Religion in Japan:

Religion in Japan can be said to be characterized by the blending of various elements from various thought, belief, and spiritual systems. For example, the majority of Japanese people "practice" a form of spiritual/religion worship which combines aspects of Buddhism, Shintoism, and local customs. Buddhism and Shintoism are thought of as not being mutually-exclusive, but rather mutually-compatible and beneficial, a trend which started in the Heian period with the emergence of Ryobu Shintoism (両部神道), which is the tradition of blending Buddhist and Shinto practices (from Professor Halawatch’s Japanese History course's lecture notes).

However, this blending of styles isn’t purely limited within the context of the blending of different religious systems. There are also many examples in Japan where a religion incorporates other, often unexpected, aspects. This week I went on a field trip with Professor Kenny’s Shinoism class, and we visited two very interesting Shinto Shrines in Yawatashi, which is about five stops away from Hirakata, right before the Yodo stop on the Keihan line. Visiting these two shrines made me realize just how unconventional religion in Japan can really be sometimes!

A picture taken at the Iwashimizuhachimangu Shinto shrine atop Otokoyama in Yawatashi. Can you read who this memorial is for? Thomas Edison!!! Apparently even Thomas Edison can be honored in the Japanese schema of Shinto rituals.

Can you read this sign? It's the sign for Hikojinja! Do you know what means? Airplane Shrine! Pretty wierd right? Keep reading.

The traditional Shinto-style plaque proudly displays that this is the Airplane Shrine. Even airplanes should have respects paid to them right?

As you can see, there is the tori (gate) in the background of this picture, strategically placed where it should be in the traditional layout of a Shinto shrine. However, note that the tori is actually made out of metal, rather than wood which is traditionally used. Also note the airplane propeller placed right in front of it!
Here we have on the left hand side one of the traditional kami houses which are a traditional characteristic of Shinto shrines, juxtaposed with a large propeller on the right. The traditional and the untraditional placed together in some kind of weird harmony.

Generally, when people think about Shintoism, the images that usually pop into one's mind are those of different animistic gods and nature. Looking at these pictures though obviously prove that Shintoism can be much broader than that. It is a prime example of how religion in Japan evolves in order to keep up with the times.

Websites about the airplane shrine (in Japanese)

http://www.kiis.or.jp/kansaida/yawata/yawata07.html

http://www.rurubu.com/sight/sightdetail.asp?BookID=A3705440

http://homepage1.nifty.com/hon/2/2-023/2-023.html\

http://www.flickr.com/photos/qtvr_master/481098485/ (in English)

http://www.geocities.jp/general_sasaki/hiko-shrine.html )(in English)

Websites about Iwashimizuhachimangu (in Japanese)

http://www.iwashimizu.or.jp/index/toppageh2002.htm

http://www.y-morimoto.com/jinja22/hachiman.html