![]() Under the influence of Buddhism, kami can also, though more rarely, be represented by statues. The location of a shrine represented the legendary settlement of that shrine's kami. The resident kami might be represented by symbols or sanctified objects. Shrines were erected to house both kinds of kami and accommodate rituals and celebrations intended to maintain harmonious unity between the deities and man. The kami can be divided into two main categories: kami of natural phenomena (the object kami) and kami of mythical or historical people (the active kami). For example, the foremost ritual of Shinto priests, the purification ( harai) was done with natural water sources such as waterfalls, hot springs and rivers. Rituals were held outdoors, among natural surroundings, with no particular structure for them. Rather than buildings, shrines of the earliest age were sacred precincts such as mounds, groves, or caves. Reflecting the understanding that kami reside in nature, Shinto shrines were traditionally near unusual "concentrations" of nature such as waterfalls, caves, rock formations, mountain tops, or forest glens. Organization of Sacred Space: The Ritual Landscape Influence of Buddhism: Syncretism in Architecture The Geography of Sacred Space: Shrine Complexes This page is divided into seven illustrated sections:įirst Structures: Early Shrine Architecture Materials presented here were developed by teachers in a year-long ORIAS program, Teaching Comparative Religion Through Art and Architecture. This page uses the architecture of Shinto shrines as a window into Shinto practices and worldview. Shinto rituals and celebrations stress harmony between deities, man, and nature - a key feature of Japanese religious life and art to the present time. Shinto - "the way of the kami" - is deeply rooted in pre-historic Japanese religious and agricultural practices. The term kami can refer to Japanese mythological deities, but also can mean divinity manifested in natural objects, places, animals, and even human beings. Learning about Shinto through Architecture
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