Kamidana. Ihai are miniature memorial tablets. Think in terms of mini gravestones. They are primarily Buddhist, but there is a Shinto version as well. Where they are to be displayed is the family altar. Not the Kamidona.

The memorial tablet, in which the spirit of the dead inhabits... https://echizenya.co.jp/english/ihai1.htm

Oh, and the praise people have. "It's absolutely the cutest thing."

OK, the iconography of death and loss can be cute. I suppose. Then again I can't help but wonder if people understand what these things are. Especially when they get one for every member of the family.

Just in case I suppose.

And for the pièce de résistance, we can get antique Ihai.

Hello, that's somebody's ancestor. Granted I can't help but wonder what kind of a person sells one of these things in the first place? More than likely got swept up in an estate sale or the inheritors didn't know what it was, but to sell one knowing what it is... "Sorry Grandpa, but I'm selling you to the hated Americans for beer money."

There is a part of me that feels like this is the ultimate insult. We as Americans locked up our own citizens in "Internment camps" during WW2 and have a fit when Japan honors their war dead. We then turn around and buy up their ancestors so we can put them up on our shelves as curiosities.

The incredible amount of negative energy we must be building up is something I don't even want to think about.

If you are not a practitioner of Buddhism or Shinto you do not need an Ihai. If you are new to the practice, I'd like to point out that it's up to your family to memorialize you in this way. You certainly don't need one with a stranger's name on it, and you don't need to memorialize family members who are still alive.

For practitioners of Buddhism or Shinto who wish to get one, it is my understanding that just like Omamori, they need to either come from a shrine or temple or at the very least be consecrated at a shrine or temple depending on their policies, and availability of the tablets. Not from eBay, Etsy, Amazon, Worthpoint, or any of the other sites selling these things online for the curious.

[doggodad]

A Brush With Fate || Date & Falco

@ihai

Date, wait!

The voice that rang in his head was feminine, but not without its mechanical undertones. Audible to Kaname Date only, this was Aiba, the AI-Ball companion who sat in ever-vigilant watch from his left eye socket.

Up until just now, she had been largely quiet as Date made his usual information-gathering rounds, only speaking up now and then to perform cursory searches or scold Date for something untoward. However, this wasn’t one of those times. There was an urgency in her voice this time, which prompted Date to halt where he was. For a moment, all he could hear was the thunderous roar of blood in his ears as he stood there, scanning his surroundings for whatever it was that had incited Aiba’s panicked outcry.

The city was dark, with naught but the pale moonlight from high above and the dimmed and flickering street lamps to shed light on the surroundings. This downtrodden part of town never saw much traffic even during the busiest hours of the day, and made for a perfect crime hotspot of sorts. That he might run into trouble here had never strayed far from his mind, and right now identifying the threat was the number one priority.

“...Aiba?” He shot the question internally, so that only his partner could hear.

I see something over there. Even as Aiba’s response registered in Date’s brain, she zoomed in on a shadowy figure. He was hard to make out in the dark, but once Aiba focused on him, he was definitely a dark-haired male, walking with something bunched up in his arms. There was something off about him, but it was hard to put his finger on what exactly. By all appearances, he was just a normal man. But then… even just being a normal man in this part of town, at this time of night… that itself was abnormal.

“Damn, look at that guy, he’s definitely up to something!”

We don’t know that for certain. As always, Aiba’s response was just logical. However, the fact remained that she’d been the one to warn him of the man’s presence in the first place.

“Well, if he’s not up to anything, then this should be quick. Besides, if he was here, maybe he saw something.” He couldn’t jump to any careless conclusions, such as that this guy was tied to the murder Date was here to investigate, but if he turned out to have any information at all, well, of course that would be useful to him.

...Be careful, Date.

Aiba’s warning was unnecessary. Hand resting on the pommel of his sword, Date advanced towards the man, motioned for him to stop as he drew near.

“Kaname Date of Scepter 4. I’m conducting an investigation in this area and I was hoping you’d be able to answer some questions for me.”

[lovethatremains]

an average stroll || falco & akari

@ihai​

It was a normal afternoon, all things considered. Hina would be getting home soon with Momo, which meant she had just a little longer to herself. Of course, that usually meant going on a walk, whether it was to a store or just enjoying the sights of the city around her, it was a precious part of her day. She loved her family greatly, but she was still a young woman who needed a breather every now and then. Hina being older now was a great help, since it let her have a little more free time. 

