Ujigami

An {{nihongo||氏神|'''''ujigami'''''|{{lit|clan deity/divinity/spirit}}}} is a guardian ''kami'' of a particular place in the Shinto religion of Japan. The ''ujigami'' are prayed to for a number of reasons, including protection from sickness, success in endeavors, and good harvests.<ref>{{cite book|last=Hearn|first=Lafcadio|title=Japan, an attempt at interpretation|year=1913|publisher=Macmillan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WZ9DAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA96}}</ref>

== History == While the exact origin of {{Transliteration|ja|ujigami}} is uncertain, the term is believed to have first appear in the eighth century.<ref>{{cite book|title=Encounter or syncretism. The initial growth of Japanese Buddhism|first=J. H. |last=Kamstra|year=1967|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NRsVAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA101}}</ref> Some believe {{Transliteration|ja|ujigami}} have their origins in the worship of ancestral ''kami'' who returned to the homes of their descendents to watch over them.{{Sfn|Tamaru|1996|p=81}} In its current form, the term ''{{Transliteration|ja|ujigami}}'' is used to describe several other types of Shinto deities. Originally, the term ''{{Transliteration|ja|ujigami}}'' referred to a family or clan god.<ref name="cambridge">{{cite book|last=Hall|first=John Whitney|title=The Cambridge History of Japan: Early modern Japan|year=1991|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=0-521-22355-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ycdGHcKLcd8C&pg=PA388}}</ref> It is believed that, at first, these deities were worshiped at temporary altars.<ref name="cambridge" />

After the Heian period, the Japanese manorial system was established and nobles, warriors and temples had their own private land, the family-based society fell out of use, and belief in ujigami diminished. In turn, the lords of the manors began to pray to the deities to protect their land. These guardian deities were referred to as {{nihongo|''chinju''|鎮守}}. In the Muromachi period the manorial system declined, and so the guardian deities were enshrined along with the ''{{Transliteration|ja|ujigami}}''. An {{nihongo|''ubusunagami''|産土神}} is a god of the land of one's birth. Over time, the ''ubusunagami'' and ''chinju'' came to be seen as the heart of the community, and were eventually referred to as ''{{Transliteration|ja|ujigami}}''.

With the increased urbanization of Japan seen since the 1960s, people have become less connected to their home shrine and {{Transliteration|ja|ujigami}}'','' though there have been attempts to reintroduce {{Transliteration|ja|ujigami}} to places such as apartment complexes where many people live together who have come from different regions.{{Sfn|Tamaru|1996|p=169–170}}

==Ujiko== The term {{nihongo|''ujiko''|氏子}} refers to a person or household belonging to the parish of an ''{{Transliteration|ja|ujigami}}'', bringing them under the ''kami''<nowiki/>'s protection which traditionally came along with obligations to assist in shrine upkeep and event preparation.{{Sfn|Reader|1991|p=60}}

Usually, the relationship between ''{{Transliteration|ja|ujigami}}'' and {{Transliteration|ja|ujiko}} is established when an individual undergoes an {{Nihongo|2=氏子入|3=ujiko-iri}} ritual at the shrine of their family’s ''{{Transliteration|ja|ujigami}}'' or a shrine in the region in which they live. This is similar to ''miyamairi'' rituals which are held to introduce a child to their ''ubusunagami'', the ''kami'' of the region they were born in, and it is common for one’s {{Transliteration|ja|ubusunagami}} to also be their ''{{Transliteration|ja|ujigami}}''.<ref>小池康寿『日本人なら知っておきたい正しい家相の本』プレジデント社、2015年、90頁。</ref>

While a child’s {{Transliteration|ja|miyamairi}} is not always their {{Transliteration|ja|ujiko-iri}}, it has become common since the distinction between ''{{Transliteration|ja|ujigami}}'' and ''{{Transliteration|ja|ubusunagami}}'' has disappeared for ''miyamairi'' to also refer to ''{{Transliteration|ja|ujiko-iri}}''. Because of this, shrines often issue {{Nihongo|2=氏子札|3=ujiko-fuda|4=''ujiko'' slip}} to children at their ''{{Transliteration|ja|miyamairi}}'' which acts as proof that they are ''{{Transliteration|ja|ujiko}}'' of that shrine. At the same time, as worship of ''{{Transliteration|ja|ujigami}}'' has declined over the generations, it is common among families who are not actively engaged in shrine activities or ''{{Transliteration|ja|ujigami}}'' worship to not think of themselves as ''{{Transliteration|ja|ujiko}}''.

