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| Main entrance of the Jinja |
The view from across the street in the parking area. Parking is plentiful and at no cost. The entrance that you see there is called a “Torii” or gate. A torii is pretty much a gateway from our world into the spiritual and is a marker for sacred ground. The
location is remote and surrounded by 17 acres of
forested terrain and the Pilchuck River zigzagging through the center. The entire area is called a “Jinja” or Shinto
Shrine.
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| Entrance marker to shrine |
This marker is present upon passing through the entrance
torii. It translates to…Tsubaki Grand
Shrine of America.
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| Trail leading to shrines |
This is the common access trial leading to the other shrines
within the Jinja. Remember that each God
or Spirit has their own shrine dedicated to them.
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| Cleansing station |
Before entering the major shrine (shrine name), individuals must
cleanse themselves.
This involves
washing hands, by scooping water with the water scooper and pouring it over each
hand, but not over the water source.
A
great tutorial can be found
here.
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| Komainu is your friend |
This stone beast is called a “Komainu”.
Its a lion like guardian at the entrance of
the shrine.
Their purpose is to ward off
evil spirits, not collect coins in their mouths.
You don’t get good luck by giving them your
money, their purpose has already been determined. A good explanation can be found
here.
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| Ke-n or Offering |
This is “Ken”. No not
the guy who owns the shrine. Ken means
“offering” and it rests at the entrance of the first shrine upon entering.
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| Main shrine |
This is the first shrine.
It looks intimidating, but I promise its not that bad. I remember my first experience walking
though. I was tense and didn’t know what
to do, so I watched people do it before me and as soon as you know, it became
just another thing.
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| Pray for what you want |
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| Prayer process |
So you walk up to the steps, toss in a quarter (or any coin
that you have handy), shake the bell to a jingle, bow, clap, and make a
wish. You don’t have to tell people what
you wished for, but my wife makes me tell her anyways.
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| Peace On Earth |
This is a post right outside the first shrine and something
that we all would wish for.
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| All tied up |
Shrine number two.
See those papers tied along the line to the right. All those knots are people’s fortunes. If someone gets a fortune that they dislike
or aren’t comfortable with, they tie them up along that line.
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| Need a fortune boost? |
This station requires an extra purchase of a decorated
wooden plank designed to be hung from the hanging station, which is displayed.
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| Tengu |
This legendary creature is called a “Tengu”. Within Japanese folklore, they have wings and
are skilled warriors so approach with humility.
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| The almighty shapeshifter |
In their earlier days, Tengu took the form of a bird. Today in most locations the Tengu has made
use of its shapeshifting abilities and taken on more human features. In addition, Tengu can talk without moving
their mouth. So don’t frig-out if this
happens, it’s completely normal.
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| Grain and Farm |
The third shrine (not necessarily in the order that I’ve
noted). This shrine is dedicated to the
Goddess of grain and farm.
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| O-Inari-San |
O-Inari-San the fox is very popular in Japan. He is a messenger of the Goddess of grains
and farms, which he stands at the site of her shrine. Notice the scroll in his mouth.
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| Shopping for a fortune |
Fortune time. After
people have visited all shrines, they usually jump in line to purchase a
fortune, but there is no written rule on that.
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| Many options |
Staff are patient and understand that some people will
not understand the process. They are
always willing to explain, so don’t feel rushed that people are waiting. The shrine has a kind culture.
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| Numbered fortune inside |
This box has numbered fortunes inside. People will pay first, pick up the box and
give it a good shake, then flip it until a numbered stick falls out. From there, one of the staff will take the
number and bring out the corresponding fortune.
There it is.
For more information, please visit the Tsubaki Grand Shrine website or Facebook page.
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