Hokkaidan Ancestor Worship

The Hokkaidan people, in addition to worshipping the nature spirits who make up their world, also offer prayers to revered ancestors. These people are sometimes humans who achieved some sort of deification, though sometimes they are simply canonized members of a family or clan, whose stories are told for generations, their names invoked in a reverent manner when seeking good fortune.

History

In the early days of mankind, it was easy to see when a famiy member became deified: in those days, the kami still walked among their children, and their influence was felt by all. In a few select cases, when a person accomplished some heroic task or act of extreme piety and selflessness, the kami would bless them with an apotheosis, and transform them from human into an immortal. These few souls were blessed with eternal life, and given permission to enter Tengoku, and begin a new existence as a memeber of the Celestial Bureaucracy.
Seven humans became known as the Fortunes of Hokkai:

• Ryoshi the fisherman, Fortune of prosperity, wealth and protector of the rivers
• Nomin the farmer, Fortune of commerce, and protector of crops
• Senshi the warrior, Fortune of battle, authority and honor, protector of those who uphold the law
• Shijin the beautiful, Fortune of art, poetry, and love, protector of women
• Genki the spry, Fortune of longevity and health, protector against disease and infirmity
• Yorokobi the happy, Fortune of happiness, hospitality and generosity, protector of children
• Chie the wise, Fortune of wisdom and patience, protector of scholars

Though there are only seven Fortunes, there are countless revered ancestors of the clans, dwelling in the eternal paradise of Yomi. It is believed by the Hokkaidan people that these ancestors can exert a level of influence over the mortal realm to help promote the agendas of their clan and family, even from beyond the grave.

Execution

The worship of Fortunes, or revered ancestors, follow very similar processes: a stick of incense is lit in front of a shrine, either homemade or erected by a group of Shugenja or other monastic order for the purpose; the devotee then kneels, clasps their hands, and utters a short prayer in the language of the kami, the only one that most people can even hope to prounounce without shugenja training. After this prayer, believed to part the veil between the celestial heavens and the mortal realm, the devotee then beseeches whatever Fortune or revered ancestor is most appropriate to the favor being asked.

Components and tools

Aside from the aforementioned incense, sometimes small gongs or bells are also used to punctuate the supplicant's prayers: the sounds are thought to help their words punch through the veil between the mortal and spirit realm, to better reach the Fortune or revered ancestory they wish to contact.

Participants

Sometimes, a shugenja will offer help on behalf of a supplicant, either performing the ritual for them, or helping them through the steps.