Meiji Shrine Revealed

I have been to the Meiji Shrine many times, and it is still my favorite Shrine here. Today I took a tour with the Women's Group to get a deeper look at the history, religion and daily workings of the Meiji Shrine. We had the cutest young Shinto Priest guide us through the grounds and into the shrine. After lunch, he gave a brief lecture. At the conclusion of the lecture on Shintoism, he and two women performed gagaku (traditional Shinto music) on ancient instruments.
I will give you the abbreviated version of some of the most interesting information I gathered today.

"Shin" means spirit.
"To" means way.
I like the idea of Shinto, or "Spirit Way."

Kami is an important concept in Shintoism. Kami is embodied in all things that are awe-inspiring. Therefore in Shinto, spirits, heaven, earth, people, oceans, mountains, life, all have Kami. Or are Kami, I'm not exactly sure. Waterfalls, rocks, ocean, mountains are all considered sacred. Shinto really appreciates the awesomeness of our natural world. I like that too.

There are not a lot of rules that dictate the Shinto way. The Japanese Shinto life is marked by certain milestones; they bless newborns (we saw one today), children at ages 3-5 and 7, and they celebrate the "Coming of age" at 20 years. Then they often get married at the shrine, but the funerals are frequently at Buddhist temples. In the past, it was not uncommon to find a man who was both a Buddhist Monk and a Shinto Priest.

When our young priest was explaining the New Year's ritual of visiting the Shrine, he explained it this way, "Lots of people make wish or something." I couldn't help but smile. Shinto is so very...relaxed. There are no stone tablets with "Follow the rules OR DIE!" on them. There are few rules. Priests come from all walks of life and can marry, "and drink!" added our guide with a smile. I think our young friend was a little out of his element today, surrounded by middle-aged international women, but he succeeded in charming us all. It was particularly interesting to find out that the men in his family have been becoming priests for about 800 years. Imagine.

Fun facts

The Meiji Shrine has:
170,000 trees, representing 264 species.
43 Priests, and about 100 other workers.
8 million visitors each year- 3 million of whom come during the New Year.
Corners of drainage creek at angles of 88 degrees. (For good luck)
The enshrined spirits of Emperor Meiji and his consort, Empress Shokan.

The original shrine burned to the ground during the Tokyo air raids of WWII, and was completely rebuilt about 50 years ago. When it was rebuilt, they made the roof with less pitch, to be a gentler, friendlier place. The first roof was built at a higher, pointy pitch- one that represented strength and power.

Here are some words that are considered key to Shinto: gratitude, reverence, respect, life, nature, ancestors, harmony, purity and (very important specifically to the Meiji Shrine) a sincere heart. Great words all, and greatly vague. I like that.