Still, there were times when she felt a bit guilty. As if there were things she needed to be doing right that minute. Whether it was preparing for dinner or spending time with her sisters and making sure they were alright, it was hard to shake those habits. But at least the weather was nice today. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she walked through the park, grateful it wasn’t as hot today as it had been the previous day.

But as relaxing as it was, she knew she needed to get home soon. Momo would likely be hungry, and Hina could only make simple things on her own. Making up her mind to head back home, she doubled back the way she had come, humming a little tune to herself as she went. It would have been perfect if she’d been able to just keep walking--but she caught sight of a man out of the corner of her eye with a curious stain on his shirt, but when she turned to do a double take, she realized it was blood.

Her eyes widened, lips parting in shock as she hurried over. “E-excuse me, mister, are you alright? That’s...a lot of blood..”

[freeyoursoul-write]

I Have Abandonment Issues (Part I)

Okay, this is part one of random little drabbles I’ve written about abandoned places!

The old building lay abandoned, instilling a sense of foreboding in all who saw it. The bricks, once whitewashed and pristine, had turned black with age, and the cement had become dingy over the years.

Ivy covered large patches of the walls, creeping steadily toward the heavens. The grass was unkempt, and the weeds practically ran the property.

Despite the fact that the property was basically in disrepair, everyone in the town knew better than to set foot on it. Not for fear of poison ivy or disease-ridden bugs.

No, the townspeople weren’t afraid of things like that. What they feared was so much worse.

They were afraid of the ghosts.

The old building was teeming with the ghosts of former patients, too angry over their supposed treatment within those walls to actually move on.

They were angry, and the needed blood to control it. They thirsted for the blood of those who had damned them, and the townspeople knew it.

See, it was their ancestors who had allowed the asylum to continue operating, thereby damning all those innocent people.

But the ghosts were restless tonight. Something was about to happen - a change was coming - and they could sense it.

Without warning, the mayor’s daughter and her boyfriend came walking down the sidewalk, heading home after a simple date. As seamlessly as clockwork, his hand brushed her side, tickling her enough that she stumbled slightly, one foot landing just inside the property line, right on the front lawn of the asylum.

Both shared a look of horror before sprinting into town, hands clasped tightly in an effort to protect one another, for they knew what they’d just done.

And the ghosts knew it too - this was what they’d been waiting for. The barrier around the property was broken, and they would finally have their revenge.

The ghosts would have their blood tonight.

Tags: @highqueenofelfhame

[freeyoursoul-write]

I Have Abandonment Issues (Part II)

Okay, here’s the second part of my abandoned places series!

The amusement park sat abandoned like some old Western ghost town. Tumbleweeds wandered the street in a sad pantomime of former patrons. The roller coaster rose like a dragon into the sky, guarding the treasures lying lonely beneath it.

And the haunted tower stood strong and proud, one sad light blinking forlornly atop it. It called to the townspeople like a lighthouse calls to ships in a storm, but no one answered it.

Well, no one living anyway.

See, tumbleweeds weren’t all that roamed the streets - there were ghosts walking the grounds too. And everyone in the surrounding towns knew it.

The blinking light called to the spirits of those who had passed on, drawing them into the park. And the ghosts were a lively bunch, running and talking as though they were still alive.

The living had come to realize this by watching the park. All of the the rides continued to run, even though no one alive dared set foot through the gates. The cars on the roller coaster were constantly cresting the hill, and the carousel just kept spinning, seeming to go without end.

This wouldn’t have been so bad to the townspeople, except that it all happened without making a sound. All of the those rides were moving, and not a sound to be heard. That was what bothered the living, what made them stay away.

There was a legend that anyone living to pass the gates would never be seen again - they would become a ghost themselves. None of the people were willing to offer themselves to see if the legend was true, despite their curiosites, so it persisted.

The living would let the ghosts have their amusement park - they had the rest of the town for themselves, after all.

Tags: @highqueenofelfhame

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AIBA.

OH MY GOD.

AIBA.

AIBA I LOVR YOU SO FUCKING MUCH !!!!!!!