Spatial Structure of Japanese Religion - Geography of Religion in Japan: Religious Space, Landscape, and Behavior - page 65

2. The kinen-ko prayed for the New Year. This type of association did not visit
Kanamura , but each member received amulets by mail. Some members of
daidai-ko switched to kinen-ko because the population of farmers has shrunk.
In some communities, daidai-ko and kinen-ko were organized together, and
members committed to visiting or mailing Kanamura thrice a year.

3. A nichigetsunenzan - ko was an association that visited Kanamura daily,
monthly, or yearly, although none of today's associations make daily visits.
An association called tsukimairi - ko visited Kanamura once a month between
March and September for seven months. Today, however, some tsukimairi -
ko only visit Kanamura in April and September. Delegate visitors received
an amulet that prayed for the community; 95 % of them called at Kanamura
once a year. Although individual visitation dates varied, visits usually
occurred in spring or autumun, particularly in March, April, September, and
October. The content of the prayers differed for each association. Delegate
visitors were given a box-type amulet or a large amulet made of wood or
paper to pray for the community and an amulet to protect against insects or
disasters for each member.
4. Three kinds of haruaki dantai - ko visited Kanamura once a year, mostly in
April or November. One shrine group association ( Jinja dantai - ko ), visited
Kanamura with all members ( somairi - ko ). Some of these organizations
were established before 1860 and have a long history. Two other kinds of
haruaki dantai - ko were founded after the Second World War and were clas-
sifi ed by the time of visit: the spring association ( haru - ko ) and the autumn
association ( aki - ko ). These ko have a system of delegated visits. Several
kinds of prayers are made in the Kanamura faith, of which the prayer for
rain is the most important. An example of prayer for rain was made in the
Ozaki district, Yachiyo town, Ibaraki.
Ozaki district is on diluvial upland, about 25 m above sea level, of lingulate
shape running north to south. Iinuma River runs through from east to west,
dissecting some branch valleys. In this area, most of the inhabitants were
farmers. The basis of faith in Kanamura is to pray for rain. Ko managers went
to Kanamura with a bottle made of bamboo, were purifi ed by a Shinto priest,
received holy water and an amulet, and returned to the village. While they
waited, the village people prepared a ritual meal. As the delegation neared the
village, a drum was beat to let the residents know the delegation was arriving.
All the villagers assembled at a sacred place, and sprinkled the holy water on
cultivated fi elds and street corners while villagers chanted spells. Once the
sprinkling was fi nished, the men jumped into a local stream and splashed
water on each other, praying for rain. This was the climax of the ritual. After
that, all the members ate the ritual food before the end of the ritual.
People believed this ritual affected rainfall. If it rained after the prayer,
people said a prayer of thanks to Kanamura called rei-shinjin . It was a rule
to bring some rainwater to Kanamura (Yachiyo Town History Compilation
Committee 1987 ). This is a typical example of the Kanamura faith.
Kanamura was diffused and worshipped as a lord of rainfall, although the
prayers for rain are no longer offered.