At Ise Jingu, the main shrine is surrounded by layers of walls called tamagaki (玉垣). A form to pay a reverence inside these walls guided by a priest is called Mikakiuchi sanpai.
This time, I wanted to offer my gratitude for letting me publish the extraordinary photos I was able to take of Ise (title: 太陽と大自然の神々の地、伊勢 – The land of Kami of the sun and the great nature.)
I also applied for the Daidaikagura (大々神楽) to pray for prosperity of the nation and the Mikakiuchi sanpai to pray for peace of the nation and longevity for the Emperor.
Thanks to the readers of my books, I was able to apply for these deluxe formal ways of visit. I would like to return the favor to you by reporting about my trip.
The trip went without unusualness except for one incident. When I was standing right under the Naka-no-e-no-torii gate in front of the Naigū main shrine, I felt a strong ocean wind on my entire body. The main shrine was certainly the ocean and it was as if the ocean sent me the breeze. My family members didn’t seem to have recognized it.
Until the Meiji era, Ise Jingu did not officially allow personal donations or prayers. The shrine was a place solely to pray for peace and prosperity of the nation and it was managed by the government and all expenses came from tax.
Meiji Emperor was the one who changed the system that ran for nearly two thousand years. He opened Ise Jingu to the public and let the people donate and pray for their personal wishes. Thanks to his idea, today, Ise Jingu does not need government support but manages the entire operation by donations from the people.
If the prime minister changes, due to economic crisis the budget might be cut down which may influence the management of Ise Jingu. Meiji Emperor had predicted such case over a hundred years ago and turned the finance around to rely on the people instead of the government. If he hadn't done it, Ise Jingu may not have existed for so long.
Today without relying on tax, Ise Jingu has more than enough donations to be ready for the Sengu held once in every twenty years. Instead, the excessive donations might be donated to help the government finance or the government might start to impose tax on donations to religious organizations.
In any case, the impression I had at the Naigū is that this place is rock solid protected by the breath of Kami. It felt so powerful that nothing could change its existence.
Ikashite-itadaite arigato-gozaimasu
Thank you for letting us live
I would like to spread the Gratitude Awareness towards ancestral spirits and everything around us so 5% of the world population will start acting on it on a daily basis.
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