Two Shintō shrines on Awaji Island are associated with the creation myth of Japan (国生み神話) in the earliest chronicles Kojiki and Nihon Shoki. At Onokoro Island Shrine (自凝島神社), visitors are encouraged to perform rituals to sacred stones for good fortune. The sekirei stone (鶺鴒石) is for couples, with a white and red cord, and I was surprised that my wife grasped my hand and prayed as we held the cords.
We also went to Izanagi Shrine (伊弉諾神宮), dedicated to the two founding gods or pillars (二神、又は二柱) of the archipelago. Worshippers believe that the founding gods dwell in the 900-year-old husband-and-wife camphor tree (夫婦楠). We have seen a similar tree at Ōmiwa Jinja in Nara (大神神社) where two trees merged into one at the base. We also noticed a connection to the Onokoro Island Shrine at the Izanagi Shrine, a small sekirei monument to married couples (夫婦鶺鴒像), and both sites included a bird motif.
Documented 100th different #presentation topic, this time the format and content completely unlike anything before, drawing from my familiarity with Kyōto #Buddhist temples (first photo), Shintō shrines, and festivals reenacting the Heian Period of over a thousand years ago. The slideshow is at at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/379221428
The pechakucha (third photo) rapid-fire presentations were also a social event in Nishinomiya, between Ōsaka and Kōbe, involving Kōnan University students, teachers, and other English users. The editor of our book A Passion for Japan gave me a cameo in his presentation by discussing my chapter (last photo).
The Shintō shrine Jōnangū (城南宮) in Kyōto, was a palace of Emperors from the beginning of the #Heian Period in 794. It has #gardens from different periods since then, and a patch of pink and white #plum blossoms around a big stone lantern is a most stunning sight to behold. Several years ago the head priest showed me around and explained the history in Japanese. Jōnangū is not well known to tourists, but it draws many reverent Japanese.
The third photo is of a teahouse and a reddish variety of plum blossoms. The last photo shows what my American friend whom I guided got: a seal written in #calligraphy by the shrine maiden (o-miko-san). Jōnangū is written down the center, with yesterday's date down the left side. The right side is what the shrine especially offers: houyoke - a #prayer to avoid obstacles or worries, such as with one's family. There is a great demand for such #blessings nowadays.
Kitano Tenmangū (北野天満宮) is a major Kyōto shrine dedicated to the scholarly aristocrat Sugawara no Michizane in 947. Similar to the exiled Emperor Sutoku, after he was wronged, disasters befell the Heian Period capital, so his believed-to-be vengeful ghost was propitiated, and he was deified into the Shintō kami Tenjin. This deity of learning attracts worshippers to thousands of subsidiary shrines nationwide, such as students wishing to pass entrance exams. Kitano Tenmangū is one of the best places for plum blossom viewing, with its national treasure architecture.