Post by Timotheus on Jun 28, 2004 15:25:14 GMT -5
All right, here's an edited example of my postings over at the Dark Horse Site........
This is probably as close as I'll ever come to writing fan fiction. It's a romp down a previously unexplored (as far as I can tell) line of thought concerning what happened at Tarikihongan Temple in the OAV series.
Compulsory Required Disclaimer.....
This is all my opinion, and none of this should be considered chapter and verse for Oh! My Goddess. As always, the world of Bell and Keiichi is whatever Mr. Fujishima says it is, even when it contradicts what he might have indicated previously.
I'm more familier with Germanic/Celtic theology and my knowledge of Japanese Shinto and Buddhist ideology is more recent and less extensive then it should be to tackel this line of thought properly. So anyone who feels I'm way off track in the following discourse please feel free to correct me.
What is the status of Tarikihongan Temple. Obviously its a Buddhist temple, the entrance gate is Buddhist not Shinto, there is a Buddhist style temple bell, and the inside of the main temple building in both the OAV and Movie is laid out on a Buddhist pattern. The entrance leads directly to the temple building itself, with the gate and principle doors orientated to the south. And of course in the manga it is shown to be most definitely a Buddhist temple, complete with Buddhist priest.
So does this rule out a Shinto element in its purpose and layout? Not at all. In fact, there are aspects that suggest the site was once a Shinto shrine that was later taken over by a Buddhist temple, a fairly common situation in Japan. The elevated location on the side of a steep hill, the forest surrounding it with the fences and walls defining different zones of site enclosures, the (sacred) rock formation Belldandy's seen sitting on, the arched bridge in the garden symbolizing the rainbow bridge of the heavens, the orchard to the east, and the old well in the forest are all signs of a Shinto site. And there's no cemetary associated with it, cemetaries are a common feature near Buddhist Temples because the Buddhist's handle death and funerals. Shinto shrines rarely have anything to do with death as it's associated with upsetting the balance of the world.
As additional evidence of a Shinto element to the site, we're actually shown a sacred tree of sorts, the cherry tree the promise was sealed in. It's located just outside of the enclosure with a path and a special gate in the fence leading right to it, and it seems to be orientated on the temple's west side on it's east-west axis. (Based on the sunset in the OAV.) All it lacks is to be garlanded with shimenawa, but then the Buddhist priests might not have been inclined to do that in the past and in the present the paper would have disintegrated by now.
So while Tarikihogan Temple was certainly a Buddhist site when Bell and Keiichi first visit it, it's entirely reasonable that it could also have a full Shinto heritage and that Shinto rites and customs would have a sizeable element in its history and daily operations.
There are two major mysteries involving Tarikihongan Temple in the OAVs, why did Bell-chan just happen to show up there, and why was the temple empty and abandoned when Belldandy and Keiichi return to it? When Bell-chan first arrives the temple is a going concern, with some sort of festival going on that she and Keiichi are seen attending. Judging by its condition 12 years later, it must have been shut down and its alter and sacred objects removed not long after Bell-chan had left. While highly speculative, I think Shinto theology and symbolism, if applied to the story shown in the OAVs, can actually provide us with a possible explaination.
In Shinto belief, the gods descend from the heavens at given times using a sacred tree near the site or the sacred pole inside the shrine as a ladder. If outside the shrine, the god then moves to a purpose built mini-shrine or nearby sacred rock or other object to wait and get its bearings. The shrine priests or other designated persons go to this location on a given date and escort the god to the main shrine where it is welcomed with the appropriate rituals and gifts. Usually, the god's visit includes some sort of ritual procession so the diety can see that everything's been kept up and in order. The priests then make their petitions to the god for whatever they should, and ask for the site to continue to be blessed by the god's good will and positive influences. The god usually agrees, there's a celebration, and the god goes home satisfied everything's on the up and up at the shrine and his or her priests are taking care of things.
