[Shrine] Finding a place to belong is difficult (Anamon-yama Shrine: Okayama)
Everyone is wandering around, searching for a place to belong. Many people have lost sight of themselves. They are in despair because they have no place to call their own. When things get difficult, there is a place you should try visiting. That place is Anamon-yama Shrine in Okayama Prefecture.
Long ago, the Yata no Kagami, the sacred mirror representing the spirit of Amaterasu Omikami, was enshrined at this shrine for four years. This was about 2,000 years ago, during the reign of Emperor Sujin, the tenth emperor of the Yamato dynasty. It began when Amaterasu Omikami bestowed this mirror upon her grandson, Ninigi no Mikoto, saying, 'Worship this mirror as if it were me.'
The Yata no Kagami reflects things exactly as they are, without any clouding. What does it mean to enshrine that mirror as the spirit of a deity? It is a message that the virtue of honesty—to look at things as they are, without evil thoughts or selfishness—is the most important thing of all.
Where is the appropriate place to enshrine such a precious mirror? Even the spirit of a deity wandered from place to place in search of a peaceful home.
During that journey, the Yata no Kagami spent four years at this Anamon-yama Shrine. From the torii gate to the main hall, it is about 1,800 meters. The path is a pilgrimage route surrounded by beautiful nature.
It is said that the mirror was temporarily enshrined in a cave to the left of the main hall.
Even in such a pure and beautiful place, was it not to be the mirror's final resting place? We are struck by the beauty of the shrine and realize the difficulty of finding a place to belong. The mirror left Anamon-yama Shrine once again to continue its journey.
Even the Yata no Kagami, which houses the spirit of a deity, required 80 long years to find its final place. If you have found your place to belong now, that is wonderful. However, if you have not yet found it, that is never a reason to despair. Our lives are a journey of polishing the mirror that is ourselves and searching for our true place. Just as it took the Yata no Kagami 80 years to find where it belonged, we are granted about 80 years of life. Within this limited time, we search for our place and the reason why we were born into this world.
Where do we come from, and where are we going? Who are we? The happiness of being able to search for such questions. Being alive is wonderful.
Anamon-yama Shrine in Okayama Prefecture makes you realize such things. On your way home, you will notice that a steady strength to do your best again tomorrow is warmly lit within your heart.
