That's the benefit of co-opting the gods of Wajima! Zheng He introduced a new system of divine thrones, which has been accepted by all the people of Wadao.

Zuo Ci also mixed the position of an important auxiliary god of Thor, and this guy positioned himself as: the god of life, the god of medicine, and the god of marriage and heirs. So he also has a lot of faith, and he has absorbed it a lot along the way.

According to the memories of later generations, Gongsun Kang planned the construction of the shrine and expected to reproduce a shrine culture. Now is the time for the inspection results.

In later generations, the impression of Wajima can be summed up in two words – "polite" and "clean".

On this day, they came to a large island and visited the famous main island shrine.

From the boat, you can see the cherry blossoms in full bloom in the mountains and the main island shrine in the water, and the most famous torii gate is especially the big torii, which is really different from the usual torii because it is in the water!

As soon as I got off the boat, I found a lot of deer, and I felt that the island had been taken over by deer. In Wajima, the deer symbolizes the messenger of the gods and is revered. This deer is a bit of a tsundere.

The first thing you see is the large torii gate (which means the gate to enter the shrine). The torii gate represents the entrance to the realm of the gods, which is used to distinguish between the realm of the gods, where the gods live, and the secular realm, where humans live. The presence of the torii reminds visitors that stepping into the torii gate means entering the realm of the gods, and that all subsequent behaviors should be treated with special care.

It is said that the pillars buried under the sea water of the large torii gate will not rot for a long time. The sea is beautiful, the sea and the sky are the same color, and it is blue.

There are some small crabs crawling on the beach. The white stone lamps on both sides lead a path to the shrine. There are some snack bars opened by fishermen on the side of the road, selling some seafood products. Barbecue frying, teppanyaki, all of them. There are also many varieties, Gongsun Kang recognized oyster barbecue, and there are some seafood that Gongsun Kang can't even name.

The queen and the queen are like ordinary little girls, screaming with joy and pestering their beloved, wanting to eat this, wanting to taste that.

Gongsun Kang is not poisonous, and he eats all the food first, and then hands it to Taihe. Taihe understood it as the love between lovers, and while blushing, he tasted the food that Gongsun Kang had bitten.

"I'm kissing Thor-sama indirectly, right?" Taiyo's heart is full of happiness.

Some fawns came around, and Taihe couldn't help but touch it again. If you want to eat, the people on the island say that there is a special food. So Taihe bought some more, put them in the palm of his hand, and let the deer ****.

Looking at this little girl's cheerful appearance, Gongsun Kang secretly sighed in his heart. Isn't it a little too cruel to put her in the position of queen early?

Right in front of you is the main island shrine! The colors are so bright. Red, white and gray alternate, solemn and unrestrained.

The shrine is full of ancient trees, all of which are made of logs and thatched, so there is no heat even in the middle of summer. Interestingly, many of the roads in the shrine are built around the trees, because the people of Wajima believe that every grass and tree in the shrine territory is owned by the gods and cannot be moved, so they have to make way for the trees when building the roads.

There is a pagoda in the shrine, and it is a multi-treasure pagoda. Multi-storey wooden structure. It seems that the architectural culture of the Han people in the Central Plains is well established on the land of Wajima.

On the open grounds inside the shrine, there is a stage, which is a flat ground and does not rise above the ground. Someone is dancing. It's also a dance of the Central Plains. The people around them sat on their knees, watching intently.

There are several white pavilions in the shrine, which are still Han Dynasty style buildings, and are more common in the Central Plains.

When people go to the shrine, they usually clean their hands with a long-handled wooden spoon by the pond in front of the shrine, and then go to the shrine worship hall on both sides of the ridge, throw some change into the donation box with wooden bars, clap their hands a few times, and pray together. Some worship halls also have very thick hemp ropes hanging in front of them, and the prayers shake them a few times, and the wind chimes on the hemp ropes make a sound. In addition to the elderly, there are also many couples who pray for lifelong happiness.

