Koichi barrish biography sample
An article in the Japan Times covers the five foreign (i.e. non-Japanese) priests who are currently known to Green Shinto. Much of the information for the article came from this blog, though the author has made a few mistakes and there are some dubious statements: &#;some have even founded their own shrines abroad,&#; being a case in point. Moreover, I would take issue with Iwahashi&#;s claim that the authors of Kojiki were unaware of other countries, given that China and Korea loomed very large in Japanese consciousness. The mythology is clear in restricting Amaterasu&#;s orbit to the &#;eight islands&#; that comprise Japan, and at no point is there evident any suggestion of universalism. After all, the whole notion of &#;kami no kuni&#;, used historically at the time of the Mongol invasion and later by Hideyoshi, signifies Japanese distinctiveness.
Intended to stand for eternity, religious buildings such as churches, mosques and synagogues are typically made of stone. Shinto shrines, on the other hand, are completely fashioned from wood and rebuilt time and time again.
“The concept of eternity in Shinto is not everlasting as a physical existence. Worshipping or enshrining a particular kami (deity) at that place and people worshipping for generations and generations is the concept of eternity. So the building itself can be rebuilt,” says Katsuji Iwahashi, chief of the international section of Jinja Honcho (the Association of Shinto Shrines).
Even Shinto itself had to be rebuilt in post-World War II Japan. Postwar Shinto was forced to completely separate from the Japanese government under the U.S. Occupation’s Shinto Directive, which led to the creation of private associations such as Jinja Honcho and what is known today as Shrine Shinto.
Pat Ormsby, who obtained a license as a priest from the Konpira head shrine in Shikoku
Many foreign observers still view Shinto through the lens of the so-called State Shinto of the Meiji Period (). One foreign pri
First Non-Japanese Shinto Priest Rev. Koichi Barrish Discusses his Faith
In this interview with Susan Barber, Rev. Koichi Barrish discusses being the first non-Japanese Shinto priest and many beliefs of the Shinto faith.
Reverend Koichi Barrish, famous for being the first non-Japanese Shinto priest and priest of the Tsubaki Grand Shrine of America, sat down with Susan Barber of the Spirit of Ma&#;at to discuss the Shinto faith and his milestone in the religion&#;s history. Through the interview, Koichi Barrish and Barber discuss the Shinto gods, shrines, and the importance of &#;purification.&#;
This interview originally appeared in The Spirit of Ma&#;at. It’s presented as part of our #InTheirOwnWords series.
Susan: Reverend Barrish, I noticed at your website that you are the first American Shinto priest. How did that happen?
&#;I&#;m the first Shinto priest who is not Japanese.&#;Rev. Barrish: Actually, in two thousand years of Shinto history, I&#;m the first Shinto priest who is not Japanese.
For about thirty-five years, I was a teacher of Aiki-Do, which is a kind of manifestation of Shinto thinking. I was drawn to the Shinto part of it from the very beginning, and became involved in modern Shinto meditation and practices.
Eventually, I became interested in traditional Shinto, and received teaching from the Rev. Dr. Yamamoto Yukitaka, who was the 96th generation of his family to serve as the high priest of Japan&#;s oldest shrine, and was the highest-ranked Shinto priest in Japan.
&#;A big part of the meaning of Misogi is to be able to come into harmony with your life mission. Mine was to become a Shinto priest.&#;
In Shinto we have a concept called Misogi. A big part of the meaning of Misogi is to be able to come into harmony with your life mission. Mine was to become a Shinto priest.
Susan: Does Shinto perceive one God, or many?
Rev. Barrish: The Shinto word for the gods is Kami or Kamisama, and Shinto is basically the Way of the Gods
“Anima&#; means life and can be defined as soul, breath, spirit….Anima can be defined as élan vital—— we can describe Anima with the Japanese word: “KI”. Inochi, a Japanese word meaning “Lifeforce” is also very useful when considering Anima…
Shinto is the natural spirituality originating from the spontaneous reverence for Divine Nature in deep prehistory. Shinto is the genius of Japan and the soul of Japanese Culture. Since ancient times rituals to harmonize with the KI / the anima of Divine Nature have been conducted each day without fail at , Shinto Shrines existing in Japan……Shinto can be said to be the spirituality of Anima. Japan can be said to be the “Culture of Anima”. Shinto Kami is the deification of the cosmic generative vitality/ the anima at the source of all beings—both animate and inanimate. Shinto ritual practices are aimed and rejuvenating, purifying and harmonizing with anima.
Inochi/ life force/ anima is present in all beings—this is including animals, plants, and rocks—— such thinking forms the roots of Shinto and so forms the roots of Japanese Culture.
Jung, a preeminent figure in Western understanding of mind felt that it was though fantasy that the modern rationalistic mind could come into contact with the rich primordial depths of the sub-conscious mind——the realm of intuitive understanding —the realm of Shinto. Basic in our modern human lives is a deep longing, the deep calling for the richness of connection to our primal intuitive sub-conscious experience… answers that primal calling,
When we consider “anime” whose essence is giving life to pictures in this paradigm we can understand better the passion, dedication, and excitement of anime fans——and also understand the connection, the importance and special relationship of Anime to the spiritual nourishment at the core of Shinto activity….
Rev. Lawrence Koichi Barrish
Is the head Shinto Priest at Tsubaki America Grand Shrine; Lawrence Koichi Barrish is the senior aikido instructor By Global Connections & Emerging CommunitiesExploring the Way of the Kami