Feature Article : ‘Japan-consciousness’ in the Past, Present and Future : Opening ‘Consciousness of Japan’ through Plural Religious Culture of Rice

I would pay my special attention to the fact that Japanese people have developed their consciousness of rice and rice farming with plural religious culture. All of gods in the myths of Kojiki (古事記 Records of Ancient Matters) and Nihonshoki (日本書紀 Chronicles of Japan) , Tenno (天皇 the Japanese Emperor), ethnic gods, and Buddha are related in it.A Wild Boar, as a god of the rural mountain, becomes a god of a rice field and watch over working farmers. After a harvest, farmers worship the god as Inokogami (亥の子神) , then the god return to the mountain. And a rice field was originally the natural land where a snake and other various lives lived. The snake is a symbolic god of the land and farmers use the land with permission of the god. After rice harvesting they make the straw snake and hold a religious festival for the god. People offer rice to the Buddha as well.Although modernization has reduced this plural religious culture of rice, Japanese people still preserve this interesting culture. This culture is quite important for us to open ‘consciousness of Japan’ in order to make cultural harmony in the East Asia and the world