( Photos from the Tsubaki Grand Shrine of America )
The weekend before last, Justin and I visited the Tsubaki Grand Shrine of America with my mom. Located in Granite Falls, Wa (about 40 minutes from Seattle), Tsubaki Taisha is the only shinto shrine in North America. That makes it extremely special-- and it's authentic, not some sort of touristy knock-off.
Tsubaki Taisha sits on the banks of the Pilchuck River in a secluded 25 acres outside of Granite Falls. The Sunday we visited, the shrine held Shuki Taisai, the annual autumn ceremony in which the doors to the Honden (inner shrine) are opened and offerings are made to the deities enshrined within. It was a beautiful ritual, and we were treated to an amazing Koto performance during the ceremony.
Afterward, the priest/reverend explained that part of the offering was new rice taken from a crop in California. In Japan, it is quite typical for rice growers to harvest the first of their crop personally and give it to their local shrine. As you can imagine, this is nearly unheard of in America. It surprised me to learn that the head of a large American rice growing corporation would visit his fields and harvest the first of his crop, and I was even more surprised when we all received a sheaf of this "sacred rice" to place in our homes.
The second bit of pleasant news that the reverend shared with us was that an Oregon brewery had just recently released a special blend of sake specifically for Tsubaki shrine. Most large shrines in Japan have their own brew of sake (it's a drink that Okami enjoy very much), but it is rare for small shrines like this one (much less in America) to have their own brand of sake. We all lined up for a taste and it was delicious. I've got to buy some of it soon!
How very unique and refreshing it was to visit a shinto shrine in America, and in such a beautiful location. We've also recently been attending services at the Seattle Koyasan Buddhist church (of the Shingon sect), which is located near the International District. I've become well acquainted with the presiding monk, Imanaka Taijo-san, and we'll be staying at his home temple, Rengejo-in, when we visit Koya-san in a week. If you're in Seattle, I highly recommend trips to both the shrine and the temple. And check out the photos!
Posted on October 17, 2007 @ 8:27 PM | 0 comments
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