光明神社
Koumyou Jinja
Crystal, Balmung, The Lavender Beds
9th Ward (Subdivision), Plot 43
A sanctuary amidst nature's splendor, a beacon at the fringes of this world and the next.
What are the Kami?
"My people do not worship your deities twelve. Our gods are all around us ─ in the trees, in the soil, in the crashing waters..."
─ Words of a Doman man.
The focal point of belief in a large part of the Far East are the kami, denizens of Shinkai, and to strictly call them gods is more a half-truth and a convenience. They take on further nuance that cannot be parsed so simply, though perhaps an entity relatable enough to them by Eorzean standards would be the Gridania's elementals.Unlike a defined pantheon of deities like the Twelve, the kami are of an insurmountable number. There are those that have broad recognition namely for being featured in creation myths ─ chiefly the amatsu kami ─ while many if not more kunitsu kami may be found throughout all the realm in no centralized fashion. Essentially, one kami revered in a region may be virtually unknown in the next; the appeal of each often depend on the historic needs of the people.You would not be found wanting, for the kami exist in all of nature ─ the mountains, the rivers, the trees ─ all the way down to the food we harvest. Even the soul is considered a nascent essence of the kami, so the individual has the potential of becoming one in life or thereafter ─ the enlightened individual or the extraordinarily long-lived fauna. Objects too have the potential of becoming the body of these spirits, further defying definition, but this point will also be important later.The fact stands that the people of much of Othard and Hingashi have adopted a harmonious existence with the kami, only a loose sense of a religion without any widespread doctrines, one which may elude western understanding. One will merely find a wide array of smaller practices and rituals asserting respect for nature, as well as encouraging a healthy lifestyle cultivating one's own spirit. The spirit comprises four aspects (or souls - 御魂 mitama) that can be conceptually applied to all beings - nigimitama, aramitama, kushimitama and sakimitama.While it is key to strive toward a balance of all four mitama, and three of them are generally prescribed to good causes, they are also to mediate and keep in check the aramitama ─ the primal rage. This is often considered the foundational state of the kami; less a matter of "evil" and more chaos. This is the essence of change, the forces that shaped the very star. Where there is a glut of aramitama, Calamity is sure to follow.An easterner may tell you that Calamity has followed, as gleaned from ancient records. Sweeping floods, ages of ice, and civilization-shattering earthquakes have all been attributed ─ at one point or another ─ to this form of divine wrath. Often tied to alleged hubris of man, these tales remain salient lessons or words of warning among the most superstitious: do wrong by nature, and nature shall do you wrong.
Shrines of the East
"One need only look to the plethora of shrines built and seasonal festivals held in every village to see evidence of the people's devout worship of nature."
─ Encyclopædia Eorzea.
The early people had felt the spiritually charged nature of kami all around them. To commune with them in order to seek advice or offer gratitude, villages began forming rudimentary purified ground (known as yuniwa) surrounding a central object marked as a vessel to receive the kami ─ called yorishiro. When a kami directly inhabits a yorishiro, it is thence known as goshintai. These were at first natural formations, especially trees and boulders, later including man-made treasures such as mirrors. Even people could serve as mediums of the kami, termed yorimashi.The shamans were the first specialists of these practices ─ that which while their more intricate feats have been seemingly lost to time, would eventually splinter to comprise or otherwise influence virtually every contemporary discipline in the east. This would include the shinkan, the shrine attendants. While shrines had previously been more temporary affairs as yuniwa, eventually more permanent structures of wood and earth had manifested throughout, with yorishiro and goshintai remaining the focal points. The shinkan thus became their keepers.A shrine can be of any size, each of them potentially a window to another world. It is exceedingly common to find small, humble constructs (hokora) with some walls and a roof protecting the goshintai, as well as an archway (torii) marking the sacred boundary between worlds. Perhaps some trees or stones yet marked as yorishiro by the distinct rope (shimenawa) tied around them. Even the average home will have its own little shrine, an altar also called a kamidana.Some shrines have become so large as to have a whole house, a honden, along with walled grounds to enshrine multiple kami, making them akin to temples. A shrine with a honden where a kami has visited is called jinja, and a relative few among those have grown to become grand shrines ─ taisha. A public shrine if sizable enough will be aptly staffed with shinkan, practicing daily upkeep, rituals and training, and they will often be at the center of a village's seasonal festivals ─ ever intrinsically linked to that reverence for nature.
Shrine Etiquette
When you visit a shrine and you set about crossing that torii, you are essentially stepping onto hallowed ground. Remember that. Steel your heart and mind and be appreciative and respectful to your surroundings. Visible or otherwise.
While the specific shows of respect may not always be universal, per the decentralized aspect of Far Eastern belief, there are usually recurring sorts of customs; Small but no less important gestures.To begin, it tends to be pertinent that you do the following:
Take off your hat or helm and bow at the gate.
When you proceed, start on your left foot and keep to the left of the shrine approach. The center of the walk is where the kami pass.
