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Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

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Shinto

Men visiting Okinoshima Island must be naked.  Source: Kapawtord / Adobe Stock.

Only Men Can Visit Okinoshima Island in Japan and They Must Strip Naked First

In the rich tapestry of the world’s ancient history, there stands a mysterious island steeped in ritual and reverence – Okinoshima. Nestled between the islands of Kyushu and Honshu in Japan,...
Ancient Purification Rituals: Exploring Cleansing and Spiritual Renewal

Ancient Purification Rituals: Exploring Cleansing and Spiritual Renewal

Throughout history cultures from around the world have recognized the importance of purification rituals to cleanse and renew the body, mind, and spirit. These ancient practices were deeply embedded...
Amaterasu, a major goddess of Japan.

Solar Goddess Amaterasu, Divine Ancestor of the Japanese Imperial Family

Amaterasu is a major goddess in the Shinto religion. Although she is considered primarily a sun goddess, she is also believed to be the ruler of the Takama no Hara (the High Celestial Plain), which...
Hachiman: Deified Emperor, War God, Protector Of The Japanese People

Hachiman: Deified Emperor, War God, Protector Of The Japanese People

Hachiman is a Japanese Shinto deity who is often considered to be the god of war. Although he is worshipped as a Shinto god, Buddhist elements were incorporated into this deity, following the arrival...
Inari Shrines: Worshiping Japan’s Most Popular Shinto Deity

Inari Shrines: Worshiping Japan’s Most Popular Shinto Deity

Inari shrines are a type of shrine dedicated to the Japanese deity Inari. These shrines are immensely popular in Japan and can be found all around the country. It is estimated that a third of all the...
Delving into the Depths of Japan’s Mysterious Tonkararin Tunnels

Delving into the Depths of Japan’s Mysterious Tonkararin Tunnels

Within the sloping mountains of Japan lies a mysterious ruined tunnel structure known as the Tonkararin Tunnels. This ancient ruin likely dates to the 5th or 6th century of Imperial Japan, although...
Main: Traditional Japanese Sake. Credit: kathayut / Adobe Stock Inset: Remains of a sake brewery dating from the Muromachi period in Kyoto            Source: Kokusai Bunkazai Co.

World’s Oldest Sake Brewery Unearthed at Temple in Japan

The world’s oldest sake brewery has been discovered by archaeologists excavating in Japan . All over the ancient world people fermented plants and flavored them with fruits and herbs creating ‘stiff...
The Meiji Shrine, Tokyo.       Source: beeboys / Adobe Stock

The Meiji Shrine: An Oasis of Zen in the Center of Bustling Tokyo

Japan is a unique country, one that is both very modern and also very traditional. In the heart of Tokyo, there is a shrine dedicated to one of the most important Japanese Emperors and his wife. This...
Yoshitoshi, Ushiwaka Maru learns Martial Arts from Sojobo, King of the Tengu, 1880

The Dogs of Heaven - Tengu and the Secret Practice of Buddhism

The Tengu ( 天狗 ) are possibly the most recognizable of all the Japanese yokai , with their enormous black wings and faces of either a large crow or a red-faced, long-nosed, goblin . They are often...
Shinto painting from manuscript of Todaiji, Nara, Japan

Purification as the Core of the Ancient Shinto Faith

A ritual based religion, Shintoism is defined as "the way of the gods" in Japan, from the Chinese Shendao. It is the indigenous religion of the country, and survives today as the state religion,...