Shinto blog- Peach orchard

The video that I had watched for this blog was the Peach orchard. When I saw this video I was not sure what to think of the video. It seemed confusing in the first part, and towards the end I wasn’t sure what was happening. I was unsure of what the figures in the white faces were and how the peach orchard came back for a second and then disappeared. When I read over the lecture, I understood the reason for the ritual in the forest. In this the ritual was to restore the peach orchard and to show its significance to the little boy. In this movie, the little boy was the cause for the kami to not visit their house because he had destroyed the peach orchard tree. The Kami is the strongest forces of the natural world. Not all of nature is kami, however only the powerful or amazing natures are kami, such as the Peach orchard tree.  When the boy’s family cut down the peach orchard tree, it forced the kami to leave the orchard and the boy’s family.  Kami are the central object of worship in the Shinto beliefs. After finding out that the boy was not part of this cause, and was only trying to stop his family cutting down the orchard, the kami performed a dance ritual in the field. The dance had very slow movements. Also they did some clapping in the dance. Clapping is seen as a way of communication to the kami. They had also played the drums, and did some bowing, during the performance, also seen as a rites tradition. I also learned that destroying anything sacred or meaningful that is part of the Shinto’s traditions is a sin. It made sense why the kami was angry at the little boy because it was a sin that he and his family committed.  Overall I thought the clip of the peach orchard was good, but if you did not have an understanding of the Shinto’s religion, then these clips would not make sense to you.