Delve into the "Cannabis Japonica: Shinto & the Spirit of 麻" exhibition to uncover hemp's essential role in Japanese tradition. Explore its use as a raw material for textiles, food, and medicine, alongside its sacred purifying function in Shinto rituals. Learn how the kanji '麻' represents both the plant and spiritual objects, highlighting its deep cultural significance.
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This exhibition at the Hash Marihuana Hemp Museum explores the deep intertwining of hemp with traditional Japanese culture and Shinto spirituality. It delves into the multifaceted meaning of the kanji '麻' (asa), which represents both the cannabis plant and ritual objects made from its fibers. Visitors will discover how hemp has been a vital raw material for textiles, food, and medicine for millennia, while also holding a sacred, purifying role in Shinto traditions.
The exhibition Cannabis Japonica: Shinto & the Spirit of 麻, created in collaboration with guest curator Yuko Ogino, reveals the profound connection between hemp and traditional Japanese culture, particularly within Shinto spirituality. The Japanese kanji '麻' (asa) embodies this versatility, referring to both the cannabis plant—historically used for textiles, food, and medicine—and the ritual objects crafted from hemp fibers by Shinto priests. Shinto, considered the spiritual core of Japan, is intimately linked to the nation's identity and history, and this exhibition highlights how hemp maintains a special spiritual position in the country today. The exhibition delves into the purifying role of hemp within Shinto's ritual traditions and ceremonies, which often center on spiritual purification to connect with the 'kami'—vital forces of nature. Despite cannabis being a social taboo and highly illegal in Japan, hemp and its golden fibers are attributed with essential purifying functions in spiritual practices. A central feature is a Japanese house shrine (kamidana) from Ise Jingu, one of Japan’s most prestigious Shinto shrines, temporarily housing several kami represented by amulets. The museum also showcases unique collection pieces, including a shimenawa (braided hemp rope) marking the entrance and a suzuo (hemp fiber bell-rope) for purification, specially crafted by Yamakawa, an artisanal workshop in Kyoto. This collaboration with Yuko Ogino and Shinto master Paul de Leeuw broadens the museum's perspective on global cannabis history and Japanese culture.
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