The Dewa Sanzan is a collective name for the three mountains of Yamagata Prefecture, with Mount Gassan (1,984m above sea level) as its main peak, along with Mount Yudono and Mount Haguro. Mount Haguro is known for...
The mysterious ancient god "Arahabaki"... This enigmatic deity is said to have been worshipped mainly in the Tohoku and Kanto regions, but even today, the most famous shrine bearing its name is the "Arahabaki" located in Tagajo City, Miyagi Prefecture...
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Yamagata Prefecture has long been blessed by the Mogami River. However, nature, while providing blessings, also brings unavoidable disasters. In Yamagata Prefecture, along the Mogami River basin...
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What is an Onakama? An "Onakama" is a folk shaman (fugeki) who performs spiritual mediumship, incantations, and divination, primarily in the Mogami and Murayama regions of Yamagata Prefecture. They are similar to Itako and Mikosama in other parts of the Tohoku region...
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Located in the mountainous area of Ayaori-cho, Tono City, Iwate Prefecture, the "Gohyaku Rakan" (Five Hundred Arhats) is a group of stone Buddha statues erected in the late Edo period. While now a well-known tourist spot in Tono City, its background...
In Towa-cho, Hanamaki City, Iwate Prefecture, there is a shrine that enshrines a massive rock as its sacred object, and also worships a local pioneering deity, a practice not seen in other regions. Incidentally, the title "animism" refers to the worship of non-human beings...
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Examples of Itako Spells: As mentioned earlier, Itako chant various incantations, or spells, when performing shamanistic rituals such as spirit mediumship. But what exactly are these incantations like...?.
The Training Process to Become an Itako We've looked at examples of the shamanistic practices performed by Itako, but what kind of training is necessary to become an Itako? Currently, new Itako...
Introduction While reverence for intangible things like "prayer" and "faith" is still valued today, in the past in Japan, these were even more closely intertwined with daily life. That...
"Any crying children here?" The Namahage of Oga, Akita Prefecture, is known nationwide as a representative folk event of the Tohoku region. However, while their appearance and names may differ, they actually fulfill a similar role...
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