Shinto is in the nature of shrine
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Tamiko Santon's Mother's Day wish this year was to visit a Shinto shrine. She and her son, Daniel Santon, both Seattle residents, didn't have far to travel.
Just outside Granite Falls, the Tsubaki Grand Shrine of America is a branch of Tsubaki O Kami Yashiro in Japan. Established in 3 B.C., the parent shrine is one of the oldest in Japan.
Tsubaki America, on 25 acres along the Pilchuck River, is one of only a handful of Shinto shrines in America. It is also home to the shrine's priest, the Rev. Koichi Barrish.
Barrish performs daily and seasonal ceremonies for shrine members and the public. A longtime aikido instructor, he teaches the martial art four days a week at the shrine. He also often conducts Shinto ceremonies in private homes and businesses.
Barrish said that of the many visitors to the shrine, not all are Japanese or followers of Shinto. Some come on Saturday mornings just to sit in chinkon sai, or meditation, along the river.
The architecture, evergreen trees and bamboo surrounding the shrine and the sight and sound of the nearby river induce images of Japan. A recent Saturday visit evoked fond memories for Tamiko and Daniel Santon, both originally from Japan.
The shrine is made of a light-colored cypress wood indigenous to Japan; tatami mats cover many of the floors. In the reception area, mother and son sat on floor cushions in front of a low table while Barrish described scroll paintings and other items in the room.
The visit was a sort of homecoming for Tamiko Santon and her son. Daniel Santon explained that Shinto was a part of everyday life in Japan, especially during the holidays.
"The basis of everything in Japan is Shinto," agreed Barrish.
Daniel Santon recalled the hatsumode, or New Year's celebration, which lasts three to four days.
"People come visiting all day long, and you stay up as late as you can," he said.
There are few doctrines in Shinto and no official writings. It is a nature-based spirituality rather than a religion guided by a founder or leader. Shinto followers revere numerous kami, but these are not exactly gods. "Shin" means that which inspires awe or reverence, and "to" means path or way.
"Shinto is so natural that there was no word for Shinto until Buddhism came (to Japan)," Barrish said. "There was also no word for nature. There wasn't enough that wasn't nature to compare it to."
The basis of Shinto is "coming into harmony with nature," he added.
"Live in the current moment, and do your best, and you will have a happy, fulfilled life," he said. "That is the meaning of life."
In an effort to introduce Shinto to America, a Japanese named Yukitaka Yamamoto opened a shrine in Stockton, Calif., in 1987. He was the 96th high priest of the parent shrine, the father of the current high priest and Barrish's teacher. The California shrine operated until 2001 when it merged with Tsubaki Kannagara Jinja and became Tsubaki America.
The location of the Granite Falls shrine allows the use of a drum and the ability to perform body purification in the nearby river, both important in Shinto, said John Nelson, an associate professor of theology and religious studies at the University of San Francisco and author of "A Year in the Life of a Shinto Shrine."
Ceremony and purification are cornerstones of Shinto belief. Misogi — bathing in cold water such as in a waterfall or river — is a practice intended to cleanse both body and spirit. Barrish has been practicing misogi daily for 11 years.
"When you are doing misogi, especially in winter, you are going to be present," he said. "You are not thinking about the future or the past, or something over there, you are in the middle of now."
Although he is Caucasian, Barrish, 54, is captivated by Japanese culture and traditions. In addition to his study of Shinto, he taught aikido for years in Southern California and then in Snohomish County, where he moved in 1980.
With the help of some of his students, Barrish built Tsubaki Kannagara Jinja in Granite Falls in 1992. He operates his current dojo, Tsubaki Kannagara Aikido, out of the shrine. He believes aikido is the manifestation of Shinto.
"It is completely analogous to Taoism and tai chi," he said. After completing studies at the Tsubaki Grand Shrine in Japan, he became a Shinto priest in 1995 — believed to be the only American with that distinction.
For the Santon family, Barrish offered to perform kanai anzen kigan, a family safety ceremony. Clothed in the traditional white attire of a Shinto priest, he met them in the haiden, or worship hall.
The Santons sat on a long, red blanket facing the altar while Barrish performed oharae (preliminary purification), goukitou (sacred prayer) and tamagushi hairei (the offering of an evergreen branch). The sound of the drum and prayers reverberated through the room. Even though it was a cool day, the doors were open to nature.
Barrish said he enjoys both the small ceremonies and the larger seasonal celebrations at the shrine. Ceremony recipients usually offer a donation to the shrine. That and income from shrine membership and aikido classes account for much of the shrine's financial support.
Requests for Shinto ceremonies often take Barrish away from the shrine. In 2003, he gave an invocation for the annual From Hiroshima to Hope celebration at Green Lake. And he has blessed the Japanese Garden in Seattle for the past several years. Because the garden closes for a time each winter, reopening it is significant.
"It's very important to have the Shinto blessing for an auspicious beginning for the New Year," said Anita Madtes, the Japanese Garden Advisory Council president. "Shinto believes in animism, that there is spirit in things, so it is very important."
On another day at Tsubaki America, Joe Quinn arrived in a shiny new truck. A shrine member and aikido student, Quinn, of Everett, showed up for kotsu anzen kigan, or vehicle purification.
Though Quinn expressed embarrassment about buying a new car after a recent accident, Barrish encouraged him to focus on the positive: "You have a new car," Barrish prompted with a smile.
Barrish welcomes drop-in guests, but suggested potential visitors call or e-mail the shrine office first.
Even if they don't understand the ceremonies completely, they still benefit from the experience, Barrish said. "It nourishes people in so many deep, unconscious ways."
Lee Revere: snohomishcounty@seattletimes.com
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