If the god isn't pleased, it can withdraw from the site. And unless the priests and caretakers can convince it to come back the temple ceases to be a sacred site.
This is probably as close as I'll ever come to writing fan fiction. It's a romp down a previously unexplored (as far as I can tell) line of thought concerning what happened at Tarikihongan Temple in the OAV series.
Compulsory Required Disclaimer.....
This is all my opinion, and none of this should be considered chapter and verse for Oh! My Goddess. As always, the world of Bell and Keiichi is whatever Mr. Fujishima says it is, even when it contradicts what he might have indicated previously.
I'm more familier with Germanic/Celtic theology and my knowledge of Japanese Shinto and Buddhist ideology is more recent and less extensive then it should be to tackel this line of thought properly. So anyone who feels I'm way off track in the following discourse please feel free to correct me.
What is the status of Tarikihongan Temple. Obviously its a Buddhist temple, the entrance gate is Buddhist not Shinto, there is a Buddhist style temple bell, and the inside of the main temple building in both the OAV and Movie is laid out on a Buddhist pattern. The entrance leads directly to the temple building itself, with the gate and principle doors orientated to the south. And of course in the manga it is shown to be most definitely a Buddhist temple, complete with Buddhist priest.
So does this rule out a Shinto element in its purpose and layout? Not at all. In fact, there are aspects that suggest the site was once a Shinto shrine that was later taken over by a Buddhist temple, a fairly common situation in Japan. The elevated location on the side of a steep hill, the forest surrounding it with the fences and walls defining different zones of site enclosures, the (sacred) rock formation Belldandy's seen sitting on, the arched bridge in the garden symbolizing the rainbow bridge of the heavens, the orchard to the east, and the old well in the forest are all signs of a Shinto site. And there's no cemetary associated with it, cemetaries are a common feature near Buddhist Temples because the Buddhist's handle death and funerals. Shinto shrines rarely have anything to do with death as it's associated with upsetting the balance of the world.
As additional evidence of a Shinto element to the site, we're actually shown a sacred tree of sorts, the cherry tree the promise was sealed in. It's located just outside of the enclosure with a path and a special gate in the fence leading right to it, and it seems to be orientated on the temple's west side on it's east-west axis. (Based on the sunset in the OAV.) All it lacks is to be garlanded with shimenawa, but then the Buddhist priests might not have been inclined to do that in the past and in the present the paper would have disintegrated by now.
So while Tarikihogan Temple was certainly a Buddhist site when Bell and Keiichi first visit it, it's entirely reasonable that it could also have a full Shinto heritage and that Shinto rites and customs would have a sizeable element in its history and daily operations.
There are two major mysteries involving Tarikihongan Temple in the OAVs, why did Bell-chan just happen to show up there, and why was the temple empty and abandoned when Belldandy and Keiichi return to it? When Bell-chan first arrives the temple is a going concern, with some sort of festival going on that she and Keiichi are seen attending. Judging by its condition 12 years later, it must have been shut down and its alter and sacred objects removed not long after Bell-chan had left. While highly speculative, I think Shinto theology and symbolism, if applied to the story shown in the OAVs, can actually provide us with a possible explaination.
In Shinto belief, the gods descend from the heavens at given times using a sacred tree near the site or the sacred pole inside the shrine as a ladder. If outside the shrine, the god then moves to a purpose built mini-shrine or nearby sacred rock or other object to wait and get its bearings. The shrine priests or other designated persons go to this location on a given date and escort the god to the main shrine where it is welcomed with the appropriate rituals and gifts. Usually, the god's visit includes some sort of ritual procession so the diety can see that everything's been kept up and in order. The priests then make their petitions to the god for whatever they should, and ask for the site to continue to be blessed by the god's good will and positive influences. The god usually agrees, there's a celebration, and the god goes home satisfied everything's on the up and up at the shrine and his or her priests are taking care of things.
If the god isn't pleased, it can withdraw from the site. And unless the priests and caretakers can convince it to come back the temple ceases to be a sacred site.
