After winter solstice / True worship / Revival of the Sun
Sunday, December 18, 2016
As you know,Japanese Shinto's top goddess is Amaterasu-Ohomikami.(The Sun goddess).
So,we have four important events that concern about the Sun's movement.
Vernal equinox and autumnal equinox are the middle day of Ohigan week.
We visit ancestors grave and have a special ritual with Butsudan table.
Summer solstice as the longest daytime.(Important ritual in summer solstice)
And the most important day is winter solstice.(December 21 or 22)
Ancient people thought that it is Death of the Sun.
After the winter solstice, the Sun get power again.
We know the natural phenomena but ancient people rejoiced a lot about new born of the Sun,
Because our ancient ancestors had been worried about harvest.
People's main hardship and worries were eating.
So,winter solstice was treated as sacred celebration all over the world.
Also,they knew the Sun's revival is not a matter of course.
There is a severe rule in the world.
If you think something is a not special,it will be removed from you easily.
Ancient people already knew that.
We all have to cherish normal life things,health,nature,and the Earth and so on.
Foundation is more important than small troubles.
All things are given by ancestors and God.
We are just allowed to live with these given things.
December 23 is the special day to Japanese people.
Our Emperor's 83rd birthday.
The present Emperor (Kinjyou-tennoh) is Akihito.
Photo by wikipedia
Akihito is the 125th Emperor.
The number of 125 is very important in Grand shrine of ISE.
There are 125 shrines in Grand shrine of ISE and around ISE.
Akihito is representing a major point of Japanese long Emperor's history.
He is compilation of all of past Emperors.
His birthday is meaningful because it is just after the winter solstice.
It means revival of the Sun.
He has strong destiny about Ninigi,the grandson of Amaterasu.
Amaterasu → Ninigi → Jimmu,The first Emperor of Japan
The term between Ninigi and Jimmu took almost 1.8 million years.
It means human in the Earth is added new DNA from the Mars.
It took a lot of time to combine.
Prince Hisahito,the grandson of present Emperor,has strong destiny about Jimmu.
Prince Hisahito will be a historic Emperor such as Jimmu.
In Japanese myth has true story about Japanese Emperor's line and history of the Earth.
Long long time ago,Ninigi landed on the Earth.This scene is called Tenson-Kourin.
And he came from the Mars actually.
There was a civilization in the Mars.
At that time,Amaterasu had given him the three treasures.
These treasures were treated as imperial regalia of Japan later.
There was the other Emperor line that derived from the Earth.
But the Earth's Emperor gave up the Emperor's position after meeting with Mars's Emperor.