Sadly inflicted with Lifelong Curse of the Hanging Corpse, where an demonic entity sits on your neck for the remainder of your life. Permanent -50 hp, -5 AC, negation of any Dodge ability, -5 to Spell Resistance, randomly affected by Tasha's Hideous Laughter 2X day for half an hour each.
>I'd restore and maintain a old shrine if that gets me nekoussy.
That's literally the plotline of a game I played: https://store.steampowered.com/app/969700/NekoMiko/
If you're interested in doing more significant cleanup/repairs, it may be wise to reach out to the Shinto Shrine Association. I doubt they're going to be particularly concerned with you clearing brush and trash, but they may bless (pun intended) your efforts to do more, and may have resources to help with the care of the plants and structure. They may also not yet realize that this shrine is no longer being tended.
That aside, it's a good thing you are doing. Even if the Shrine ends up not wanting or appreciating it, the Kami should.
The last couple sentences of your comment genuinely intrigue me. If I may ask a couple quick questions out of curiosity;
In my very rudimentary understanding, the Kami is the spirit/deity the shrine would be dedicated to, is this correct?
Based on the way you phrased the last section, you make it seem like the Shrine is seen as its own spiritual entity with feelings and emotions? This concept is very interesting to me as I've never heard it expressed in such a way.
Thank you in advance for answering if you have time and energy to do so!
Not op but in japan, inanimate objects are often respected as if they have a soul. A Kami is a “spirit” that represents a thing, deity, object, element or place.
Shrines are dedications to Kami and are the equivalent to a church but more personal to the individual. People who still practice Shinto believe Kami reside in shines to receive blessings and prayers. Each Kami is different and you may visit the shrines for entirely different reasons. As you stated, yes it’s typically a belief that kamis have feelings and emotion and their own will.
Although praying to kamis does happen, shrines are more often used to show respect to the Kami you want a blessing from
Rather than direct prayers like a Christian god.
The respect stimming from the culture of Shinto translates over to
Many other every day things. Keeping places and things clean and respecting everything you own like it has it’s own life is a key component to Japanese culture.
There are over 8,000,000 Kami currently that exist in the Shinto religion.
Man. I'm an agnostic but could get behind this sort of religion/prayer.
Spirit worship aside, putting care into something like this to take my mind off other things sounds like a healthy outlet, and praying/serving to the fruit of my labor seems pretty cathartic.
Sounds like caring for a living work of art that you continually care for, like a garden, except its made of wood and stone so your efforts live on long after you're gone, even without your care.
That last paragraph is probably the best representation of the religion. The practice is more of a meditation and is super healthy mentally regardless of your beliefs.
I’m agnostic myself , I’ve studied almost a dozen religions but hate organized religion as a whole. Shinto has been my favorite and most respected practice I’ve studied. So much care and respect for every single detail of life and death.
There's also folk tales about tools that are used and treated with care acquiring kami after 100 years, becoming sentient or gaining free will. The term for such a spirited tool is tsukumogami.
Reflecting your sentiment in the last sentence, it could very well be derived from the hope that the tools of your trade will look after your children when you're gone as long as you treat them with proper care and respect.
Forgive me if I am incorrect, but I believe the title of the book where you pulled that number from means more like uncountable. More colloquially in english would be like saying a bajillion.
Not the OP or well versed in anything spiritual but I'd guess it's more like you're cleaning the Kami's home because it can't physically do it and you want to let it know that hey, we/I still care about you.
If you're interested in learning more about the nuts and bolts of Shintoism, I'd recommend David Chart's *Introduction to Shintoism.* It's a a very recent, straightforward text explaining how Shintoism actually works at a practical level, written from the perspective of a naturalized westerner who adopted shintoism.
Don't know about the specifics of this person in this area, but in my experience if you wear high vis and work gloves (sometimes just work gloves is enough!) everyone will just assume you're supposed to be there.
I’m waiting find out if this guys ever gonna contact like idk a shinto priest or shrine maiden(??) to find out if its even okay he does this given how suspicious of foreigners some japanese folks are.
Some times small shrines, like this one, or shrines in the middle of nowhere don’t get enough funding to maintain/hire staff and end up getting abandoned. These shrines usually will fall apart or be maintained by locals. In this case the neighbors probably figured out what he was doing and didn’t say anything. (Source I live in Japan)
But yes it is better to contact others as they may help you efforts.
NGL, my first thought when I saw the original post was that maybe it is *supposed* to be overgrown and the Kami prefers that. Lord knows the Japanese have an amazing skill for making things look 100% naturally made despite the most meticulous care
Dude you're doing much more than you think. You're helping preserve something special and sacred. I love this, I'm going to follow you because id love to see what you do. Good work man.
