Religious Tradition in Japan - Geography of Religion in Japan: Religious Space, Landscape, and Behavior - page 33

Fig. 2.17 Spatial model of
Ancient Japanese Community

Remote
mountains

Mountains

Village
mountains

S S: Shrine

T: Temple
G: Grave
H: House

T G

Villages

S

H

H

H

H

H

Farms

S

Fields

River

A Sato is a residential space comprising housing, an ujigami (guardian God),
temples, tombs, and various small shrines. It plays a part not only in the everyday
lives of people but also in festivals and religious ceremonies. The village border
includes stone monuments and a stone Buddha, which is used for disaster preven-
tion ceremonies. A Ta is space used for farming where rice and other fi elds are
located. Common places for the villagers to obtain building materials, fuel, and
fertilizer include a No and a Satoyama . Those residing in a Sato work at a Ta and
obtain living necessities at the No and Satoyama . These three spaces form the living
space of the people who reside in the community.
The spaces in which those people who are not related to the community may
gather include a Hara , Okuyama , and Dake . According to Miyake, a Hara is an
uncultivated, primitive fi eld in front of a Ta that can spread beyond the gathering
space to form a city. An Okuyama is situated behind the No and Satoyama , where
descendants of mountain people ousted by those growing rice were once residents.
A Dake , placed even further back, is a steep mountainous area and the source of
rivers. It was regarded as a sacred place that led to heaven and a place to train monks
of Mountain Shugen-do. A Dake was understood to incorporate the nature of
another world.