Nature worship, also known as spirit worship or
animism, is a type of base faith that has been present in Japan since ancient times. This form of worship revolves around the belief in gods and spirits that reside in nature. In Shinto rituals, gods are said to have descended from
shintai, a rock, and the
yorishiro, called
himorogi, was made the center of the ritual, symbolizing the divine power of the gods. As time passed and
temples, where gods were believed to reside, became more permanent, the object of worship shifted from the body of the gods to the shrine itself. Sacred trees and stones, adorned with
shimenawa ropes, can still be seen in many temple precincts. In addition to rocks, there are several other forms of belief in nature in Japan, including
Chinju no Mori, the "island" as a
forbidden area, the
Okinoshima of
Munakata Taisha, belief in mountains such as Rokko Himei Shrine and
Mount Miwa, belief in fire, waterfalls, and various weather phenomena such as wind, rain, and lightning. There is also mention of another rock-related object called Iwasaka, which is believed to be a ritual site centered on a rock. However, there is little evidence of its existence compared to Iwaza. The
Nihonshoki (Chronicles of Japan) distinguishes Iwasaka from Iwaza, suggesting that it is a distinct object. A banjiki, on the other hand, is similar to a
stone circle, an ancient ruin made of stones arranged in a ring, and serves as a boundary that marks the divine realm and preserves the sacredness of the site. Some of the
megaliths along the
Kaido have
Buddhism carved on them, and some have
legends attached to them, such as the famous samurai who connected
horses. There is a research group (Iwakura Gakkai) claiming that the belief in rock formations and megaliths, including these, can be traced back to the
Jōmon period, and that there are also artificially arranged rock formations, and that their arrangement represents certain figures, directions, or the shape of
constellations. In contrast to this view, the Iwakura Society points out that it was not until the
Kofun period that the Iwakura ritual began. In addition, there is criticism of the theory that megaliths are artifacts.
An is a stone altar or mound erected as a to call a for worship. == Gallery ==