| Bodhidharma |
(1) The founder of the Zen sect. Born
of a royal family in the south of India, took lessons from Hannyatara, and
introduced Zen Buddhism to China. He is said to have sat in a room facing
the wall at Shorinji Temple for nine years. His life spanned from the end
of the 5th century to the beginning of the 6th century. "Daruma"
is also used as a notation to represent a historical character in distinction
from the religious legend, such as Daruma-Daishi, etc.
(2) A tumble doll resembling Daruma sitting in meditation. Painted red,
it is round-shaped and has a weighted bottomed in order to easily recover
the upright position when tumbled. It is considered to be a bringer of good
luck. One of the eyes is painted first, and the other is painted when your
wish comes true. |
| Nanakorobi-Yaoki |
(Falling down 7 times, getting up 8 times)
(1) Recover after a failure and try again.
(2) Uncertainties of fortune, meaning life is full of ups and downs. |
| Roten |
Street Stall. A small shop on a street selling commodities
on a straw mat. |
| Setsubun |
(1) The turning point of the seasons. The abbreviation
for the first day of spring, summer, autumn or winter.
(2) The day before the first day of spring. Some people place the head of
herring on a holly twig at the entrance of their door, and drive bad luck
out and invite good luck by throwing handfuls of beans. This event originally
serves as abstention at the turning point from spring to summer. |
| Shishimai |
(1) A performing art. One type called "Furyu"
is performed by one person with a lion's head, and the other called "Kagura"
is by several people dressed in lion attire from head to tail.
(2) A rapid dance in Noh drama featuring a playing lion. |
| Jyuzu |
A srring of beads used as Buddhist altar fittings. Many
small balls are pierced to form a ring. At the Buddhist sermon, people wear
a string of beads around the neck or on the wrist, and rub it. It has become
widely used along with prayer to Buddha. The general number of beads is
108, but it varies according to the number of evil passions. The shape of
a the beadroll as well as the number of beads differs according to religious
sect. |
| Ujiko |
(1) People who protect and care for a community deity.(2)
People who protect and care for a common ancestral god, or who live in an
area under the protection of the ancestral god. |
| Shinyo |
(1) The honorific word for a portable shrine
(2) A portable shrine where spirits reside. It has a Chinese phoenix or
green onion flower at the center of the roof, and is carried by a group
of people. |
| Dashi |
A festival float. It is a beautifully decorated stall,
and is drawn when a festival is held at a shrine. The name derives from
the bamboo-basket (Dashi) hanging from the halberd installed at the center
of the stall. |
| Hayashi |
Music played by instruments (mainly whistle and percussion)
or chanting as the accompaniment for various Japanese-style performances.
|
| Enma |
The king of hell who gives sentence on the crime of the
dead. It is visualized as having a scepter, wearing a Chinese religious
cloth and showing an angry face. It originally was the god of ancestors'
spirit in the myth of India. |
| Amida |
One of the Buddhist images of the Jodo sect. He is said
to have attained enlightenment, and to live in the Western Paradise in order
to enlighten people. According to his preaching, all people can die peacefully
as long as they pray to Amida Buddha. It became widely worshipped in the
Heian period, and became the principal image for Jodo and Jodoshin Sect. |
| Keidai |
The area inside the boundary in a shrine or temple. |
| Goma |
An anga to pray to Buddha in front of the burning
fire of Gomaki in an esoteric Buddhism. The principal image is Fudou-Myoo
or Aizome-Myoo. Gomaki represents vexation or accident, and fire represents
wisdom or truth. People pray for safety, profit increase,etc. |
| Mandou |
Many lights before the tablet of the dead. |
Kanzeon
(Kanzeon Bosatsu) |
A Buddhist saint. She listened to the public and helped
them when necessary. She was merciful and earned a lot of worship. She is
said to have lived in Fudaraku (an imaginary mountain in Buddhism), which
corresponds to Mt. Nachi in Japan. Her appearance varies to show her infinite
mercifulness. |
| Togyo |
The appearance of a portable shrine at a festival. |
| Kagura |
(1) The music and dance to worship the god(2) A ceremonial
performance in the royal court, consisting of dance and music. A Wagoto
(thirteen-stringed koto), Yamatobue (Japanese whistle), and Shakuboshi (Japanese
traditional percussion) are used as the musical instruments, and Hichiriki
(Japanese traditional percussion) at a later time. The performance began
in the Heian period. (3) A Shinto-related performing art by private citizens.
It is dancing and chanting held at shrines around the country at festivals,
and categorized as Miko-kagura, Izumo-kagura, Ise-kagura and Shishi-kagura. |