I am also very particular about washing my hands. There are certain rules.

Steps to make a wish at the shrine:

Cleanse yourself first – take a small scoop of water from the spring near the entrance of the shrine and rinse your hands. Wash your left hand, then your right hand, then hold some water in your hand, rinse your mouth, clean your mouth, and spit the mouthwash out of the pool. Visitors should not drink water directly into their mouths with a ladle or under it. Finally, straighten the spoon and drain the excess water down the handle of the spoon.

Make a wish – In the sacrificial hall, a copper coin is thrown into a small donation box, a thick rope with a large bell is shaken, and then there is the second salute, the second clapping, the first salute, which is to bow deeply twice, high-five twice, bow again and pray for a few seconds. It's just that you can acquiesce to your wishes!

If there is an alarm bell or gong in the temple, it can be gently sounded during prayers, and Shinto believes that this will attract the attention of the gods.

When you come to the shrine, of course, you have to write about Ema, draw lots, and buy amulets! If you draw lots, you can consciously put in coins, and after buying Ema and writing it, you can hang it in the designated place!

During the rituals held here, local children also dress up as shrine maidens (unmarried women in Japan who serve the gods, perform sacred acts, invite the gods, and convey oracles) and dance in the cool breeze after the rain.

The shrine maidens dance to traditional music and the surrounding beech forests envelop the entire shrine in an atmosphere of mystery.

After leaving the shrine, you can enjoy the cherry blossoms blooming on the roadside while returning to the Otorii area, and at this time, the tide is receding, and you can come to the sea and have a close encounter with the Otorii! The beach is full of seaweed left after the low tide~ It feels very fresh! When you get close to the big torii gate and stand at its feet, you can really feel its enormity! Since the feet of the torii gate have been immersed in the sea for a long time, there are many things that resemble small shells attached to the surface of the feet, and many Wajima people will get copper coins stuck between the small shells, which may be a way to make a wish!

Later shrines have two characteristics:

One is: In the worship hall of the shrine, there is no object of worship, and there is neither a statue nor a tablet. The most typical symbol of each shrine is the torii. "Torii" is a wooden gate-shaped torii with a very simple shape, and in Shinto it it is the gate that divides the divine realm and the human world, and if you walk through the torii gate, you will enter the divine realm.

In one feature, Gongsun Kang retained it. It is allowed not to have your own statue and tablet. Of course, the Han people who migrated to the Central Plains later were accustomed to setting up statues and tablets, and they were also allowed to do so.

In short, the official attitude is neither for nor against, and to allow the culture to develop and integrate on its own.

The second is that the shrine is so sacred that it must be rebuilt every twenty years to ensure its purity.

The palace moves every 20 years. During this period, people spent at least 10 years busy cutting down sacred trees and building new palaces. The place where the gods live has always maintained a new look, but the old traditions have been almost the same as they have been moved.

Gongsun Kang doesn't like this very much, thinking that it is a waste of money and labor. Therefore, it is not supported.

The building can be repaired when it is old, but it should not be burned down every 20 years, Gongsun Kang thinks it is very unnecessary.

In Wajima, people go to the shrine to pray for blessings from the time babies are born. All kinds of life events, such as getting married, building a house, starting your own business, etc., have fixed ceremonies, and they will choose the support of the shrine.

The shrine is not only a religious meaning, but also a paradise for people's souls and a place for people to relax and unwind.

Not to mention the variety of festivals, 365 days a year, there are more than 1,000 festivals at the shrine!

In the summer, there are fireworks festivals and folk dances, and in the winter, there are folk entertainment events such as the Snow Festival, and festivals are held every month of the year.

Since ancient times, the people of Washima have sensed a divine power from various natural phenomena and revered this power of nature as "god", which is said to be the origin of Shinto. Shinto-derived rituals celebrate the power of the gods, and through communion with the gods, pray for abundant grains, prosperous businesses, and the prosperity of communities and families.

(End of chapter)