Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
(45) An adept of the mountain cult, blowing his conch. The pillowbox-hat, the bobbles at
the front, the design on the breeches, and the staff, all had a mystic significance.
The poorer farmers, however, were not deprived of the opportunity of going to Ise, for
therewasawidespread customofformingIse-associations, themembers ofwhichcontrib-
utedacertainamounttothegeneralfund,andsufficientwasaccumulatedeachyeartosend
acertainnumberofmembers.Theorderinwhichtheywentwasdeterminedbylot,andthe
lucky ones were accompanied to the village boundaries by the entire populace. They were
thought of as representatives of the whole community, and brought back enough amulets
for distribution to all. The priests of Ise had agents throughout the country who made the
necessary arrangements both for the journey (on foot, of course), and for the actual time
spent in the vicinity of the shrine. For such people the pilgrimage to Ise might very well be
the only chance to see the outside world, with its wonders and its opportunity for pleasure.
Ise was the most important shrine to be visited on a national scale, but there were oth-
ers, like Miyajima in the west of Japan, and Kotohira in Shikoku, which had a more local
appeal. Other religious trips that farmers might take part in were connected with the very
widespread mountain cult, which combined climbing mountains, such as Fuji, or peaks in
Yoshino, with feats of endurance, exemplified by standing under waterfalls (
45
).
Although
the religious content of these pursuits was high, considerable importance was also attached
to the festivities that concluded the rites.
