sakaki Shinto tree

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. Japanese legends and tales 伝説　民話 昔話 - Introduction .
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sakaki　榊 と伝説 Legends about the Sakaki tree

Cleyera japonica, the sacred tree of Japanese Shinto.

The Japanese word sakaki is written 榊 with the Kanji character that combines
ki 木 "tree, wood" and kami 神 "spirit, god",
depicting a "sacred tree; divine tree".

Branches of the Sakaki tree are decorated with paper streamers (紙垂　shide) to make ritual purifying wands (玉串　tamagushi).

. sakaki さかき【榊】 sakaki tree, Cleyera japonica .
- Introduction -

The tree is
imiki, imi ki 忌み木 "taboo tree"
. imi 忌み / 斎み imi - taboo .
in the context of Shintoism. There are other trees of this kind, where deities come to reside during their travels in this world and the other.



source : sun-ray.co.jp/sougi

The proper way to make an offering of a Tamagushi at a funeral.


. Yama no Kami 山の神 God of the Mountain .
and the sacred 榊 Sakaki Tree - Legends

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There are also various shrines with the name Sakaki Jinja 榊神社 Sakaki Shrine in Japan.

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Niigata - 榊神社

新潟県上越市大手町4-12 - Joetsu town



To venerate one of the four famous retainers of Tokugawa Ieyasu
Sakakibara Yasumasa 榊原康政 (1548 - 1606)

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Tokyo

第六天榊神社 DairokuTen Sakaki Jinja
1 Chome-4-3 Kuramae, Taito, Tokyo

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- - - - - ABC List of the prefectures :

.......................................................................... Gifu 岐阜県 ......................................
揖斐郡 Ibi district

In 揖斐郡 the Ibi district someone threw a Sakaki branch from the Shrine 上花長神社 /花長上神社 Hananagakami Jinja and it flew all the way to Ichinomiya town to the Shrine 阿豆良神社 Azura Jinja, where it took hold and begun to produce blossoms.





.......................................................................... Hiroshima 広島県 ......................................
神石郡 Jinseki district (Divine Rok District)

A pilgrim to the Ise Shrine had forgotten a parcel on a rock where he had rested. A villager found it and threw it away. But on the next morning it was back on the rock. This continued for a few days. When he finally opened the parcel there was a Tamagushi inside. Now the family of this villager made the rock their ritual prayer place and venerated the Deity.
Later a member of the family split the rock with a chisel, and red blood begun to flow from the rock. This rock begun to grow little by little every year and soon was as high as the house. It was the Ishigamisan, Ishigami San 石神さん Divine Rock Deity.


.......................................................................... Kagoshim 鹿児島県 ......................................
大島郡 Oshima district 竜郷村 Tatsugo

yamawaro ヤマワロ Mountain Kappa
昔、榊を折ってくるように言いつけられた継子が、榊の木がわからず折れなかったので説教されて自殺した。それがヤマワロになったという。ヤマワロは人間の真似をし、音を出す。ある人がヤマワロのたくさんいるところの近くにある杉山に薪をとりに行き、夕方に帰ってくると、着物の糸が全部抜け落ちていたことがある。



.......................................................................... Kochi 高知県 ......................................




.......................................................................... Kyoto 京都府 ......................................
南丹市 Nantan town

At the temple 安養寺 Anyo-Ji when someone tries to cut the Sakaki tree, he will become a terrible stomach ache. During the time of the 明治維新 Meiji Restoration a man with a wild temper tried to cut the tree with a sickle, but from the cut red blood begun to flow. The man cried out loudly and held his body in a strong stomach ache.



.......................................................................... Miagi 宮城県 ......................................

sanboo 三宝 three treasures
神社や諸派神道などで、縁談や事業などの吉凶について、大吉・小吉・大凶・凶などと書いた小さい封書を三宝にのせ、その上を神官が大麻または榊の枝で軽く撫でて、それに付着した封書の内容で吉凶を占うという。


.......................................................................... Mie 三重県 ......................................

Once there was a fire at 伊勢神宮 the Grand Ise Shrine around 1825. Suddenly the door of the shrine 荒祭宮 Aramatsuri no Miya opened all by itself. At the 外宮 Geku a Tamagushi begun to bear fruit.

zuitoo 瑞稲 abundant rice plant at 玉串御門 Tamagushi Go-Mon gate
（現在の内玉垣南御門）
Once out of the Tatami mats of the gate there grew a special rice plant with an abundant crop in autumn. It was seen as an auspicious sign for the realm.




.......................................................................... Nagano 長野県 ......................................
北佐久郡 Kitasaku district

Sakaki Jinja 榊神社 Sakaki Shrine.
During the Sakaki Matsuri 榊祭 Festival, 榊様 Sakaki Sama make a line and walk through the village. When they reach the home of a villager who is thought to be bad by others, they stop and try to enter the home by force. A home where Sakaki Sama has entered will have a death in the family soon after.
- - - Nagano-ken, Hanishina-gun, Sakaki-machi, Sakaki




.......................................................................... Niigata 新潟県 ......................................

千垢離立願は病人が危篤のときに平癒を祈る立願で、一生に一度の立願である。まず海か湖の岸辺を清めて忌竹を立てて注連縄を張り、祭壇を設けて献饌して榊（苧柄とも）の葉を1000枚用意する。神官が祭壇で祈祷し、立願解人が榊葉を分配して首まで水中に入り、沖に向かって平癒を唱えるごとに葉を流す。流した葉が沖へ出れば願いが叶い、磯辺に寄ると凶だといわれている。

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加茂市 Kamo

During the rituals for the New Yeara Sakaki Tamagushi is used and then placed at the entrance to the village to protect the place and hinder the deities of disease and misfortune to come inside.



.......................................................................... Okayama 岡山県 ......................................
落合町 Ochiai

. senzo no misaki 先祖のミサキ Misaki for the ancestors .




.......................................................................... Shimane 島根県　 ......................................
飯石郡 Iishi district

. Offerings to 荒神さん the Kojin Deity .



.......................................................................... Tottori 鳥取県 ......................................

揖屋村の洞泉寺近辺の百姓が、和尚と会話後に消える。和尚が捜すと後庭に金幣と榊葉を持つ彼がいた。和尚に言うには、会話後しばらくして白頭の老翁が現れ、我は稲荷で国君と江戸を守護し、今は自社が破損して別の稲荷と同居している。来年お上に吉事があって使者が下される。その時の金幣と榊葉の使い方を託宣されたという。

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- reference : nichibun yokai database 妖怪データベース -
73 榊 (10)

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. Legends about Kobo Daishi Kukai - 弘法大師　空海 - 伝説 .

. Japanese legends and tales 伝説　民話　昔話 - Introduction .

- Yookai 妖怪 Yokai Monsters of Japan -
- Introduction -

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