Yorishiro - Yorishiro

An object in which a divine spirit resides. While a corpse (yorimashi) is a human, a yorishiro refers to an object. There are many types of yorishiro, such as trees, natural stones, or heigushi, which are sacred markers. Yorimashi means possession by a divine spirit, and dai means an object, so anything that is possessed by a divine spirit becomes sacred and the subject of a festival. The sacred object enshrined in a shrine is called a tamashiro, and things like talismans and amulets are all considered to be yorishiro for the gods, but in ancient times, sacred trees were worshiped as yorishiro for the gods. The tradition of himorogi (sacred trees) also led to the use of sakaki (sakaki tree) as a yorishiro to be held in the hand, and a song about harvesting (torimono) in the Kokinshu (Collection of Ancient and Modern Japanese Anthology) states, "The sakaki leaves of the sacred fence of Omuroyama grew thick before the gods." Each ancient shrine has trees that are revered as sacred. In Isonokami, Inari, and Miwa, cedars are called sacred cedars, in Tatsuta the maple is considered the sacred tree of the wind god, while in Ise, Atsuta, Hie, Sumiyoshi, and Tenjin the pine is the sacred tree, and in Kumano the nagi is the sacred tree. Also new is the Kashihara Shrine, whose name "Izukashi" (Izukashi) is a transmission of the ancient "Himorogi." The section on the reign of Emperor Suinin in the "Nihon Shoki" states that Princess Yamatohime-no-mikoto enshrined Amaterasu Omikami, who had been moved from the Imperial Palace, at the base of Izukashi in Ise.

[Toshihiko Uda]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

神霊のよりつく代物。尸童(よりまし)が人間であるのに対して、依代は物体をさす。それには神聖な標識として、樹木や自然石、あるいは幣串(へいぐし)など種類は多い。依りは神霊の憑依(ひょうい)を意味し、代は物のことであるから、何物によらず神霊がよりつくことで神聖化されて祭りの対象になる。神社に祭る神体は霊代(たましろ)と称し、また神符守札の類などもすべて神の依代とみなされるが、古代では神木が神の依代として信仰された。手に取り持つ依代には榊(さかき)が用いられたのも神木(ひもろぎ)の伝統で、『古今集』の採物(とりもの)の歌に「神垣の御室の山の榊葉は神のみ前に茂りあひにけり」とある。古社にはそれぞれ神木として崇信する樹木があって、石上(いそのかみ)、稲荷(いなり)、三輪(みわ)では杉を神杉(かんすぎ)とよび、竜田では楓(かえで)を風神の霊木とし、伊勢(いせ)、熱田(あつた)、日吉(ひえ)、住吉(すみよし)、天神(てんじん)などは松、熊野(くまの)は梛(なぎ)である。また新しくは橿原(かしはら)神宮の橿(かし)があり、これを「いづかし」（厳橿）とよぶのも古代の「ひもろぎ」を伝えたもので、『日本書紀』垂仁(すいにん)朝の条に、宮中から奉遷した天照大神(あまてらすおおみかみ)を、皇女倭姫命(やまとひめのみこと)が磯城(しき)の厳橿の本(もと)に祀(まつ)るとある。

［菟田俊彦］

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