Spatial Structure of Japanese Religion - Geography of Religion in Japan: Religious Space, Landscape, and Behavior - page 64

Local people have worshipped at the shine since its foundation. Kanamura,
called Kanamura - sama or rai-sama , is a famous thunder shrine in the Kanto region, 5
and the catchment area of Kanamura extends across Kanto over the Ujiko region.
The Kanamura faith has several dimensions; for example, prayers for the family's
safety, health, and longevity, protection against hailstorms and lightning, and bum-
per crops (Toyosato Town History Compilation Committee 1985 ). I think Kanamura
is a good case study because of its long history and worship by people living in rural
areas of Kanto.

3.2.2 Regional Division in the Catchment Area of Kanamura

3.2.2.1 Religious Form of Kanamura

(1) The Form of Community Prayer
Prayer is a means to accomplish a purpose, by the grace of a God or some other
transcendental being (Miyamoto 1994 ). There are two categories: community
prayer and private prayer. In the Kanamura faith, most prayer is offered by
visiting or dedicating something at a shrine.
Community prayer is a magical behavior aimed at preventing disaster. All
members of the community pray together to kami (Miyata 1994 ). Typical rituals
include prayers for rain and wind, other prayers may be offered to prevent disas-
ter, epidemics, or crop damage due to insect pests. All members participate
when a certain subject requires community prayer. Thus, the contents of the
prayer depend on the common interests of the community. The ko, called
kanamura - ko, is a common form of community prayer.
Though the origin of the Kanamura association is not clear, it is supposed to
have been organized between 1800 and 1910. There are four types of Kanamura
associations in a rural community:

1. The daidai-ko was an association that offers sacred dances at the spring and
autumn festivals. 6 Originally, the association needed to visit Kanamura
twice a year (spring and autumun), but recently, the visits have become less
frequent, and now only a few associations visit once a year. Members took
turns to visit Kanamura . Delegate visitors were given a large wooden amu-
let, a medium-sized amulet, and one amulet for each member to protect
against insects or disaster. This is the oldest type of Kanamura association,
and several were organized between 1800 and 1910.

5 Kanamura , Itakura Raiden Shrine, and Betsurai-kotaijin are the three major thunder shrines in the
Kanto region.
6 The spring festival is called 'Okaminari-machi' (waiting for thunder). Believers make cakes of red
rice or mugwort rice and visit Kanamura in the summer to pray for good rainfall. The old calendar
was followed until 1992. The autumn festival of November 23 is thanksgiving for the harvest.