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2033 Shikinen Sengū

Karimihishirogibassaishiki

The Karimihishirogibassaishiki (仮御樋代木伐採式) is another ceremony leading up to the Shikinen Sengū (式年遷宮) at Isë Jingū (伊勢神宮), and was held on May 17th in the mountain forests in in Kiso, Nagano Prefecture that are supplying much of the timber for the rebuilding process. It was reported in the 25th May issue of Jinja Shinpō. In Japanese, parts of the name are self-explanatory. “Shiki” is “ceremony”, while “bassai” means “felling (a tree)”, and “gi” is “tree”. “Kari” means “temporary” or “substitute” or “provisional” — it is the character used in the… Read More »Karimihishirogibassaishiki

Kozukuri Hajimesai

The next of the important ceremonies in the Shikinen Sengū (式年遷宮) at Isë Jingū (伊勢神宮) took place on April 21st, and was reported in the May 4th issue of Jinja Shinpō. This was the Kozukuri Hajimesai (木造始祭), or “matsuri for the beginning of making the wood”. This is one of the ceremonies for which the date and time are decided by the Tennō, meaning that it is one of the most central. (There are records from a couple of centuries ago of discussions back and forth over the best day… Read More »Kozukuri Hajimesai

Okihiki Zomëshiki

The 63rd Shikinen Sengū (式年遷宮) at Isë Jingū (伊勢神宮) continues, with another important event in mid April. This was reported on the front and back pages of the April 27th issue of Jinja Shinpō and addressed in the editorial. As you might guess from the title of this post, this event is called the “Okihiki Zomëshiki” (御木曳初式). Literally translated, this means something like “ceremony for the beginning of pulling the exalted trees”. You may remember that there have already been two ceremonies involving the pulling of trees, for the Mihishiro… Read More »Okihiki Zomëshiki

Visiting Jingū

The front page of the January 12th issue of Jinja Shinpō carried an article about the visit of Prime Minister Takaichi and eleven cabinet ministers to pay their respects at Isë Jingū on the 5th. After visiting the Outer and Inner Sanctuaries, they offered kagura (which is the Jingū version of a formal prayer, gokitō), and Takaichi gave a press conference at the Jingū office. In the press conference, she summarised her plans as prime minister, and affirmed the significance of the Shikinen Sengū. This is a tradition. As I… Read More »Visiting Jingū

Start of Weaving

The ceremonies to mark the beginnings of the various parts of the 63rd Shikinen Sengū continue. The 8th December issue of Jinja Shinpō reported on another — the ceremony to mark the start of weaving. I reported on the ceremony to mark the start of spinning a few months ago, so that has clearly progressed far enough for them to move to the next stage. This ceremony was held on November 27th, at the factory in Kyoto where the weaving will be carried out. The company specialises in artistic weaving,… Read More »Start of Weaving

Imperial Offering

The main news on the front page of the November 17th issue of Jinja Shinpō was that the Tennō (天皇) and Empress have made a personal donation to the Shikinen Sengū (式年遷宮) at Isë Jingū (伊勢の神宮). Now, it is true that just about anything Shinto-related that the Tennō does makes the front page of Jinja Shinpō, but this also got an editorial, because it is extremely significant, and not just because it involves both the Tennō and the Shikinen Sengū. There are two aspects to Jingū, as seen by the… Read More »Imperial Offering