Introducing Children to Shinto
The Shinto religion in Japan requires parents to take their children to the shrine at ages 3, 5 and 7 to be dedicated to the Shinto gods, and recieve protection as they grow up. The children are dressed in brilliant kimonos, or finely embroidered “hakama,” the samurai costume of ancient Japan, and taken to the most prestigious shrine in the area.
The shrine of choice in Kurume is on the mountain near my house, as it’s over 500 years old, so I drove up there to see if I could get some photos of beautiful children. I got so many good ones I had a tough time choosing just a few, but here they are.
Kids will be kids in any culture, and this one was definitely not cooperating. She wanted out of all those fancy clothes right now. I managed to take this shot just before her father told her to sit up straight and smile for the camera. The Japanese lettering on the banner says “Congratulations: 3,5,7 worshippers.”
I was really just trying to capture a shot of some pretty clothes when I took this one. When I got home and looked at it closely, I noticed the story for the first time. The girl in the foreground is looking over her sister’s head at the boy in the suit, who has obviously captured her interest. Alas, just as she realizes she wants to meet him, her father leads him away. Ah well, such is life at times.
I had to work hard to get a photo of this little prince. He was just going in to the inner chambers of the shrine to be “blessed.” His mother was somewhat annoyed that I wanted a photo, but his grandmother had recognized me from somewhere and tried to speak to me in English, so she let me have one split second. Even in a public situation like this, people in Japan take off their shoes when they go inside. Thus the shoes lined up all around him.
And finally, my personal favorite. This picture forces the deep philisophical question of how we should raise our children. The young boy is pointing toward the Shinto shrine as if to say, “Dad, are we really going in there? Are you sure that’s such a good idea?” Of course we all teach our children our own traditions and values, but this picture made me wonder if that father had thought through whether the path he has chosen for his son is based on truth and reality, or just the traditions he’s been handed down.
Most people in Japan practice both Buddhism and Shinto. Nearly all of them will tell you that it means nothing to them, and they just go through the motions because it’s a tradition, but whenever something goes wrong, you will find them at a temple or shrine, trying to appease the gods so they will leave them alone.
Oh! did you notice the girl in the green kimono in the background of the last photo? That’s the same girl who was so disgruntled in the first shot. Don’t forget to click on the photos to see an enlarged version!