| Shosha |
'General shrine'. The large category of shrines recognised for general administrative purposes. One of the provincial designations of shrines, dating from the mid-Heian period. The category was abolished after 1945. See under Kansha |
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| Hama-ori |
'Going down the beach'. A type of festival in which are carried over or into the sea, either by boat (in festivals called kaijo-togyo) or carried by bearers who go into the sea (kaichu-togyo) See |
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| Shosai |
'Grand Festival'. The top class of festivals as contrasted with chusai (middling festivals) and shosai (minor festivals) It refers to major festivals such as those that attract a After the restoration these festivals were fixed by law, but in the postwar period they are determined by the Honcho in the "jinja saishi kitei" (regulations on shrine festivals) According to these regulations the taisai may for example be a rei-sai or reitaisai ([great] regular festival) niiname-sai (harvest festival) -sai or a festival which has a special historical connection with the shrine |
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| Taisai |
'Grand Festival'. The top class of festivals as contrasted with chusai (middling festivals) and shosai (minor festivals) It refers to major festivals such as those that attract a After the restoration these festivals were fixed by law, but in the postwar period they are determined by the Honcho in the "jinja saishi kitei" (regulations on shrine festivals) According to these regulations the taisai may for example be a rei-sai or reitaisai ([great] regular festival) niiname-sai (harvest festival) -sai or a festival which has a special historical connection with the shrine |
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| Tosho-gu haru no taisai |
'Grand spring rite at Toshogu'. A festival now held on May 17-18th (until 1951 it was on June 1st and 2nd) at the Toshogu shrine in Nikko. It honours the first shogun, Tokugawa, Ieyasu (1542-1616) enshrined as daigongen The procession, which departs from Futarasan jinja, visits the and returns to the Toshogu shrine, comprises about 1200 adults and children dressed in samurai and other costumes of the Tokugawa period |
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| Ontake-kyo |
'Great Mountain sect'. Also known as Mitake-kyo. A religious movement recognised as a Shinto sect (see Kyoha Shinto) in 1882. It was organised in the first half of the nineteenth century by Shimoyama, Osuke as a devotional association to encourage the ritual ascent of Mt. Mitake, popularly known as ontake-san ('Great Mountain') in central Japan, site of a long-standing tradition of mountain worship. Devotees aim to achieve purity of heart and contribute to the spiritual stability of the nation. The object of worship is Ontake okami (the great kami of Ontake) whose will is invoked as an explanation of good and bad fortune. As well as participating in possession and healing, believers practice ascetic rites such as and kugatachi-shiki and other divination and breathing practices |
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| Daimyo |
'Great names'. The territorial lords of feudal Japan. Under the system of the Tokugawa period they were responsible to the for ruling their own feudal domains up to the restoration in 1868. Though historically the wealthiest and most powerful rulers in Japan, they were technically lower in social status than the kuge, the ancient aristocracy surrounding the imperial family who for centuries lived in reduced circumstances in Kyoto and who re-emerged with 19th-century titles of count, baron etc. when the daimyo fell from grace and from power in the Meiji restoration |
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| Daijosai |
'Great new food festival'. A ritual undertaken by the new emperor at the beginning of his reign. It takes place within a temporary sacred compound at the imperial palace called the daijogu and follows the ceremony of accession (senso) and enthronement (sokui rei) The daijosai takes place at the first occurrence of the Niinamesai (new rice) ritual after the enthronement. First fruits are offered by the new emperor to his imperial ancestors including Amaterasu. A meal including boiled and steamed rice and is shared with the kami. The rice and wine derive from different fields (regions) entitled yuki and suki. The ritual is held in the building called the yukiden before midnight and again in the sukiden before dawn. One interpretation holds that the ritual honours the kami and that the emperor ingests strength and protection through the food. Another view is that the ceremony, which involves objects such as a cloak and couch, is a rite of passage, a kind of incubation of the new emperor, during which he is infused with the soul of Amaterasu |
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| Temizu |
'Hand-water'. It refers to the action of ritually cleansing the hands and mouth with water at a temizu-ya, on entry to a shrine. The temizu-ya contains a tank or large basin of running water (but see Isuzu in Suzu) and generally wooden ladles with which to pour the water. See |
