Journey Through Kami Lineages

Integrating Visible and Invisible Roots

I frequently go on road trips in Japan, and one indispensable part of these journeys is replenishing water. Japan, being an island nation with mountainous terrain and numerous volcanoes, is abundant in high-quality spring water scattered across various regions. One of the joys of traveling for me is collecting this spring water as I move from place to place. Interestingly, though, I find there are waters that agree with me and others that do not.

In fact, there is an old Japanese saying describing places that suit one’s constitution as “lands with agreeable water” (水が合う土地), and conversely, places that do not as “lands with disagreeable water” (水が合わない土地). Originally, this expression referred to the optimal environmental conditions—such as climate, soil, and water quality—for plants and crops growing in a particular area, but gradually it came to be applied to humans as well.

With this idiomatic background, I literally taste and compare spring waters in the regions I visit, using my senses to judge compatibility or incompatibility with a location. Indeed, even simple spring water can vary significantly depending on environmental conditions. Particularly important to me are the minerals contained in the water and whether it suits my gut microbiome. Believing that these elements are directly connected to spirituality, I have continuously pursued investigations in this direction.

Viewed from a Shinto perspective, as I mentioned yesterday, this approach aligns closely with the concepts of “purification (浄化)” in response to “impurity” (穢れ), central to an important Shinto ritual known as “Kiyoharae” (清祓). Thus, if the water from a particular land suits me, it becomes the highest form of “Kiyoharae,” purifying both body and mind, allowing me to fully absorb the spiritual power of the land and feel revitalized. While this might initially appear purely spiritual, through extensive research while traveling throughout Japan, I’ve become convinced it is far more than mere superstition.

Especially since I undertake unique journeys exploring ancient history and ancestral roots, I integrate these viewpoints with my observations on spring water. This is because, from such an integrative perspective, I gain insight into something profound—what I call the “genealogy of Kami” (神の系譜).