I went for my first shrine visit today at Umi Hachimangu. It is a very famous place for babies’ Omiyamairi because of the name. The location, Umi, is written 宇美, and is a homophone for 産ã¿, which means “birth”. So it is a famous place for pregnant women to go to pray for the safe birth of their children and then to return with the child after it is born to be blessed.
It is tradition for the baby to be wrapped in a kimono during their shrine visit.
I got to meet my Ojiisan, grandfather, for the first time. He was very happy to see me, but was also quite emotionally restrained. While we were waiting for our turn, he would take long looks at me and touch my feet, hands, and stroke my cheek. I am his first grandchild. He has been waiting a long time to meet me, but I think it will take a while for us to get to know each other.
It was too bad that I couldn’t meet my Obaasan yet. She is in the hospital recovering after some serious surgery. But I have been a strong motivation and inspiration for her to get better as soon as possible and she is recovering at an impressive pace. She had surgery before I was born, but was determined to get well to see her grandson.
The shrine wasn’t very crowded when we got there, so there were only two parties for the blessing ceremony at the time. I was a very good boy and did not fuss at all during the ceremony, even when the priest started drumming. The ceremony was over quickly. But it must have felt longer for Mommy. She had to carry me and sit seiza, with her legs tucked under her. It could not have been comfortable.
Before I knew it, the ceremony was over.
As nice as the kimono was, I was happy to get it off. It was hot under all that material. It was also a bit cumbersome. I had a wardrobe malfunction while trying to get it off.
After changing into something more comfortable, we returned my rock. You see, the tradition at this shrine is that you leave a rock with your name on it when you visit for Omiyamairi. When a pregnant woman comes to be blessed, she can take a rock of the opposite gender that she is hoping for. It doesn’t guarantee that the baby will be the gender she wants, but it is just part of tradition.
