Kannazuki · 2026
寒露
Kanro · Cold Dew
Micro-seasonChrysanthemums bloom
Read in this season
Oct 8 – 22Why Sakaki Belongs on the Kamidana — Its Origin in the Kojiki and How to Care for It at Home
The sakaki (a sacred evergreen) offered on a kamidana (a household shrine) marks the boundary between the realm of the kami and our own. This article traces its origin to the Amano-Iwato scene in the Kojiki and explains when to replace it, why domestic sakaki lasts longer, and what to do when it withers.
Essays & series
View all articlesLong-form essays tracing the logic of prayer and ritual through history, science and philosophy, with full references.
- Prayer Rooted in Daily LifeKeeping a household shrine, joining your hands, seasonal observances: prayer you can begin today.
- Lineage & AncestorsThe stories in surnames, family trees and ancestral rites: ways to trace your bond with those who came before.
- From the RitesRecords of the Shinto rites I perform, from ground-breaking ceremonies to prayers for peace.
- The Logic of the UnseenWar and peace, the imperial line, moral education, neuroscience, kotodama: tracing the reason beneath prayer and ritual through history, science and philosophy.