Is it disrespectful to build a torii?

The Torii is a kind of taboo (in ancient times it was prohibited to enter the area behind – ed. Note). It is improper to go under the Torii with any impurity, spiritual or physical, and there must be no stains, sores or cuts, and no disease.

Can you make your own Shinto shrine?

To make a building "Shinto shrine", you need to be a 宮司. It's not something you can become via application. Call it Shinto shrine-like building, not Shinto shrine.

Is a Japanese garden cultural appropriation?

No. A zen garden is not cultural appropriation because it is a representation of nature, which is universal. A zen garden is a miniature landscape that is meant to represent the beauty and serenity of nature. It can be made from any materials, but often features gravel or sand, stones, and plants.

What does a torii gate symbolize?

A torii (Japanese: 鳥居, [to.ɾi.i]) is a traditional Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine, where it symbolically marks the transition from the mundane to the sacred.

What is the importance of a torii?

The main role of torii gates is to distinguish the sacred shrine grounds from the human world. In other words, they serve as a boundary which separates the sacred space from the mundane world where humans live. Once you walk across the torii gate, it means that you have entered the sacred, special space.

Building a Torii Gate

Is it disrespectful to use a torii gate?

The use of Torii in Japan

The Torii is a kind of taboo (in ancient times it was prohibited to enter the area behind – ed. Note). It is improper to go under the Torii with any impurity, spiritual or physical, and there must be no stains, sores or cuts, and no disease.

Why are torii gates red?

Originally Torii gates were white, but they are traditionally painted red because in Japan the colour red symbolises vitality and protection against evil. It is also said that because red paint contains mercury, it allows the gates to be preserved for longer – practical as well as spiritual.

Why was the torii gate built?

To allow pilgrims to approach, the shrine was built like a pier over the water, so that it appeared to float, separate from the land. The red entrance gate, or torii, was built over the water for much the same reason. Commoners had to steer their boats through the torii before approaching the shrine.

Do Buddhist temples have torii?

Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples are dotted around Japan—but how are they different? Shrines are built to serve the Shinto religious tradition and are characterized by a torii gate at the entrance. Temples are built to serve the Buddhist religious tradition and are characterized by a sanmon gate at the entrance.

What is shinmei torii?

Shinmei torii is the simpler form of torii gate, characterized by the single straight lintel. In general, all elements are round in section and meet at right angles.

How wide is a torii gate?

Create your spiritual sanctuary with this authentic wooden Torii gate. Handcrafted in the USA with the traditional Japanese Myojin Torii details such as curved Kasagi, Nuki, Gakuzuka, and inclined Hashira poles. Two 7" (17.8 cm) poles are slightly inclined outward: 62" (1.58 m) wide at top and 64" (1.63 m) at bottom.

What is the central concern of Japanese religion?

Purity and impurity. A key theme in Shinto is the avoidance of kegare ("pollution" or "impurity"), while ensuring harae ("purity"). In Japanese thought, humans are seen as fundamentally pure.

Can you build a shrine?

You can use your shrine or altar space simply as a reminder of your loved one or as an active part of creating and conducting your personal grief rituals. The planning, making, building and “adding to,” of your shrine can itself be a healing ritual.

Can you make your own kamidana?

Remember you cannot make these yourself, and they must be obtained from a shrine. Some shrines ship Gouda overseas. Post the ofuda inside the open doors of the kamidana.

Who is God in Shinto?

"Shinto gods" are called kami. They are sacred spirits which take the form of things and concepts important to life, such as wind, rain, mountains, trees, rivers and fertility. Humans become kami after they die and are revered by their families as ancestral kami.

Is Shinto different from Buddhism?

Buddhism has religious branches in the form of Theravada and Mahayana whereas Shinto has no such religious sects. 5. Shinto worships the forces of nature, polytheism and animism whereas Buddhism is all about following an ethical code of conduct in one's life and practice meditation and renunciation.

How many torii gates are in Japan?

Fushimi Inari Shrine is famous for it's 10,000 gates but really there are over 32,000 gates and sub-gates called torii in Japanese. One could even say it's a gateway to more gates!

Where are torii gates built?

This 8.5-meter (around 28 feet) tall torii is located at Shitenno-ji Temple, in Tennoji, Osaka, Osaka. Built in 1294, this shrine gates stands as the oldest stone grand torii in all of Japan, and is of course registered as an Important Cultural Property.

What is a kami in Japan?

kami, plural kami, object of worship in Shintō and other indigenous religions of Japan. The term kami is often translated as “god,” “lord,” or “deity,” but it also includes other forces of nature, both good and evil, which, because of their superiority or divinity, become objects of reverence and respect.

Does Shinto believe in God?

Shinto has no founder. Shinto has no God. Shinto does not require adherents to follow it as their only religion.

What wood are torii gates made from?

At the Meiji Jingu Shrine, there are two immense wooden torii gates — the largest in Japan — which are made of cypress wood that is over 1600 years old.

What does the Shinto symbol represent?

Perhaps the most recognizable symbols of Shintoism are the majestic gates that mark the entrance to Shinto shrines. Made of wood or stone, these two-post gateways are known as “torii” and show the boundaries in which a kami lives.

What do visitors do in front of the Shinto shrine?

Bow once as you approach the front of the shrine. Throw a coin into the kami's offertory box (the amount doesn't matter) If there is a bell, ring it to alert the gods to your presence. Bow twice.