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| Tenjin |
'Heavenly Deity'. This honorific title is universally understood to refer to the deified spirit of the scholar and eminent imperial adviser Sugawara, Michizane (845-903) head of the Sugawara clan. He was unjustly banished to the governorship of Kyushu in 901 as the result of slander by the empress's brother, a and instead of taking up his government duties retired to Dazaifu to write poetry, where he died protesting his innocence two years later. A series of disasters at the capital and the sudden deaths of his former enemies were interpreted as vengeful acts of Michizane's unquiet spirit, or In an attempt to pacify his spirit he was posthumously pardoned, promoted in rank and eventually enshrined with titles including Tenman, Kitano daimyojin and the highest possible rank of Tenjin 'heavenly kami'. By the twelfth century he was identified with Kannon bosatsu. As an exemplar of literary skills he is now petitioned by parents and children as a kami of educational success, He is enshrined at Dazaifu and at thousands of other Kitano Tenjin shrines, most called -tenman-gu |
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| Kappa tenno-sai |
'Heavenly-emperor kappa festival'. A festival held in Tokyo at the Ebara jinja, Shinagawa during the weekend nearest to June 7th. The festival is held to pray for a good harvest and success in the fishing industry, and the which form the procession are borne into the sea. The name of the festival flatters the with the title of 'heavenly emperor', evidently to win his favour as the deity of water |
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| Aoi-matsuri |
'Hollyhock Festival'. A festival of prayer for abundant grain harvests, elements of which date back to the 7th century. It is held every May 15 in Kyoto at the two Kamo shrines, the Shimogamo (or Kamo-wake-ikazuchi) jinja and the Kamigamo (or Kamo-mi-oya) jinja. A court messenger's procession (roto-no-gi) of ox-drawn carts (gissha) a palanquin carrying the horses with golden saddles and around 600 participants (omiya-bito) dressed in Heian period costume all adorned with hollyhock (aoi or katsura) travels from the Kyoto palace through the main streets of Kyoto via Shimagamo jinja to Kamigamo jinja. The costumes include those of The origins of the rite are unclear but it is popularly traced to the time of the legendary emperor Kimmei (reigned 539-571) when in order to appease the two kami whose had taken the form of torrential rains, men wearing the masks of wild boars rode horses with tiny bells attached up and down the shrine area |
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| Tenno-rei |
'Imperial soul'. The idea that each new emperor receives, at the the eternal imperial soul passed down through the previous emperor |
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| Tanritsu jinja |
'Individually-established shrine'. A postwar category of shrine, referred to also as a tanritsu shukyo dantai or 'independent religious body'. It means that the shrine, usually because it is important enough to be self-supporting and self-governing, is affiliated neither with the countrywide Honcho nor with other smaller shrine networks such as the Jinja Honkyo in Kyoto. Examples of tanritsu shrines include the Yasukuni jinja, Fushimi Inari taisha and Omiwa taisha |
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| Ise ko |
'Ise group'. A traditional local confraternity (ko) whose members, who are usually of the same age-group, meet periodically for devotional or social gatherings and to save up money for the time-honoured purpose of sending representatives to worship at the Jingu, though the money may in practice be used for other trips |
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| En-musubi |
'Joining of en'. En means karmic connections or affinity, and en-musubi means marriage. Certain shrines including the taisha offer en-musubi (or ryoen) as a |
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| Misogi-harai-no-kami |
'Kami of purification'. The kami produced by Izanagi's purification (misogi) following his visit to They are often worshipped collectively at the entrance to large shrines. See |
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| Shinkai |
'Kami-status'. The rank or status of a shrine. See seido |
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| Ke-mari |
'Kick-ball'. A kind of football game popular among the aristocracy in which a deerskin ball has to be kept off the ground among the players. It is ritually performed on January 4th at the Shimogamo jinja, Kyoto as part of the New Year ceremonies |
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| Koma-inu |
'Korean dogs'. Two statues of lion-like dogs, one with mouth open, the other with mouth shut, who guard or decorate the entrance to a shrine. Because of their appearance they are also known as shishi-koma-inu |
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