OFFERINGS of susuki grass, rice dumplings, and sweet potato had been placed out for Otsuki-mi, the rite of the harvest moon. “The current emperor visited back in the (1970s). He was very interested, pushing cobwebs aside and looking here and there. The posts, he noticed, stand on flat stones—a sign that the builder was someone of social standing.” The main room has a shallow oshi-ita alcove, the prototype of the tokonoma. ► THE POSTS of a house were most commonly planted in the ground (hottate-bashira), their ends charred to keep termites at bay. ► THE EARLY ALCOVE (oshi-ita) holds a scroll painting of Fudo-myo-o, a Buddhist guardian deity worshipped by Yamabushi mountain ascetics. In ancient times, young shrine priests were sent to undergo Shugendo mountain training in the Kyoto area. Funds for this were gathered from local people.
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THE SHRINE PRIEST'S house at Koma Shrine stands below a splendid 400-year-old weeping cherry tree. Built around 1596-1614, the house has sturdy wood bars over its southern windows for protection against touzoku mountain thieves and wild boars. Interestingly, there is no verandah (engawa), because farmers were not allowed such luxuries, and to be seen relaxing on the veranduh could mean your head. “This was all mulberry fields here,” we were told. “Even the Guji (shrine priest) worked as a farmer. Up in the attic they raised silkworms.” ► BARRED WINDOWS (koshi-mado) were common until Japan became stable under the Tokugawa shoguns in the late 1600s. ► SILK IMPORTS from China were restricted in the late 1600s. Demand for silk soared in Japan, thereafter, and farmers everywhere planted mulberry and raised silkworms. |
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