Misogi, the cleansing by water, is a crucial aspect of shrine tradition. Bodies of water are highly spiritual, and a shrine will often not be far away from one: Seas, lakes, rivers ─ especially waterfalls. There will be some source of water somewhere for ritual purification through misogi. Even if you don't come to a shrine for the full-fledged ritual, however, it is typically expected that you wash your hands and mouth at the gate, and there will be a basin for that. This itself is a truncated form of misogi, or temizuya.
Take a dipper provided at the basin in your right hand. Fill the dipper with water from the basin and pour some of it on your left hand.
Switch to holding the dipper in your left hand and pour some of the water on your right.
Switch hands again, this time cupping your left hand to carefully pour some water into, using that to rinse your mouth.
Once more, pour some of the water on your left hand. Then, tip the dipper straight up, so that the remaining water falls and rinses the handle. Leave the dipper empty and return it to the basin.
There is no need to rush through this process. It is preferred, even, if you take it slowly and with grace. Afterward, regardless, you can proceed to prayer. A specified place of worship (haiden) will often protect the central shrine or honden, and be as far as most can go.
Like temizuya, the act of prayer is a sort of ritual. Rule of thumb is bow twice, clap twice, bow once.
You will find a box to which you should make an offering in the form of a monetary donation, the amount of your choosing. A single coin of gil works just fine, although some would hold that traditional Far Eastern coins with holes are luckier.
Bow deeply, twice in succession.
Clap twice; hold the second clap and begin the prayer properly.
At prayer's end, bow once more to finish.
Other features vary. For instance, there may be an omikujishi present to offer you the chance to draw a fortune ─ the omikuji. Whatever the divine message you receive, you may then tie it to a provided rack; especially the bad fortunes, as a way to cleanse them.
As you leave the shrine, bow to the torii once more. Just to make sure nothing follows you out, some would say.
About Koumyou Jinja
"Small shrines such as this are said to mark the boundaries between our world and the heavens."
─ Unknown.
Hinako Daigo had presided as the keeper, or kannushi, of a shrine in the mountains of Yanxia, before she and her people were driven out in an incident with the Imperial Garlean army. The refugees of a burning Doma had soon found their way to Eorzea, and it fell upon them to find their way again. For her part, Hinako had journeyed to use her skills to aid a new land and its people ─ all still on the mend from a catastrophe.It was a role she took to with grace, but she also observed displaced Othardians quietly at odds with themselves and their circumstances. Even for those who could find a place to return to when Doma was finally liberated. Faith was a shaky topic, for the Empire had suppressed religion and demolished shrines in Yanxia for decades.After considerable endeavour, Hinako established Koumyou Jinja in the Black Shroud, overlooking an immaculate waterfall. Hinako once again acts as the kannushi, although when she is away she leaves overseeing it to her colleague and junior, Seika Kawanami.Koumyou is a humble and unconventional establishment, intended as both blessed grounds and place for respite and safety. For the devout making the journey, for the Easterners in need of familiarity, or just those innately curious. Or the average adventurer looking for a little bit of luck on their travels.A kami is said to be enshrined there, yet its identity is (as it stands) made unclear except for those shinkan maintaining the place. The ambiguity is said to serve as a way to allow to appeal to the nature of the worshipper's prayer, whatever that may be, and provide them the necessary strength and fortune going forward.
When you enter the haiden, have made common courtesies such as bowing and partaking in temizuya* (as covered in Shrine Etiquette), you may find as if you have entered a different world. Approach the shrine proper, make your offering and prayer as a show of gratitude. At that point, you will be under insured divine protection for the duration of your stay.After you turn back, keeping to the left, you can find your way to a shop. Koumyou is non-profit, reliant on donations, but here you can find a number of things: Fortunes, protective charms, purifying items and provisions. Goods and services perhaps considered non-standard by Eorzean standards, as given by shinkan. It is also a repository for blessed items and other auspicious curios. If you feel strange, that might have something to do with it.
Beyond the shop is a sort of lounge, a place to relax in sanctuary, have tea and a hot meal or otherwise. One is free to stay as long as necessary before moving on.The on-site onsen is available for those wishing to partake in misogi, although one might find the waterfall in the vicinity a more singular locale to engage in the ritual.The name Koumyou (光明) refers to a shining light, emanating wisdom, compassion and hope - guiding towards a bright future.
OOC note - Given the current housing limits prevent a more appropriate representation of the basin for temizuya, it is encouraged that you use an existing furnishing as a way to represent the act if you choose to roleplay it.
Thank You!
Sincerely, I appreciate you for taking the time to read through this. It has been something I am really passionate about, and I hope it shows. Koumyou may be small, but I have tried for quite some time to obtain the house. I didn't think it would happen but finally my persistence was rewarded! I pray you can enjoy my home also.If you see me, feel free to say hi! (Care for some tea? Seika and I have plenty.) You can also find a guestbook in the shop downstairs. I'd also be potentially open to roleplay if you have any interest in Hinako, the shrine or whatnot. Or if you just have questions! I tend to be a bit scatterbrained but you can reach out.Maybe I can do more from this in the future, but for now! Shrine real!! The shrine priest has a shrine!Anyway, again thank you for your time! And may the kami protect you. ♥♪
A special thanks to Rivienne, a major inspiration and motivator for this shrine.