Anujigami (氏神;lit. 'clan deity/divinity/spirit') is a guardiankami of a particular place in theShintoreligion ofJapan. Theujigami are prayed to for a number of reasons, including protection from sickness, success in endeavors, and good harvests.[1]
While the exact origin ofujigami is uncertain, the term is believed to have first appear in the eighth century.[2] Some believeujigami have their origins in the worship of ancestralkami who returned to the homes of their descendents to watch over them.[3] In its current form, the termujigami is used to describe several other types of Shinto deities. Originally, the termujigami referred to a family or clan god.[4] It is believed that, at first, these deities were worshiped at temporary altars.[4]
After theHeian period, theJapanese manorial system was established and nobles, warriors and temples had their own private land, the family-based society fell out of use, and belief in ujigami diminished. In turn, the lords of the manors began to pray to the deities to protect their land. These guardian deities were referred to aschinju (鎮守). In the Muromachi period the manorial system declined, and so the guardian deities were enshrined along with theujigami. Anubusunagami (産土神) is a god of the land of one's birth. Over time, theubusunagami andchinju came to be seen as the heart of the community, and were eventually referred to asujigami.
With the increased urbanization of Japan seen since the 1960s, people have become less connected to their home shrine andujigami, though there have been attempts to reintroduceujigami to places such as apartment complexes where many people live together who have come from different regions.[5]
The termujiko (氏子) refers to a person or household belonging to the parish of anujigami, bringing them under thekami's protection which traditionally came along with obligations to assist in shrine upkeep and event preparation.[6]
Usually, the relationship betweenujigami andujiko is established when an individual undergoes anujiko-iri (氏子入) ritual at the shrine of their family’sujigami or a shrine in the region in which they live. This is similar tomiyamairi rituals which are held to introduce a child to theirubusunagami, thekami of the region they were born in, and it is common for one’subusunagami to also be theirujigami.[7]
While a child’smiyamairi is not always theirujiko-iri, it has become common since the distinction betweenujigami andubusunagami has disappeared formiyamairi to also refer toujiko-iri. Because of this, shrines often issueujiko-fuda (氏子札;ujiko slip) to children at theirmiyamairi which acts as proof that they areujiko of that shrine. At the same time, as worship ofujigami has declined over the generations, it is common among families who are not actively engaged in shrine activities orujigami worship to not think of themselves asujiko.
It is also common for the spouse who has newlyentered their partner’s family to attend anujiko-iri in order to become anujiko of the sameujigami as their new family. As the population of those engaged in shrine activities grows older and declines, fewerujiko also engage in these activities and what had been anujiko’s duty in terms of supporting the shrine and worshipping theujigami have become nothing more than superficial rituals which often extend no further than the home in the act of placing kami seals (神璽,shinshi) orujiko charms in theirkamidana.
Anujigami shrine (氏社,ujisha, ujiyashiro) is a shrine dedicated to anujigami. While theirujiko are generally from the local region, someujigami shrines attempt to gatherujiko from further afield through the creation of unique aspects of worship at the shrine, such as pilgrimages or collaboration with corporations for theirmatsuri.[8]
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