Mastodawn

The inhabitants of the archipelago beyond Khitai say that these eldritch shrines date back to the origins of the universe, although the Hyborian Age is the source of even earlier tales. #Shinto #prehistory https://cromwell-intl.com/travel/japan/ise/inner-shrine.html?s=mc

Grand Shrine of Ise, the Inner Shrine and the Sacred Mirror

The Grand Shrine of Ise is Shintō's most holy and important site. It holds the sacred mirror Yata no Kagami, one of the Three Sacred Treasures of Japan. The Inner Shrine or Naikū is the grand finale of your visit.

Bob's Pages of Travel, Linux, Cybersecurity, and More

Steve McCarty 🇯🇵1d ago

Many responses to my post with photos of the Shintō-Buddhist hybrid shrine Nikkō Tōshō-gū (日光東照宮) dedicated to the first Shōgun Tokugawa Ieyasu at permalink https://hcommons.social/@SteveMcCarty/116460012855652237 included a question from @gclef
> Interesting, thanks for sharing that! Noted the three monkeys motif... is there a Japanese story/parable about them? Familiar with the western version, just wondering about cultural variations.

The three monkeys originated in the 17th Century with a Japanese pun based on an ancient Confucian saying, and the photo I showed was its most prominent illustration. It entered the West in the 19th Century and took on more of a cynical meaning than the austere Asian version, although Japanese has a common expression for pretending not to see something dicey.

Here are more photos of the exceptionally ornate Nikkō Tōshō-gū.

Publications as a Professor in Japan: https://japanned.hcommons.org

#Nikko #Toshogu #Buddhism #Shinto #shrine #Japan #travel #architecture #photography #photos

Conan the Sysadmin 1d ago

Ise, the Grand Shrine, and the Wedded Rocks

Ise's Grand Shrine is the principal site of Shintō, which defines Japanese culture. Stay in a ryokan, see the Wedded Rocks, and visit the shrines.

Bob's Pages of Travel, Linux, Cybersecurity, and More

Steve McCarty 🇯🇵2d ago

Returned home to Ōsaka from the best ever trip to the Tōkyō region, staying with our sons, meeting friends, and going to beautiful places. Let's start with Nikkō Tōshō-gū (日光東照宮), a shrine dedicated to the first Shōgun Tokugawa Ieyasu who united Japanese civilization four centuries ago. It's unusually gorgeous and ornate by traditional Japanese aesthetic standards, reflecting warlord grandiosity, but it still blends nicely with the mountain woods. The first photo shows what I noticed first as a researcher, the syncretism of Buddhism with indigenous Shintō. One especially famous feature is the three monkeys who bespeak 'see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil.' That last one is a trouble spot when you speak two languages 😆.

#Nikko #Toshogu #Buddhism #Buddhist #temple #Shinto #shrine #Japan #nature #culture #sightseeing #travel #architecture #woodcarving #photography #photos

okanogen VerminEnemyFromWithin 3d ago

If the #Judaism/ #Christianity/ #Islam #Religions weren't the paradigm running the modern global economy and legal structure, our lives would be radically different. #Shinto, #Buddhism, #Hinduism, Animism of every kind. Even early Greek, Roman, or Egyptian pantheism.
Consider it. Would it be better? Worse?
People love to blame #Capitalism, but the historic alternative worldwide was feudalism.
#WorldOrder

SydneyJim Apr 13

Can #AI replace a priest? #Japan’s temples & shrines are testing the limits. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2026/04/13/lifestyle/buddhism-shinto-ai-religioin/

#Buddhism in #Japan is nothing but a funeral business, so it makes no difference. #Japanese #BuddhistPriests don’t teach the #BuddhaDharma anyhow, so #AI would do a better job of disseminating teachings. If anyone in #Japan cared to learn that is.

#Shintō on the other hand is a different story. Can #AI communicate with the #Kami? Only humans can be a #Shintō priest.

Can AI replace a priest? Japan’s temples and shrines are testing the limits.

Japan's temples experiment with artificial intelligence as questions of faith, presence and care grow more urgent.

The Japan Times

The Japan Times Apr 13

Monks are building chatbots. Robots are entering rituals. But something essential may be missing. What happens when AI starts to sound like the Buddha? https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2026/04/13/lifestyle/buddhism-shinto-ai-religioin/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #life #lifestyle #buddhism #buddha #shinto #religion #ai #chatbots #tech

Can AI replace a priest? Japan’s temples and shrines are testing the limits.

Japan's temples experiment with artificial intelligence as questions of faith, presence and care grow more urgent.

The Japan Times

LeFronc Apr 7

Unser erstes Ziel heute war der #FushimiInari Taisha Schrein, der für seine Tausenden von Torii-Toren bekannt ist. Gezählt haben wir die nicht, aber einige fingen damit von Start aus an.
Der #Shinto Schrein wurde 794 zu Ehren des Reis-Gottes #Inari gegründet und ist gerade im Anfangs-Bereich sehr gut besucht, später verläuft es sich etwas.
#Kyoto #Japan

Tour Japan Apr 5

https://www.wacoca.com/tour/939807/ 【根津祭友會】文京つつじ祭り2026 神輿渡御 4K 圧巻の熱狂！ #2026 #4k動画 #4k神輿 #FestivalSound #JapaneseFestival #MIKOSHI #NANAEMIKOSHI #NezuShrine #Shinto #TokyoTravel #TraditionalJapan #お祭り神輿 #みこし #令和8年 #伝統文化 #出御 #千駄木 #大画面推奨 #文京つつじ祭り #文京区 #東京 #東京ツアー #東京観光 #東京都 #東京都ツアー #東京都観光 #根津 #根津神社 #根津祭友會 #神輿 #神輿喧嘩 #神輿渡御喧嘩 #祭り #谷根千

kokurya Apr 4

Part 2
The Namba Yasakan Shrine is a somewhat idiosyncratic Shinto shrine.
Particularly striking is the Shishiden (Lion Hall), which is shaped like a giant lion’s head. It is used as a stage for the dedication of Kagura, Shishimai, and Iaido.

It is said that the lion’s large mouth swallows evil spirits, and many worshippers visit the shrine to pray for academic improvement, job offers, and success in examinations.

Also the ceiling is pretty impressive!

#japan #osaka #travel #shinto #shrine