It is also common for the spouse who has newly entered their partner’s family to attend an ''{{Transliteration|ja|ujiko-iri}}'' in order to become an ''{{Transliteration|ja|ujiko}}'' of the same ''{{Transliteration|ja|ujigami}}'' as their new family. As the population of those engaged in shrine activities grows older and declines, fewer ''{{Transliteration|ja|ujiko}}'' also engage in these activities and what had been an ''{{Transliteration|ja|ujiko}}''’s duty in terms of supporting the shrine and worshipping the ''{{Transliteration|ja|ujigami}}'' have become nothing more than superficial rituals which often extend no further than the home in the act of placing {{Nihongo|kami seals|神璽|shinshi}} or ''{{Transliteration|ja|ujiko}}'' charms in their ''kamidana''.

=={{Anchor|Shrine}}Ujigami shrine== An {{Nihongo|''ujigami'' shrine|氏社|ujisha, ujiyashiro}} is a shrine dedicated to an {{Transliteration|ja|ujigami}}. While their {{Transliteration|ja|ujiko}} are generally from the local region, some ''{{Transliteration|ja|ujigami}}'' shrines attempt to gather {{Transliteration|ja|ujiko}} from further afield through the creation of unique aspects of worship at the shrine, such as pilgrimages or collaboration with corporations for their ''matsuri''.{{Sfn|Tamaru|1996|p=163–164}}

==See also== * Chinjugami * Glossary of Shinto * Hitogami * Sorei * Ubusunagami * Uji (clan)

== References == {{reflist}}

== Bibliography == * {{Cite book |last=Tamaru |first=Noriyoshi |title=Religion in Japanese culture: where living traditions meet a changing world |last2=Reid |first2=David |last3=Abe |first3=Yoshiya |date=1996 |publisher=Kodansha international |isbn=978-4-7700-2054-3 |location=Tokyo New York London}} * {{Cite book |last=Reader |first=Ian |title=Religion in contemporary Japan |date=1991 |publisher=University of Hawaii Press |isbn=978-0-8248-1353-6 |location=Honolulu}}

==Further reading== {{refbegin}} *Hambrick, Charles H. "Tradition and Modernity in the New Religious Movements of Japan." Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 1 (1974): 217–52. JSTOR. Web. 21 Sept. 2010. *Teeuwen, Mark, John Breen, and Ito Satoshi. "Shinto and the Populace: the Spread of Ritual and Teachings." Shinto, a Short History. New York: New York Taylor & Francis, 2003. 126. NetLibrary. Web. 21 Sept. 2010. *Hiroshi, Iwai. "Kami in Folk Religion : Ujigami." Encyclopedia of Shinto - Home. Kokugakuin University, 13 Mar. 2005. Web. 21 Sept. 2010. <http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/xwords/entry.php?entryID=231>. *"Religion and Spiritual Development: Japan." Martial Arts of the World. Santa Barabara: ABC-CLIO, 2001. Credo Reference. Web. 7 October 2010 *Earhart, Bryon H. "A Branch Meeting in Suburban Tokyo: "I" Branch." Gedatsu-Kai and Religion in Contemporary Japan: Returning to the Center. Bloomington Indiana UP, 1989. 122–27. NetLibrary. Web. 21 Sept. 2010. {{refend}}

{{Authority control}} Category:Tutelary deities Category:Japanese folk religion Category:Shinto shrines Category:Japanese gods Category:Shinto Category:Shinto kami Category:Shinto terminology {{Shinto shrine}}