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sacred forests

Matsuri for Nature

The July 14th issue of Jinja Shinpō included an extremely interesting article by a consultant for Jinja Honchō called… Oh! Will you look at that? David Chart! Is my faux naïf act fooling anyone? I had another article published in Jinja Shinpō. It suggests that jinja could perform matsuri to celebrate features of nature in their local area. That could be an old tree, or the cherry blossoms, or fireflies, or birds, or the first snow of the year — anything. I suggested that the matsuri could be held outside,… Read More »Matsuri for Nature

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

Sacred Forests and Biodiversity

The May 12th issue of Jinja Shinpō had a substantial article on sacred forests and biodiversity. Under the Convention on Biological Diversity, areas that are not formally protected can be officially recognised as “OECM” — Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures. (The “other” seems to mean “other than protected areas”, and “area-based” has vanished from the abbreviation.) This broadly means areas in which biodiversity is protected as a side-effect of other human activities. The Japanese government has introduced laws to formalise this status in the past, and a new law covering… Read More »Sacred Forests and Biodiversity

Mihishiroki Hōeishiki

At the end of February, Isë Jingū announced the dates for the first large public events of the 63rd Shikinen Sengū, and this was reported in the 10th March issue of Jinja Shinpō. The Mihishiroki Hōeishiki will take place on June 9th at the Inner Sanctuary and June 10th at the Outer Sanctuary. This is the “Honourable Hishiro Tree Pull Offering Ceremony”, and it involves trees being pulled into the precincts of the Inner and Outer Sanctuaries. These are (almost) the most sacred trees in the whole ceremony — the… Read More »Mihishiroki Hōeishiki