This episode we are entering an era jam-packed with stories and information, and so this episode we are going to start off with just an overview so that we have somewhere to mentally hang the stories that we are going to go into more depth on.

That said, not a lot in this blog post other than the kaname ishi. Above we have the kaname ishi from Kashima and below is the kaname ishi of Katori shrine. I find these intriguing as the two shrines are linked in a number of ways. Futsunushi is seen together with Takemikazuchi in the ancient stories, and both of them are related to the Nakatomi and Fujiwara families in some way, shape, or form. They are only a relatively short distance from each other as well. Finally, both are considered martial shrines, and the ichi no tachi of Katori Shrine is said to have inspired Iizasa Choisai Ienao to create Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu, which in turn is credited with influencing the Shinto Ryu of Kashima as well. We’ll cover much of this in a later episode as we get to looking at the Nakatomi and some of their ancestral deities, but I still find all of the connections intriguing.

References

• Como, Michael (2008). Shōtoku: Ethnicity, Ritual, and Violence in the Japanese Buddhist Tradition, ISBN 978-0-19-518861-5

• Bentley, John. (2006). The Authenticity of Sendai Kuji Hongi: a New Examination of Texts, with a Translation and Commentary. ISBN-90-04-152253.

• Aston, W. G. (1972). Nihongi, chronicles of Japan from the earliest times to A.D. 697. London: Allen & Unwin. ISBN0-80480984-4