Ship spirit - Funadama

This refers to a deity worshipped by sailors and fishermen almost nationwide as the guardian deity of ships, and is sometimes spelled "Funatama." In some regions, it is also called "Funagamisama," "Ofunada-sama," "Ogatama-sama," or "Twelve Funadama." In many cases, the deity is worshipped by placing a pair of sacred objects inside a hole drilled in the "tsutsu" part of the bow where the ship's mast is set up. The sacred objects are often filled with a woman's hair, a pair of male and female dolls, two dice, 12 mon coins, and five grains, but in some places, rouge, powder, and sometimes even mouse droppings. The way the two dice are aligned is consistent in all regions, with the formula being "Tenichichirokuomotesanawasetomoyawase." However, there are some places, such as the Oga Peninsula, Sado, Echigo, and Oki along the Sea of ​​Japan coast and some areas of the Seto Inland Sea, where faith in the ship spirits is practiced but where there is no deity. As the custom of enshrining a deity is common across the region, it is thought that it was a popular custom among early modern shipping vessels and eventually spread throughout the country. In many places, the ship spirits are considered to be female deities, and many places taboo women from boarding a ship alone. There are also places where young women serve in the rituals of the ship spirits, and the relationship between the faith in the ship spirits and the Okinawan faith in the Onarigami is an issue. The ship spirits are usually congratulated by the shipwright in a secret ceremony when a new ship is built, and this is called "putting in the spirit" or "putting in the spirit". There is a faith phenomenon in the ship spirits called "isamu", which is said to be a sign of good or bad luck by a kind of sound that is interpreted as the crying of the ship spirit, and can be said to be an ancient form of conveying the will of the gods. There are many examples of them being enshrined on ships today.

[Takenori Noguchi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

船の守護神として、ほぼ全国的に船乗りや漁師たちに信仰されている神霊をいい、「船玉」の字をあてることもある。地方によっては「船神様」とか「おふなだ様」「おがたま様」「十二ふなだま」などともよぶ。神霊は、船の帆柱を立てる船首の「つつ」という部分に穴をあけ、一組の御神体を納めて祀(まつ)られる例が多い。御神体には、女の毛髪、男女一対の人形、賽(さい)2個、銭12文、五穀を納める例が多く、紅やおしろい、ときにはネズミの糞(ふん)を入れる所もある。2個の賽は「天一地六オモテ三あわせトモ四あわせ」というように合わせ方が各地で一致している。しかし、男鹿(おが)半島、佐渡、越後(えちご)、隠岐(おき)など日本海沿岸や瀬戸内海の一部地域のように、船霊に対する信仰は行われながらも御神体をもたない所もある。御神体を納める習俗には各地に一致の多いところから、近世期廻船(かいせん)の間で流行したものがやがて全国に普及したのではないかと考えられている。各地で船霊様は女性神と観念されており、女が1人で船に乗ることを忌む所は多い。また若い女性が船霊の祭祀(さいし)に奉仕する所もあり、船霊信仰と沖縄のおなり神信仰との関連が問題とされている。船霊は、通常、船の新造のときに船大工が秘儀的に祝い込め、このことを「ごしんを入れる」とか「お性根(しょうね)入れ」という。船霊には「いさむ」という信仰現象があり、これは船霊の泣き声などと解釈される一種の音によって吉凶の前兆を示すといわれるもので、神の意志を伝える古い形式の現れといえよう。今日の船にも祀られる例が多い。

［野口武徳］

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