In 1952, an abandoned shrine was found in the Wakayama prefecture of rural Japan. This temple, known as Rabu Shrine (羅父神宮), appeared in old Edo period maps, but was incorrectly believed to have burned down a century prior. The government undertook a survey, identifying signs of occupation dating as late as the 1920s. The following documents, including a set of postcards and manuscripts written by the young priest Sōkū (桑空), were recovered at the site:
ル祀ミ育神蟲テニ宮神父羅 (At Rabu Shrine, the insect God is raised and worshipped.)
“O Spirits, why must you test our faith so? The Child Shinchū has absorbed one more of us today, yet she will not transform into a God. The elder priest Tōji says we must keep waiting. That the Child still hungers. That the more she takes in, the more divine she will become. And yet, nineteen people has she taken into itself and her shell will not harden. She only grows larger, hungrier.”
ム慰ヲ神キナケワイニ弦管ガモド侶僧ノ宮神父羅 (The Priests at Rabu Shrine soothe the young God with music.) Priest Sōkū pictured left.
“The older faithful of the shrine still remember the elder siblings of Shinchū, and how simple it was to help them grow. A single soul would often suffice, and the union would transform them into beautiful Gods in the shape of scarabs, butterflies, and bees. Yet the Child refuses her ascension, and our numbers dwindle. Her Father does not guide us, blind as he is in his old age. I fear that life is fading beneath his shell, and his spirit readies to depart.”
神ルケ生ノメタガラ我テニ宮神父羅 (Rabu Shrine's Sacred Father, a God living amongst us.)
“Many of the faithful have left the shrine. They feel fear in their hearts that they will be chosen next, absorbed into the Child fruitlessly; they feel anger towards the young God who will not grow, all the while taking their loved ones. They say the disappearances will cause suspicion, that someone will discover the secret of our shrine and, filled with envy, will kill Shinchū’s young siblings, who are yet unready to ascend.”
リ侍チ育ニカヤ健デ池産ノ宮神父羅ハ子ノ神 (The God Children grow healthy in the Rabu Shrine purification pond.)
“There are only three of us left. Those who lost their faith have reneged their vows and left the temple. The rest of us, who remain devout in our worship, have continued uniting with the Child to no avail. Today, it was Tōji’s turn to read his fortune in the Omikuji, and he was awarded the Great Blessing of becoming one with the Child. But he would not accept it. He attempted to flee, leaving his Omikuji tied in the temple lest fate follow him. It took the three of us to bring him back and force him within Shinchū’s soft shell. We pray he may be the last. The faithful need hope to come back.”
羅父神社の羅父神はきみを御子と共に神になるやう選ばれき 共に生ける神となり御子のうちいづるほどわたりはきみを崇拝せむ
(GREAT BLESSING: The Sacred Father of Rabu Shrine has chosen you to become a God with His Child. Together, you will become a Living God and live an eternal blissful life, and the people of Rabu Shrine will worship your new name.)
“I am the last one here. Day after day, the Omikuji spares me of the Great Blessing. I feel weary, and my faith is fading. Is the Shinchū really the God they promised? Or is she a demon, using our faith to trick us into feeding her? The Father has stopped moving, and her younger siblings grow weak without our care. I have found myself alone with her. Watching after her does not comfort me as it once did. I have decided to read only one more Omikuji. Let my fate be decided.”
At the time of its discovery, most of the shrine had fallen into ruin as the wooden beams rotted in the humid climate. A single structure was still standing, containing some of the temple’s statues and treasures. Today, only these documents and several photos from the 1952 survey remain.
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Omikuji drawings, Japanese text and writing help by Nao70Shark
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