아마테라스天照大神 그림으로 본 일본 사회의 신神 관념과 종교관

Japanese Society’s View of God and Religion as Seen through the Picture of Amaterasu

In Japan, since ancient times, natural objects and things, rather than statues, have been substituted in the worship of deities, and Amaterasu was also worshipped in mirrors at the Ise Shrine and the Imperial Palace. From the Middle Ages onward, visits to Ise spread throughout the country and became a popular belief among the people, and in the Edo period ukiyoe paintings of Amaterasu began to be drawn. In the modern era, pictures and illustrations of Amaterasu began to be used in books and product advertisements, and thereafter Amaterasu has appeared in various forms in media culture up to the present day. It is doubtful that any religion or country other than Japan can freely change the gender of the main deity, have him appear in various forms in different works, use him in advertisements, or depict him as an animal. However, although Japanese people are in awe of Amaterasu and regard her as an object of respect, they do not vaguely worship her or recognize her as an object to pray to for something. Rather, it is freely depicted and utilized in a variety of cultural content, which clearly shows the unique religious and divine outlook of Japanese society, which is different from the religions and cultures of other countries.

日本では古くから神を祀る際に、図像ではなく、山や岩、木、滝などの自然物や刀、曲玉、鏡などの物で代用され、日本神道の最高神である天照大神も伊勢神宮や皇居で鏡を祀っていた。中世以降、伊勢参りが全国に広がって民衆の信仰を得るようになり、江戸時代に入ると天照大神の浮世絵が描かれるようになる。近代になると教科書などの書籍はもちろん、商品広告にも天照大神の絵やイラストが使われるようになり、その後現代に至るまで天照大神は絵本、漫画、ゲーム、アニメなどメディア文化に様々な形で登場するようになる。 日本以外の宗教や国では、主神の性別を自由に変えたり、様々な作品に様々な姿で登場させたり、広告に使われたり、動物として描かれたりできるのか疑問である。しかし、日本では天照大神に畏敬の念を抱き、尊敬の対象として捉えているが、漠然と崇拝したり、何かを求めて祈る対象として認識していない。むしろ、様々な文化コンテンツで自由に描写し、活用している点で、他の国の宗教·文化とは異なる日本社会の独特な宗教観や神観念がよくわかる。