Shintai

Shintai (Jap.神 体, also御 神 体, go- shintai; shintai is the Sino- Japanese reading of the word Mitama - shiro, which is also often used, also yori - shiro ) are physical objects which play the role of relics in Shinto shrines because they are perceived as places of residence of the spirits or souls ( Mitama ) of the Kami. The direct storage space is understood as Shinza (神 座, literally " Kami- seat " ) refers.

The typical Shintai are mirrors, swords or gems (analogous to the throne regalia of Japan), it may be, but in principle be any conceivable object, so for example next ritual rods ( Gohei ) and sculptures ( Kaiga or shinzō, most of these were destroyed during the time of Shinbutsu - Bunri because they were too connected with the Buddhist iconography ) and natural objects such as rocks, mountains ( kami -yama or shintai -zan ) and waterfalls.

Within shrines located Shintai are usually in dogs and are very conscientious shielded from all human eyes. Access to them is prohibited laymen usually, usually they are also dressed in protective materials that will never be completely removed, but the outermost layer is merely replaced regularly resolution. Be worshiped within a several dogs Kami, this share also usually the same Shintai. Some Kami also have several original Shintai. There are then various aspects of their Mitama it.

If construction work is carried out on dogs, the Shintai either in a specially designated and otherwise empty shrine ( ō - kari- den) is stored. Otherwise, if an ō - kari- to does not exist, pulls the Kami with the Shintai in a neighboring shrine to another and remains there as a guest for the duration of the construction work.

It often happens that the main shrines leave the Mitama in their Shintai means of lengthy and complicated rituals transmitted through the local high priest to another subject, although the Mitama does not vanish in the original Shintai. For the (mostly completed at midnight ) Transfer the new Shintai ordinarily will be stored in the pagans before the dogs and the Kami asked to move into the new Shintai.

These so -down materialize new Shintai hot bun - rei (分 霊) and are then passed on to the branch shrines ( bun -sha), in which the same Kami is worshiped as the main shrine. But it also happens that lay people from the community of a shrine ( ujiko ) stones or young trees take from the grounds of the shrine and use elsewhere as bun - rei.