From the Boso Peninsula to Awa: Discovering the Mystique
Starting from the pilgrimage to the three major shrines of the Eastern country
One of my hobbies is shrine visits. I’ve toured many shrines all over Japan, including both Shikinai-sha (officially recognized shrines) and Shikigai-sha (those outside of official lists).
Once, while touring shrines on the Boso Peninsula, I noticed that several shrine histories mentioned, “The deity of this shrine was invited from Awa (阿波).” I recalled that when I had previously toured northern Kanto, there were also shrines enshrining deities from Awa (阿波).
If it was just one or two instances, I might have thought, “Oh, interesting,” and moved on. However, I kept encountering this reference in different places, leading to growing curiosity.
Until that point, I had never really paid much attention to Awa (阿波). Weren’t the Kofun and Asuka periods centered around modern-day Nara or the northern Kyushu area? Why Awa(阿波), instead of places like Nara or Kyushu?
This prompted new research topics for me. And I thought, “I have to go to Tokushima!”
That’s how I ended up in Tokushima.
Were the deities extremely busy?
On a side note, Japan has more shrines than convenience stores. Each shrine enshrines a particular deity. For instance, Amaterasu Omikami, Susanoo-no-Mikoto, Okuninushi-no-Mikoto, and other deities from the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki myths.
The place where Amaterasu hid behind the celestial rock, the land where Ninigi descended, the lands created by Izanagi and Izanami, the well where Toyotama-hime met Yamasachi-hiko, and so on — there are various theories claiming, “This location is the real one!” for each event.
Just how many times did Amaterasu hide in the celestial rock? How many times did Ninigi descend?
Deities appearing all over Japan must have been quite busy.
Many might believe these myths from the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki are entirely fictional. However, if they were based on true events, there would only be one true location for each story. While a definitive conclusion may be elusive, the journey to find one’s own interpretation is truly enjoyable.
Every shrine has its original, primary shrine.
Apart from that primary shrine, the spirits of deities enshrined throughout Japan must have been branched off from somewhere. Until my visit to the Boso Peninsula, I’d casually believed the mainstream views and enjoyed my shrine visits. But now, I had discovered a new dimension to my shrine pilgrimage.
From where was this deity branched off? Approaching shrine visits with this perspective reveals potential truths. When, by whom, and under what circumstances… After all, it’s not as if shrines just appear out of nowhere one morning.
A quiet shrine boom
Recently, more young women have started visiting shrines. It seems that deities of romance are popular. Whatever the reason, it’s delightful to see more people visiting shrines.
Next time, we’ll delve into Tokushima. Stay tuned! Thank you for reading till the end.
