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Jingū

Silk for Sacred Treasures

In the Shikinen Sengū (式年遷宮) at Isë Jingū (伊勢神宮), the rebuilding of the sanctuary buildings gets almost all of the attention. There are a couple of reasons for this, I think. One is that the sanctuary buildings are the only part that visitors can see — although even their visibility is limited. The other is that almost all of the traditional rituals that happen before the transfer itself are connected to rebuilding the sanctuaries, including the ones I have already described on this blog. This indicates that it was always… Read More »Silk for Sacred Treasures

More on Tree Transport

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the delivery of the sacred timber to Isë Jingū (伊勢神宮). However, the July 21st issue of Jinja Shinpō (神社新報) devoted its entire back page to more details of what happened along the way, so I am going to write about it again. There were a lot of matsuri involved. The earlier article covered what happened in Nagano, the starting point for one set of timber. That truck then made its way through Aichi Prefecture, where there were fourteen events and ceremonies along the… Read More »More on Tree Transport

Delivering the Sacred Trees

After the trees that will be used to make the Mihishiro (御樋代) have been felled, they need to be transported to Isë, a couple of hundred kilometres from both the forests where the trees are harvested. Historically, they were floated down the river, and then pulled on carts. These days, most of the journey is done by truck, but there are still a number of ceremonial and celebratory elements, which were reported in the June 23rd issue of Jinja Shinpō. The only departure ceremony described was for the trees felled… Read More »Delivering the Sacred Trees

Misomayamahajimesai

The Misomahajimesai (御杣始祭), an early ceremony of the Shikinen Sengū (式年遷宮) of Isë Jingū (伊勢神宮), was held on June 3rd, and reported in the 16th June issue of Jinja Shinpō (神社新報). This event marks the beginning of the process of harvesting timber for the Sengū, and took place in Kisodani National Forest (木曽谷国有林) in Nagano Prefecture. I wrote about these forests a few weeks ago. The matsuri was first held in its present form in 1902, in preparation for the 1909 Shikinen Sengū. (The 1953 Sengū was originally scheduled for… Read More »Misomayamahajimesai

Forests for Jingū

The Spring 2025 issue of The Imperial Family (皇室) had a substantial article on the forests from which the wood for the Shikinen Sengū (式年遷宮) at Isë Jingū (伊勢神宮) will be harvested. There will be a lot of articles in this magazine on the process, and they come with colour photographs. (On the other hand, most of the magazine is about, well, the Imperial Family. But if you are in Japan and want to get a subscription, they will be delighted — Jinja Honchō (神社本庁) often talks about the need… Read More »Forests for Jingū

Yamaguchisai and Konomotosai

On May 2nd, the first two major matsuri of the 63rd Shikinen Sengū were held: the Yamaguchisai and the Konomotosai. Both of these matsuri are concerned with the timber that will be used in the rebuilding. Before the Yamaguchisai, at 8 am, everyone who would participate in the matsuri paid their respects at Kōtaijingū, the Inner Sanctuary enshrining Amaterasu Ōmikami, and then paid distant reverence to Aramatsuri-no-miya, the highest ranking associated sanctuary, which enshrines Amaterasu Ōmikami’s Aramitama. They then went to a building near the sanctuaries called the Gojōden, for… Read More »Yamaguchisai and Konomotosai