Mr. Mark Hobt

Mark Hobt was awarded the Tsubaki Grand Shrine Scholarship at Starr King School for the Ministry in Berkeley, CA. He spent a month in study at the shrine in Japan this summer.

I have become acquainted with the way of life in a Shinto shrine. I have witnessed how the Shinto priests work as religious leaders. The way in which they treat each other and the people who come here for prayer is with kindness and thoughtfulness.

It is clear the supportive nature of this shrine for those who come seeking comfort and giving thanks to Kami. On many occasions I watched people in front of the Honden, outside under the canopy of cedar trees, praying with deep conviction.

On the I I th of each month the practice of Misogi is experienced by many people in the community. I saw an old woman under the waterfall with the hand of a priest extended out to help support her under the weight of the water. Then a father held a child with his back in the cold water to be purified. I understand that this child asks to do Misogi and is not required by his parents. The priests at the shrine knows this child as someone special. I have witnessed the depth of commitment of this practice from the very young to the old.

I had many conversations with the priests. Iwasaki San spent much time with me explaining various elements of Shinto. Jun San also spent time getting to know me and discussing the characteristics of our own cultures. My approach to understanding Shinto is by looking at cultural elements. The idea of amae, which translated roughly to dependence, is indicative of the Japanese psychology. Takeo Doi, in his book The Anatomy of Dependence, explains these ideas. I am interested in understanding human relationships and theology as it relates to dependence and, in my own culture, independence. Many of my discussions with the priests were an effort to shed light on these topics.

I learned much about Dr. Yamamoto's vision of expending effort on interfaith understanding. Many high priests in Japan unfortunately do not see the value of the Shinto presence in the United States. I suppose they see Shinto as a strictly Japanese phenomena. Dr. Yamamoto, as I understand it, sees the great benefit of learning from each other. I believe that Shinto can enrich our understanding of the sacred. Similarly I believe that Unitarian Universalism can enrich the lives of the Japanese.

The backbone of the relationship between Starr King and Tsubaki Grand Shrine is on-going communication in the form of letters and now e-mail. It might happen in the not-too-distant future that Tsubaki Grand Shrine may have an e-mail address. I imagine that Starr King students would be interested in learning about the life of a Shinto priest. The sharing of joys and difficulties will illustrate what we have in common as religious leaders. If I had to summarize what Dr. Yamamoto's relentless efforts have been for, it would be peace between nations.

This year was the50th anniversary of the end of World War 11. I asked to visit Yasukuni jinja, where the spirits of the war dead are enshrined- A museum on the shrine grounds, called Yushukan, houses items from the war. There was one room that had photographs of the kamikaze pilots and their farewell letters to their families. I was immensely moved. These young men in the photos reminded me of the priests at Tsubaki, with whom I have become friends.

I see clearly the value in Dr- Yamamoto's efforts to establish and foster the relationship between Tsubaki and Starr King. My prayer is for our understanding to deepen with time.

Scholarship winner at Ise Grand Shrine