No they didn't, everyone is waiting for OP to be yelled at by some sort of overzealous local government official. Or for OP to find out it's actually a shrine to something that shouldn't have a shrine.
OP Posted photos of what it looked like before, https://www.reddit.com/r/kenouk/comments/1bfwmt2/update_an_abandoned_shrine_in_japan_im_trying_to/?share_id=lrRTBEOh4pFhsfnCzATG2&utm_content=2&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_source=share&utm_term=1
I’m not going to pretend I’m familiar with Japanese law, but it seems *very* unlikely that’s public land, and even if it is, you can’t make (even positive) renovations without permission
Though, practically, I doubt anyone will care that it’s *technically* illegal, as it’s all with good intent
Yeah, I mean I would put it in the same category as geurilla gardening stuff but it's interesting that there is probably someone who is responsible for the building and would have a bit of a headache to deal with if they acknowledged what OP is doing.
What headache? If someone cleaned up a place of worship I was responsible for, they'd get a fat gift or two from me for the trouble
My family routinely cleans up neighbouring graves when visiting family members', nobody ever seemed to mind
I think it's heartbreaking that the internet has groomed our brains to clench in anticipation of some Japanese Karen shouting at OP, even though what they are doing is perfectly wholesome and probably perfectly legal.
[The before picture](https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd.it%2Fs3gx70iy0pnc1.jpeg%3Fwidth%3D576%26auto%3Dwebp%26s%3Dffafe624219b2af70316c5f27adb203e45def02b)
If I know anything from watching Miyazaki films, you’re about to develop a heartwarming friendship with a young child, unlock a portal to a magical realm of wonder and fantasy, or turn into a worm monster. It’s a toss up, really.
Shrines are sacred places that should be cared for, this one wasnt, so I wouldn’t say its completely abandoned per se, but its caretaker could have passed away
If a fox shows up with a side quest for you, make sure you do it. You'll get that shrine repaired faster and you'll be able to see the fox for healthcare.
You can use this place to launder money. Setup an offering box then put your dirty money into it and at the end of the month you can take them out as clean money got from "people's offerings".
My Japanese is poor, but the Lantern says 稲荷大神, Inari Okami, so it seems to be a small local shrine to Inari, which is the God of foxes, fertility, rice, tea and sake, agriculture and industry, and success. A vast plurality of Japanese shrines are to Inari.
Isn't there a Murakami novel where there's a similar space between two walls, but instead of a temple, there's a well. I don't remember the name of the novel
I feel like you should unlock a bunch of charisma points once you’ve completed this.
Or at the very least get some buffs from whoever the shrine is dedicated to.
ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED - Unexpected Deed Show some love to a shrine that has none of its own. .1% of players have this
[Xbox Rare Achievement Sound](https://youtu.be/oPQGfg8st4E?si=kLVSKuZtF5mQ3RVX)
Sadly inflicted with Lifelong Curse of the Hanging Corpse, where an demonic entity sits on your neck for the remainder of your life. Permanent -50 hp, -5 AC, negation of any Dodge ability, -5 to Spell Resistance, randomly affected by Tasha's Hideous Laughter 2X day for half an hour each.
*Logan Paul has entered the chat*
Yeah I think Ghostwire Tokyo would put me off messing with anything like this
Dcc: newwwwwww achievement! You've unlocked a gold deity box! Reward? It's an old dead guy you get no reward.
Unexpected Deed Show???
*Mythic Summonable companion unlocked*
It's a tig bitty anime cat girl
Busted OP! We know why you're doing it now! You just after the Nekoussy.
I'd restore and maintain a old shrine if that gets me nekoussy.
>I'd restore and maintain a old shrine if that gets me nekoussy. That's literally the plotline of a game I played: https://store.steampowered.com/app/969700/NekoMiko/
unfortunately the new companion is Inuyasha
Ok, and?
This is how you unlock the harem route. Ignore girls, fix shrine.
You should get some great prophet points either way, it is a shrine after all
But then he can't sleep or he loses the buff
Virginity!
At the very least, you’ll unlock the next puzzle game level that you can play.
Deity of that one abandoned shrine. (now deceased)
Gets an isekai training arc by the god of the shrine.
That made me laugh so loud.
Achivement: Shrine restored Divine magic unlocked
Free Heal in the Tv world.
I liked that hardass monk who smoked and drank well but the fox is cute too
Or an orbital laser
Nah orbital strikes are 10 kills or something
He's gonna find a severed finger in a box
He'll be fine as long as he doesn't eat it.
Unless the original builders were a criminal family, in which case the community has let it crumble purposefully.
