鎮守の森とは？
多くの神社は森に囲まれています。これは聖域と考えられており、境内を俗世間と隔てるものです。日本古代のアニミズムにおいてしばしばそうであったように、鎮守の森自体が信仰の対象であることもよくあります。町村の近くにある森林は薪の供給源であった場合が多いものの、ほとんどの鎮守の森は(地域の人々によって)その原型を留めています。土佐清水市の鹿島神社についてもそう言えます。鎮守の森の数は、都市化および1800年代後半以降の維持不足により、著しく減少しました。近頃では、緑樹の全くない神社を見ることも珍しくありません。新しく設けられた神社の周りに森が新たに整えられる場合もあります。最も有名な例は、東京にある明治神宮を囲む森であり、1920年代に整えられたものです。
What Are Shrine Groves?
Many Shinto shrines are surrounded by a sacred grove of trees, which is thought to be the domain of the divine and separates the shrine grounds from the secular world. These groves (chinju no mori) themselves can also be subjects of worship, as was often the case in ancient Japanese animism. While trees in forested areas near towns and villages are often used for firewood, most shrine groves have been maintained in their original state, as is the case at Tosashimizu’s Kashima Shrine. The number of such groves has decreased significantly, however, as a result of urbanization and insufficient upkeep since the late 1800s. Nowadays, it is not uncommon to see shrines that are completely devoid of greenery. New groves, however, have been planted around some newly established shrines; the most famous example of this is the forest that surrounds Meiji Shrine in Tokyo, which dates back to the 1920s.
