Project PhoenixProject Phoenix
In Japan, there is a belief that divinity dwells in all manner of things — the yaoyorozu no kami, the "eight million gods" — and these traditions have been handed down as the folk tales and myths of each region.
Even today, it is said that some 90 million people in Japan take part in hatsumode, the first shrine visit of the New Year, and "prayer" remains woven into daily life and culture.
The Japanese word for prayer, inoru, has its origin in "inoru" written as "declaring one's will" (意宣る). To pray is not to ask the gods for something, but to voice one's own will — "I will do my utmost; please lend me your strength" — a declaration of resolve.
The aim of this project is for each and every one of us living on the earth to have the same thought and wish, even for a single moment. Human values may vary depending on things like our environment or ethnic group, but the desire for the happiness of the earth and the world exists to some extent in everyone's heart.
This project was launched from the desire to create the power to change things for the better by unifying the wish, held sincerely by each and every one of us, for permanent peace on earth.
While "prayer" exists for many religions and peoples, we can achieve something even greater than that. By changing the consciousness of humankind through "prayer", we will create a peaceful and prosperous global society for the generations to come. ── Project Phoenix
Sousei Kagura ── Full version
Sousei Kagura ── Short version
Kagura ForumThe Kagura Preservation Forum
The Kagura Preservation Forum has been held every year since 2016, with the aim of passing on to future generations the ancient Japanese spirit of "wago" (harmony and accord) together with the unseen, refined traditions of daily life — subliming them (creation / sousei) into forms suited to the present age, and thereby contributing to peace and harmony in the world.
At the forum, members of both houses of the Diet who form the "Parliamentary League for Kagura Preservation", the relevant ministries and agencies, experts, and the private sector (the Association for Modernizing Cultural and Traditional Industries of Japan, and the Earth Sousei Kagura Federation) gather across the boundaries of party and field. Toward building a concrete framework for the future grounded in Japan's traditions and spirituality, they hold study sessions and put forward proposals for legislation and policy.
Our Purpose ── Bringing Japan's Ancient Spirit of "Mutual Support and Harmony" to the World
Japan has inherited its own traditions of living (its national character) for longer than any other nation in the world, building a history of "wago" — avoiding conflict and respecting one another. By studying deeply the classics that continue from the age of myth and the traditional cultures of each region, and reviving them anew (creation) in ways suited to modern lifestyles, this forum aims to prepare an environment for contributing to peace and harmony in the world.
Three Concrete Pillars
Branding Japanese Culture through "Kagura"
We arrange "kagura", a traditional Japanese performing art that needs no words, in a contemporary style — giving visible form to the "spirit of hospitality" and the "unseen, delicate attentiveness (kokoro-bae)" that the Japanese have long cherished, and sharing it at home and abroad. In doing so, we establish a new brand of tourism and culture with which people around the world can deeply resonate.
"Grassroots Exchange" Connecting Regions and the World Directly
We refresh, for the modern age, the traditional techniques, crafts, and stories that lie dormant across Japan, and promote a new form of private exchange (local-to-local) that directly connects regions in Japan with regions overseas. Working with cutting-edge hotels, tourist destinations, and the like, we prepare an environment in which new spaces and products of a Japaneseness in tune with the present age (Neo Japanesque) can be freely developed.
"Care for the Mind (Stress Management)" Drawing on Japanese Spirituality
When the heart loses its richness, the vitality of society declines as well. We turn spiritual practices Japan has cultivated — such as "Zen", "chinkon" (repose of the soul), and "posture and bearing" — into programs, and, toward business hubs around the world, propose and support them as a lifestyle that eases the stress of modern people and settles the mind.
A Vision for the Future
The new view of Japan we aspire to — "New Japan Style" (Neo Japanesque) — holds the potential to become a compass supporting not merely national interest, but environmental conservation on a global scale and the coexistence of humankind. Through swift, cross-border policy cooperation, we will build a foundation of peace for the century to come.
Event CalendarNews & Event Calendar
Schedules of announcements and events.