Religious Tradition in Japan - Geography of Religion in Japan: Religious Space, Landscape, and Behavior - page 32

Fig. 2.16 Sacred Gate of Ise Shrine (Otorii)

Motoori Norinaga (a Japanese scholar of the Edo period) in “ Kojikiden ” defi ned
a God as a being that which bestows a sense of awe by virtue of having supernatural
or superhuman powers, regardless of whether the God is human, animal, plant, or a
manifestation of other natural phenomena. The entrances to divine areas incorporate
symbols that signify the separation between (and the combination of) the sacred and
profane, and places where a God is present within natural phenomena. These can
include large trees and iwakura (rocks subject to a belief system), or manmade
objects like mirrors and gohei (a sacred staff) that are distinguished from the sur-
rounding space by shimenawa and himorogi (trees subject to a belief system).
Let us recall the landscapes of nearby shrines. These typically include thick for-
ests and pure fl owing water. They also include symbols such as Torii , komainu
(stone guardian dogs), and yashiro , and have beautiful, clean purifi ed, grounds
where the refreshing feeling of stepping on tamajari (pebbles) may be enjoyed. The
landscape of sacred places can thus be said to represent the ancient religious sensi-
bility of the Japanese people.

2.2.3 Sacred and Profane in Communities

Figure 2.17 shows a spatial model of rural communities developed by Jun Miyake.
It represents the relationship of the position and distribution of facilities, and the
inherent nature of the space and residents (animals and other life forms) of Sato , Ta ,
No , and Satoyama , the residential space, and Okuyama, Dake, and Hara , a different
kind of world.