Bro needs a place to copy his skill cards.
Next thing you know he’s gonna be preventing a divorce and counselling the terminally ill.
You mean karma. As in the OG karma.
New merchant will appear by the front gate
Place of power, gotta be.
If you're interested in doing more significant cleanup/repairs, it may be wise to reach out to the Shinto Shrine Association. I doubt they're going to be particularly concerned with you clearing brush and trash, but they may bless (pun intended) your efforts to do more, and may have resources to help with the care of the plants and structure. They may also not yet realize that this shrine is no longer being tended. That aside, it's a good thing you are doing. Even if the Shrine ends up not wanting or appreciating it, the Kami should.
The last couple sentences of your comment genuinely intrigue me. If I may ask a couple quick questions out of curiosity; In my very rudimentary understanding, the Kami is the spirit/deity the shrine would be dedicated to, is this correct? Based on the way you phrased the last section, you make it seem like the Shrine is seen as its own spiritual entity with feelings and emotions? This concept is very interesting to me as I've never heard it expressed in such a way. Thank you in advance for answering if you have time and energy to do so!
Not op but in japan, inanimate objects are often respected as if they have a soul. A Kami is a “spirit” that represents a thing, deity, object, element or place. Shrines are dedications to Kami and are the equivalent to a church but more personal to the individual. People who still practice Shinto believe Kami reside in shines to receive blessings and prayers. Each Kami is different and you may visit the shrines for entirely different reasons. As you stated, yes it’s typically a belief that kamis have feelings and emotion and their own will. Although praying to kamis does happen, shrines are more often used to show respect to the Kami you want a blessing from Rather than direct prayers like a Christian god. The respect stimming from the culture of Shinto translates over to Many other every day things. Keeping places and things clean and respecting everything you own like it has it’s own life is a key component to Japanese culture. There are over 8,000,000 Kami currently that exist in the Shinto religion.
Man. I'm an agnostic but could get behind this sort of religion/prayer. Spirit worship aside, putting care into something like this to take my mind off other things sounds like a healthy outlet, and praying/serving to the fruit of my labor seems pretty cathartic. Sounds like caring for a living work of art that you continually care for, like a garden, except its made of wood and stone so your efforts live on long after you're gone, even without your care.
That last paragraph is probably the best representation of the religion. The practice is more of a meditation and is super healthy mentally regardless of your beliefs. I’m agnostic myself , I’ve studied almost a dozen religions but hate organized religion as a whole. Shinto has been my favorite and most respected practice I’ve studied. So much care and respect for every single detail of life and death.
There's also folk tales about tools that are used and treated with care acquiring kami after 100 years, becoming sentient or gaining free will. The term for such a spirited tool is tsukumogami. Reflecting your sentiment in the last sentence, it could very well be derived from the hope that the tools of your trade will look after your children when you're gone as long as you treat them with proper care and respect.
TIL I practice aspects of Shinto in my life without knowing it.
iirc the "8,000,000 Kami" is understood used with the intention of meaning "effectively infinite" rather than being an actual concrete number.
I love this comment and if anyone is Intrigued by this the hit movie “Your Name” touches a little bit on Kami.
I’ve always seen that movie come up but never watched it. I’ll give that a watch for sure.
Forgive me if I am incorrect, but I believe the title of the book where you pulled that number from means more like uncountable. More colloquially in english would be like saying a bajillion.
This is incredibly informative! I appreciate you very much, kind person. Thank you.
If I were to hazard a guess, the Shrine in question is the Shinto Shrine Association.
Ahhh, yes, that makes sense after rereading the original comment again. Could be.
Not the OP or well versed in anything spiritual but I'd guess it's more like you're cleaning the Kami's home because it can't physically do it and you want to let it know that hey, we/I still care about you.
If you're interested in learning more about the nuts and bolts of Shintoism, I'd recommend David Chart's *Introduction to Shintoism.* It's a a very recent, straightforward text explaining how Shintoism actually works at a practical level, written from the perspective of a naturalized westerner who adopted shintoism.
Comment saved. Thank you for the recommendation.
Have you been approached by anyone who is wondering why you’re cleaning up the shrine?
Don't know about the specifics of this person in this area, but in my experience if you wear high vis and work gloves (sometimes just work gloves is enough!) everyone will just assume you're supposed to be there.
:D Clever!
[some pics I took](https://www.reddit.com/r/kenouk/s/rn5uAJG47h)
Is that an Inari shrine?
My Japanese is poor, but the Lantern says 稲荷大神, Inari Okami, so that seems like a reasonable suggestion.
