The home we are visiting this time, Shigeko-san's house, belongs to the Arai family, a lineage with over 200 years of history in the area. It offers a wealth of stories that provide valuable insights into the daily life of Japan’s rural regions outside of Tokyo. These stories, too, reflect the unique customs and traditions of Japan.
The Inari Shrine and Oyama Pilgrimage on the Arai family estate
The Oyama Pilgrimage was traditionally undertaken by groups known as Kō, which were composed of neighborhood associations or trade guilds. These groups would pool their resources to embark on pilgrimage tours together. This custom has been preserved to the present day, with many Kō visiting the shrine from early spring to summer. Pilgrims dressed in gyoi, traditional white robes, can be seen ascending the approach to the shrine, evoking scenes of the Edo period.
The lodges that welcome these pilgrim groups are run by hosts called Sendōshi, a title passed down through generations. Today, many lodges have been modernized to include private rooms, allowing even individual travelers to stay comfortably.
The Oyama Pilgrimage, cherished and enjoyed by those who came before us, remains a living tradition. It is upheld not only by the Kō, who continue to embody the spirit of Edo, but also by all visitors who come to experience and appreciate the cultural heritage of Oyama.
K0 Mairi
At the Arai family estate, there is a stone monument dedicated to Daigongen, serving as a testament to this deeply held belief. This monument symbolizes the enduring legacy of the Kō Mairi tradition and the community's spiritual connection to their faith.
Hatuuma Traditiona
Hatsuuma refers to a traditional Japanese festival with its origins in Fushimi Inari Taisha, the head shrine of approximately 40,000 Inari shrines across Japan, located in Fushimi Ward, Kyoto. According to legend, the deity Inari Ōkami, known for blessings of abundant rice harvests, was enshrined on Mount Inari on the first uma (horse) day of the second month in the year Wado 4 (711).
This event became the basis for the Hatsuuma Matsuri (First Horse Festival), a celebration held to honor Inari Ōkami. The festival, believed to have begun in the Nara period, gradually spread throughout Japan, becoming a widely observed tradition.
What is (o)Inari-sama?
Inari-sama is a deity closely associated with rice cultivation, as the name suggests. The word "rice" (ine) symbolizes the "root of life," and the term Inari is derived from ine ga naru, meaning "the rice grows." Hence, the deity came to be known as Inari-sama.
While Inari-sama is widely revered for blessings of abundant harvests, rice cultivation itself was a farming technique introduced from the Asian continent. As such, the origins of Inari-sama are also believed to trace back to continental influences. Originally, the deity was worshipped as the tutelary god of the Hata clan, an immigrant group from the continent. Over time, Inari-sama's worship blended with Japan’s indigenous Shinto practices, evolving into the form we recognize today.
Even now, more than 1,000 years later, the tradition of praying for a bountiful harvest continues with visits to Inari shrines during the Hatsuuma festival.
Family Altar and Memorial Tablets
What is an Ihai?
An ihai (memorial tablet) is a wooden plaque inscribed with the posthumous Buddhist name (kaimyō), date of death, secular name, and age at death of a deceased person. These tablets are typically placed in a family altar (butsudan) at home or in a temple's memorial tablet stand, serving as a way to honor and enshrine the spirits of the departed.
What is a Butsudan?
A butsudan is a sacred space within the home dedicated to enshrining a principal deity (go-honzon), such as a Buddha statue, along with the memorial tablets of ancestors. It serves as a place for conducting memorial rites and offerings.
The butsudan was originally designed as a miniature version of the naijin, the inner sanctuary of a temple where the principal deity is enshrined. In essence, a butsudan is like a "small temple within the home," providing a spiritual focal point for the family.
What I Want to Convey
Every household carries its own unique history, culture, and stories. In the same way, Sashiko, practiced within the fabric of daily life, embodies its own distinct history shaped by these personal narratives.
Even something as seemingly simple as a butsudan (family altar) reflects these differences. For instance, in regions like Hida, where heavy snow makes it difficult to visit gravesites, butsudan are often ornate and elaborate, serving as a central place for worship. In contrast, in areas where cemeteries are nearby, the butsudan tend to be more modest, as families can easily visit their ancestors' graves.
It might be interesting to compare the butsudan of the Futatsuya family to see how these regional and familial differences manifest.
