Revisiting Shinmei Shrine in Ohsatsu


My wife and I revisited Shinmei Shrine in Ohsatsu for the first time in 4 and a half years. In Japan there are several Shinmei shrines and Shinmei denotes that it warships Amaterasu-Omikami, who is the highest god for The Imperial Family and Japanese people (she is enshrined in Ise Shrine). So the main god of Shinmei Shrine in Ohsatsu is Amaterasu-Omikami, then we thanked the god for our peaceful lives and prayed peace of Japan and the world to the god.


This time, there was a big circle, through which people can pass, which is made by grass straws behind the inner gate of the sanctuary of Amaterasu-Ominami. A note board indicated to turn back as going around the circle three times as drawing a figure of eight, to the left-side of the circle after passing the circle firstly, to the right-side next and to the left-side again. The series of the actions of the indication is to make an invisible knot with the circle, and it may be that the series of the actions means to make relationship with the god. We acted on the indication as following the actions of the preceding people. On looking back to the circle from the inner place several people acted it as well, the aspect of the actions by the people looked like a centipede.



Ishigami-san which is nicknamed lovely


Shinmei Shrine in Ohsatsu whorships the other god, Tamayori-bime(hime). Tamayori-bime is the mother of Jimmu-tenno who was the first Emperor of The Imperial Family. (Incidentally, the current Emperor of the Reiwa Era since May this year is the 126th.) For protecting people in Ohsatsu the spirit of Tamayori-bime descended in this place and she has stayed in a stone. The spirit of Tamayori-bime is lovely nicknamed “Ishigami-san”, we prayed each wish to the spirit of Toyotama-bime, “goshintai” (the divine spirit) in the stone. Ishigami-san is popular among women because it will fulfill an only one wish of every praying woman. My wife wrote her one wish on a paper which was prepared in front of the small sanctuary and put it into a wish box.


The stone is protected by a “shimenawa”, a straw rope with white papers which are cut to a peculiar form “shide”, then people normally understand that it is a “yorishiro”, an object occupied by a divine spirit. A mountain, a river, a sea, a tree or a stone can be a yorishiro. Japanese people look to pray something to a yorishiro, but strictly speaking, they don’t pray to the yorishiro but they pray to a divine spirit staying in the yorishiro.

Two symbols of “Seiman” and “dohman”


Ohsatsu is in Toba city, Mie prefecture. Renowned Ise Shrine is located in the north from Ohsatsu. Ohsatsu has good climate and a wealthy sea. Ohsatsu has many “ama”s who pass under the sea to get ingredients of the sea like abalones or urchins. Ishigami-san presents talismans with two symbols to them.


The symbols are called “seiman” and “dohman”. Seiman is a star by one-stroke sketch from a starting point to the end of the same point. Dohman, which is sketched with five horizontal lines and four vertical lines, has many small squares.


Works of “ama”s are severe and dangerous, and they are afraid of an accident and something devil under the sea. Seiman denotes returning with safe as the one-stroke returning to the start point. Dohman denotes protecting them against everything devil under the sea with many eyes of the squares and the difficulty of entrance.

“Orei-mairi”




A reason we revisited Ishigami-san was for “orei-mairi”. Japanese people pray their personal wishes to a shrine, and orei-mairi is for a person whose wish was achieved to revisit the same shrine for thanking. Shinto in Japan hasn’t a thought of a contract between a god and a person, so then Orei-mairi doesn’t belong to such a contract nor a duty. Gods and deities in Japan support wishers with their magical power, but to achieve the prayers’ wishes is for them to do their best. So it isn’t required for achievers to revisit to thank. However, gods and deities in Japan love people who are polite with the behavior to revisit the same shrine to pay gratitude. To behave yourself like what gods and deities like is to invite happiness and luck.


4 and a half years ago our family including my wife and two daughters visited Ishigami-san casually in staying a hotel in Ohsatsu, and the three women prayed their every wish. And all of their wishes achieved after 4 and a half years at last. Ishigami-san is far from my living place in Kobe, so it isn’t easy to visit it, but my wife and I with the representative thanks of the two daughters wanted to revisit for orei-mairi. To say logically, one wonders if that their achievements depended on the power of Ishigami-san. But yet, it is out of the mark of the logic and our behaviors are related with our “Kokoro” heart-felt mind in Japanese. In addition, to say honestly, it is certain that an abalone which an ama caught and good fish dishes lured us to go to Ohsatsu.

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