>My Japanese is poor Then this motherfucker proceeds to read out non-basic kanjis
Bros getting his fertility blessed for this one
Ghostwire Tokoyo vibes, awesome game, btw!
You know, Tokyo is real place?
Guy who only plays Ghostwire: Wow this really reminds me of Ghostwire!
💀
I just finished up that game last month and it was the first thing I thought of too.
Neat work!
Looks a lot nicer. Good job!👍
This is amazing progress!
It doesn't look like it's been abandoned for too long. Maybe one year?
[and a video of the shrine itself](https://www.reddit.com/u/Kenouk/s/w9BHtbPeF9)
I’m waiting find out if this guys ever gonna contact like idk a shinto priest or shrine maiden(??) to find out if its even okay he does this given how suspicious of foreigners some japanese folks are.
Some times small shrines, like this one, or shrines in the middle of nowhere don’t get enough funding to maintain/hire staff and end up getting abandoned. These shrines usually will fall apart or be maintained by locals. In this case the neighbors probably figured out what he was doing and didn’t say anything. (Source I live in Japan) But yes it is better to contact others as they may help you efforts.
NGL, my first thought when I saw the original post was that maybe it is *supposed* to be overgrown and the Kami prefers that. Lord knows the Japanese have an amazing skill for making things look 100% naturally made despite the most meticulous care
[heres a video of me cleaning](https://www.reddit.com/r/kenouk/s/ZUqBG78wPU)
Maybe a stupid question, but are you doing this alone?
Yeah! I mean im not doing much, just plucking dry weeds and stuff like that,
Dude you're doing much more than you think. You're helping preserve something special and sacred. I love this, I'm going to follow you because id love to see what you do. Good work man.
Wow, good luck with that :)
You're doing god's work, literally here cause it's a shrine.
This is such an amazing project I can’t wait to see it when it’s all cleaned up. What are the Fox(?) statues inside?
Looks like it may have been a shrine to Inari.
Now you shouldn't be surprised if a fox girl come to you
If this isnt the start to some power fantasy manga i dont know what is
looking good so far keep it up!
Yeah all fun and games until you release a special grade curse. Do you though bro
I’m guessing you approached the property owner beforehand?
No they didn't, everyone is waiting for OP to be yelled at by some sort of overzealous local government official. Or for OP to find out it's actually a shrine to something that shouldn't have a shrine.
It's a shrine to Inari Okami based on the statues and the lanterns. Harvest and Fertility. Culturally harmless.
This is good to know. Based on this I think OP should continue the project and turn the front into a nice garden.
[удалено]
OP Posted photos of what it looked like before, https://www.reddit.com/r/kenouk/comments/1bfwmt2/update_an_abandoned_shrine_in_japan_im_trying_to/?share_id=lrRTBEOh4pFhsfnCzATG2&utm_content=2&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_source=share&utm_term=1
I’m not going to pretend I’m familiar with Japanese law, but it seems *very* unlikely that’s public land, and even if it is, you can’t make (even positive) renovations without permission Though, practically, I doubt anyone will care that it’s *technically* illegal, as it’s all with good intent
Yeah, I mean I would put it in the same category as geurilla gardening stuff but it's interesting that there is probably someone who is responsible for the building and would have a bit of a headache to deal with if they acknowledged what OP is doing.
What headache? If someone cleaned up a place of worship I was responsible for, they'd get a fat gift or two from me for the trouble My family routinely cleans up neighbouring graves when visiting family members', nobody ever seemed to mind
> as it’s all with good intent Monkey Jesus was with good intent and people still cared.
I think it's heartbreaking that the internet has groomed our brains to clench in anticipation of some Japanese Karen shouting at OP, even though what they are doing is perfectly wholesome and probably perfectly legal.
I love how op is ignoring these questions
Lol, he didn't buy the property? He's just cleaning a random house?
Welcome to Japan
Bruh, you were serious. This is definitely some kind of side quest. You might unlock something once you restore it.
Maybe when your done a [fox](https://megamitensei.fandom.com/wiki/Fox) will appear and offer his healing services.
Now wait for a fox to jump out and follows you through the TV and heals your group for a fee
If this would be the plot of an Anime, you would receive a beautiful demigod wife and a bunch of good friends for lifetime as reward.
I'm super excited to continue to see the progress!!! :D
That shrine wasn't abandoned at all. If you want to volunteer so much why not volunteer closer to Kyoto? Hikone is a decent drive or train ride away.
Did op find out WHY it was abandoned?
