Paper Short Abstract:

This study argues that analyzing a shrine from the outside reveals only half of its reality. To get a complete picture of a Shinto shrine, it is essential to comprehend it from outside and inside. Based on long-term fieldwork at a shrine, I examine how rituals take place inside it from an insider’s perspective to present a whole picture.

Paper Abstract:

In previous studies of Shinto shrines, the organization of rituals from inside the shrine has not been thoroughly explored. Most research has focused on external perspectives, examining worshipers and parishioners through quantitative surveys or observations conducted outside the shrine. These studies have left the inner workings of ritual organization largely unexamined. In contrast, my research involved working as a miko at a Shinto shrine from 2019 to 2022, allowing me to study the shrine from an insider’s perspective. Drawing from anthropological fieldwork, this paper aims to illuminate the internal organization of rituals in a Shinto shrine. I argue that understanding a shrine from inside is crucial for uncovering how rituals are organized behind the scenes. This includes exploring the invisible aspects of the shrine, such as internal spaces used for ritual preparation, and the challenges ritual organizers face, which are not visible from the outside. Furthermore, it is essential to view the shrine from the native’s perspective. As Geertz (1974) notes, “The native’s inner life is more like grasping a proverb, catching an allusion, seeing a joke – or, as I have suggested, reading a poem – than it is like achieving communion” (p. 45). Only by working with natives, we can understand the nuanced backgrounds and mindsets that shape their practices. It is through embodying and describing their experiences on their own terms that we gain a deeper understanding of the ritual world.