name
The name of rice lotus comes from ine, which means rice seedling, so the name can be translated as "rice carrier". Rice God may have another name, namely Tian God or "Rice God". He is sometimes called Susan Inari (successful Inari) or Manzoku Inari (successful Inari). Another title is Ukanomitam-no-kami, which means "God of Nutrition". Milian is also closely related to the ancient rice or food goddess Ukemochi okami. Another contact and typical representative of the intersection of Shintoism and Japanese Buddhism is Daikiniten/Daikokuten (from Dakino, Hinduism), the kitchen god and grain god of Buddhism, including rice. In Buddhism, God is regarded as a disciple of the Buddha, and he may also be called Daimyojin and Mirian.
The spread of cults
According to legend, Inariyama was first enshrined in Daohe Mountain after being discovered by a man named Hata no Irogu in the 8th century. One day, Irogu practiced archery with glutinous rice cake (sesame cake) as the target. One shot directly hit a cake, and then magically turned into a white dove. Irogu followed the bird's flight and finally landed at the top of Inariyama named Mitsumine, where he discovered the growth of rice, so he began to worship rice lotus as a god or shinto.
Tao and Harmony are the flourishing gods of Shinto, friends of businessmen, merchants and craftsmen, and all-round problem solvers.
As a staple food in ancient Japan, Millian, who was vital to everyone's life from humble farmers to the emperor himself, unsurprisingly became one of the main figures of Shinto. Since rice planting was introduced to southern Japan in the yayoi period, especially during sowing and harvesting, there have been festivals and ceremonies involving rice and rice planting (300 BC-250 AD). In view of the importance of food, the worship of Millian spread to every corner of the Japanese archipelago, and he also gained various other attributes. He is regarded as the messenger of universal prosperity, the protector of food, the discoverer of lost items, the protector of couples, the friend of swordsmen, businessmen, businessmen and craftsmen, and the all-round universal problem solver.
In the 9th century, the famous Japanese scholar, monk, founder of Shinrikyo, also known as the master of Buddhism (774-835), named God as the protector of the East Temple, and the worship of Mirian began to spread from a pure local god. The temple was in Pingan Jing (Kyoto), then the capital of Japan. Konghai claimed to meet an old man with rice on his back on the road and on the mountain. He thought it was a meeting with God himself. When the emperor is seriously ill, only giving way and promotion can ensure his recovery.
In the Edo period (A.D. 1603- 1868), Milian was associated with commerce, so it represented wealth and prosperity. With the growth of Japanese economy and the commercialization of life, this situation has further developed, so that in the Meiji era (A.D. 1868- 19 12), Daohe was regarded as the god of wealth and industry, and still holds many positions. Therefore, Taoism and shrines are still widely used, and they also appear on the roofs of market squares and office buildings in the form of miniaturization.
fox
In art, God sometimes wears a beard, wears a palace costume, carries a bag of rice, and sometimes carries a burning gem, which can realize his wish and may also hold the key to the granary. He often rides a white fox, which is regarded as the messenger and guardian of Miriam. For this reason, Daohe became a soldier's house god or family god in the Middle Ages, because they were also imagined as riding a fox.
Many Taoist temples and shrines have fox sculptures, often wearing red bibs to pray for good luck and holding the key to the rice warehouse in their mouths. There is a symbolic hole in the peripheral wall of each shrine, which allows the fox messenger of Daohe to enter and leave easily. Believers often worship foxes in Daohe shrine, usually Daohe sushi, which is rice wrapped in fried tofu and soaked in sweet rice wine. It is hoped that the fox will be satisfied with this dedication and will only pass on the good things of the admirer to his master, thus ensuring that God will respond favorably to any request.
Fujian daohe
Daoxiang is one of the most popular gods in Japan. He has thousands of shrines all over the country, especially in rural areas, but the oldest, largest and most important one is Fujimi Daoxiang Society near Kyoto. Fujian Shrine is not only the base camp for Millian's sacrifice, but also famous for a large number of red gates (torii) of different sizes, which are donated by believers for their prayers (starting at around 3,000 yuan). There are more than 5,000 archways on the sidewalks of the buildings, which are close together and almost form covered sidewalks.
Fujian Daohe Temple was founded by Yi people in 7 1 1 year, and moved from the original Daohe peak to the present lowland in the 9th century. Like several other Shinto shrines, it was managed by Buddhist monks until the formal separation of the two religions in AD 1873. The boulder outside the main hall represents the existence of Millian (the god body), and there are a pair of big fox sculptures on each side. Unfortunately, the main building was destroyed by fire in Ao Ning War in1468 (1467-1477), but it was rebuilt in 1499, and has been maintained regularly since then. Fujian shrine is a popular tourist attraction all year round, especially during the first model festival in the New Year and the first horse festival in early February.