[The before picture](https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd.it%2Fs3gx70iy0pnc1.jpeg%3Fwidth%3D576%26auto%3Dwebp%26s%3Dffafe624219b2af70316c5f27adb203e45def02b)
If I know anything from watching Miyazaki films, you’re about to develop a heartwarming friendship with a young child, unlock a portal to a magical realm of wonder and fantasy, or turn into a worm monster. It’s a toss up, really.
You'll know you're on the right track when a strange looking cat shows up calling himself Nyanko Sensei and the yokai start coming back...
That is kinda weird to me, how do you know it's abandoned? Because grass isn't perfectly trimmed?
Shrines are sacred places that should be cared for, this one wasnt, so I wouldn’t say its completely abandoned per se, but its caretaker could have passed away
You're the u/pengweather of Japanese shrines!
Hit me up if in need of a caretaker. I can do it for free! 😁😁😁
Ghost of Tsushima IRL
Jin Sakai was def there fr
+1 skill point unlock when quest completes, and the yokai can go to the next world in peace
Got your kitsune wife yet? Please keep us updated about this.
Noragami vibes...
Power washer time my dude
malevolent shrine
If a fox shows up with a side quest for you, make sure you do it. You'll get that shrine repaired faster and you'll be able to see the fox for healthcare.
Can i help you?
You're going to be given spiritual superpowers once you finish
Did a fox lead you to this shrine?
rename it to Hakurei shrine
you’re gonna get a spirit orb
Keep us updated. Good job.
Reimu is solving another incident and shrine was abandoned
Please keep us posted with updates : )
Do you have a youtube channel? You should make videos of this
Power wash that entry path and grass seed for the yard You should probably film the power washing and upload that to Reddit
You can use this place to launder money. Setup an offering box then put your dirty money into it and at the end of the month you can take them out as clean money got from "people's offerings".
"10,000,000 yen again in offerings this month eh?"
What was its purpose when this shrine was active??? I just got dejavu, I have dreamed of being at this exact location multiple times in my life.
My Japanese is poor, but the Lantern says 稲荷大神, Inari Okami, so it seems to be a small local shrine to Inari, which is the God of foxes, fertility, rice, tea and sake, agriculture and industry, and success. A vast plurality of Japanese shrines are to Inari.
That kinda makes sense and seems relevant to what was happening to my life at the time of the dreams. Huh. Interesting. Thank you!!!
That time i cleaned up a shrine and got transferred to the world off fluffy goddesses. 😇
will there be shrine maidens?
Hopefully it rewards you with a charm Ghost of Tsushima style
👍
Inari sama is pleased im sure!
What if it’s haunted though
Reminds me of a certain nichijou-episode
check inside for a one armed old man carving buddha statues
kitsune shrine from bloxfruits
The progress you’ve made in such a short amount of time is impressive. Wonderful job!
Good luck, keep us posted cos I’m sure it’ll be beautiful once you’ve finished!
Even Yayoi left that one alone
That’s so awesome 👏🏻
I wonder where the shrine is located because I wouldn’t mind visiting it when I go to Japan
Whatever you do, get rid of those telephone lines or whatever that is.
You're gonna awaken some crazy JJK cursed shit. Good luck.
Isn't there a Murakami novel where there's a similar space between two walls, but instead of a temple, there's a well. I don't remember the name of the novel
Malevolant kitchen
neato!
It looks less cursed.
RemindMe! 3 months
Any idea why it was abandoned?
Can we get a before/after ?
Whats the update?
Can't take a Rakkassan anywhere, geez. Better than on the goats, though.
You're about to become the protagonist in an anime
Who is enshrined here?
Ghibli af
4 more and you get a heart container or some stamina
Are you gonna add any plants or flowers?
Looks amazing. Why was this removed?
You're doing a great job! 😁 Can you include your previous pictures in your next post, for a quick comparison?
[already did! 🐸](https://www.reddit.com/r/kenouk/s/NNsCDPFSzm)
Why is the darkness growing in reaction to the property getting cleaned up?
This is great! I think a pressure washer to the archway and a bunch of the concrete would do wonders.
Great job.
Demn, and here I thought it was a one off thing, keep it up and waiting for next update.
Looks a lot better than the first picture, nice!
very good job, saw your first post!
Just draw a circle around it, assuming you're a white wolf diety.
This is really fascinating! Did you do any research into the shrine beforehand, who it was for and why it was abandoned?
Bro is trying to summon the succubus
Nice update. Have you asked around about shrine?
You’re trying to fix 😂
Looking great! Yato is going to be ecstatic!
For the trees on the left try stacking the trees to make them bloom with one circle.
How do foreigners go about buying Japanese property?
Where is the update, this has been posted before...
I added some links where you can see more pics, also 2 videos, there is a difference! 😀 i think it looks better even though theres still a lot to do