Dososhin Shrine

This is a bit of a different post, I'll be talking about my visit to a shrine kind of near where I go to school! A few weekends ago, I visited the Dososhin Shrine in Okamoto, Kobe. The shrine is situated at the base of hiking trails that span the mountain range behind the city of Kobe, perhaps serving as a place of prayer before one embarks upon a hike. I have observed shrines that may serve a similar function, notably one at the base of the hiking trail one takes to summit Mt. Rokko, also in Kobe. The trail to Dososhin can be seen after walking up the streets, following the slope of the hills, until one reaches the highest point and the street turns into a small walking path. The path runs alongside a ravine and is surrounded by trees. About 30m after entering the tree line, the path is flanked by two 地蔵（じぞう, jizoo), which are statues of a bodhisattva, perhaps serving as protectors of hikers entering the path. The 地蔵 are also wearing bright red bibs, which ties into their role in Japanese culture as guardians of children.

Near the 地蔵 is a small altar, upon which is a stone carving in the shape of a 御幣（ごへい, gohei）, which would normally be made of paper. This is traditionally an object of ritual cleansing and would be used in Shinto purification rituals. The unique mix of Shinto and Buddhist traditions characteristic of Japan is evident at Dososhin.

Another 30m or so down the path sits the main shrine. There are a few stones with paragraphs on them about the Shrine’s history, and while I could make out a date on one of the stones as the 8^th of December in Showa 41 (1966), the rest of it was too faded to read clearly with my limited knowledge of kanji. The Shrine itself is abandoned, the inside full of old books, pots and plates, and various unidentifiable wooden objects. However, outside the shrine, near a small waterfall, are several Buddhist idols. These have fresh leaves arranged in front of them, making the location feel like an active place of worship.

            Next to the idol furthest back is a waterfall, pictured below.  This would be considered a 依代（よりしろ, yorishiro）, a sacred object or place where the gods might descend. In Japan, shrines are often built at locations that illicit some sort of spiritual response, whether that be due to culturally learned tropes or inherent natural characteristics. Waterfalls and mountains are such places: the peacefulness and crisp air may have induced a sense of calm in visitors and thus would have been designed a holy space. Dososhin is no exception. 

       Anecdotally, I can say that I experienced a sense of calm at the Shrine. The sound of the waterfall and the fresh mountain air made me more conscious of my natural environment, and the seclusion also cleared my mind of the worries of the city. Dososhin is in a beautiful natural space, and though abandoned, is clearly still a place of active worship. Even though the shrine building has fallen into disrepair, the sacred nature of the space itself remains, and while I did not encounter any other visitors during my time there, it is very likely a place for hikers to stop either before beginning a hike, or upon return.