Sumiyoshi Taisha, designated as one of the great imperial shrines of Japan, is located in a quiet unassuming neighborhood of Osaka, seemingly unfitting for such an important shrine. The shrine is mentioned in the Kojiki, the oldest known written record in Japan, which dates the establishment of Sumiyoshi in the early part of the third century common era. In 2013 the shrine will celebrate its 1800th anniversary. The four free-standing shrine buildings have all been designated as national treasure. Within these shrines the guardian kami of seafarers as well as the kami of agriculture, diplomacy and waka poetry are enshrined. The Empress Jingu, known for her incursion into and conquest of Korea, is enshrined as the kami Okinagatarashihime-no-Mikoto. In the ancient past ships would stop in Osaka before continuing to mainland Asia in order to offer prayers for safe passage to the kami of Sumiyoshi Taisha. Today the shrine is still well-known for its rice planting festival, Otaue-Shinji, which is held in June of every year.
Sumiyoshi Taisha delighted us with its quaintness as we approached the first torii leading to the shrine. Through the stone torii we saw an arched bridge with red lacquered railings and a series of white lanterns posted along the way. This enchanting bridge lead to a small structure where visitors purify themselves before entering the shrine and beyond that was the main gate. As we passed through the gate we observed that the shrines were laid out in the open area amongst the gravel path. Sumiyoshi Taisha lacked the soaring trees of other shrines we visited such as Shimogamo and Meiji and so we found ourselves still under the intense rays of the summer sun. However, the shrine still embodied a certain charm that was personified by the head priest we encountered. Dr. Roemer had met Mayumi Sensei when he had conducted research at Yasaka shrine in Kyoto approximately 15 years ago. At that time Mayumi Sensei was a priest in Kyoto but eventually he was given a promotion and transferred to Sumiyoshi Taisha. There he took over the head priest's position at the shrine. As we milled about looking over omamori (amulets) Dr. Roemer struck up a conversation with one of the miko (shrine maidens), inquiring if Mayumi Sensei was still there and perhaps, if possible, could she pass on his business card. The miko asked us to wait a minute and when she returned we were invited to join Mayumi Sensei in one of the adjoining buildings - a rare opportunity to speak with a highly ranked Shinto priest. Mayumi Sensei seemingly exemplified the spirit of the shrine. An energetic man in his 80's dressed in all white priestly robes, he graciously greeted us in a large room filled with plush chairs. Miko brought in trays of hot green tea and sweets of sugar as another priest handed out brochures on the shrine in English. After introductions end Mayumi Sensei offered to answer any questions we had about Shinto or Sumiyoshi Shrine. We asked a series of questions, interested in his observations on Shinto and he responded with thoughtful answers. As the session was coming to a close one student asked why he became a Shinto priest and his answer surprised us. He explained that he became a Shinto priest because he was grateful to the kami and he wanted to pay his respect to them. Of all the Shinto and Buddhist priests we had spoken to in our two weeks in Japan Mayumi Sensei was the only one who said he became a priest because he wanted to serve the a higher being. As the questions concluded we finished our tea and returned outside to the muggy and sunny weather. Mayumi Sensei invited us take a group photo with him after which he joined his companion and returned to the shrine's administrative buildings. We continued to explore the shrine grounds, our interest and curiosity reinvigorated in Sumiyoshi after meeting Mayumi Sensei, an ideal ending to a hectic but incredible two weeks. |
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