Ise Shrine and its KIGO

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. Ise-Shima 伊勢志摩 と伝説 Legends about Ise-Shima .
. Ise 伊勢と伝説 Legends about the Shrine at Ise .
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Ise Shrine and its KIGO

***** Location: Ise, Japan
***** Season: Various, see below
***** Category: Observance

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Explanation

Ise Grand Shrine (伊勢神宮, Ise Jingū) is a Shinto shrine dedicated to goddess Amaterasu-ōmikami, located in the city of Ise in Mie prefecture, Japan. Officially known simply as Jingū (神宮), Ise Jingū is in fact a shrine complex composed of a large number of Shinto shrines centered on two main shrines, Naikū (内宮) and Gekū (外宮).


Purportedly the home of the Sacred Mirror, the shrine is arguably one of Shinto's holiest and most important sites.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

shinbyoo 神廟 Shinbyo, "a sacred place for the deity". another name for the Ise Jingu Shrine.
Also used for other great shrines or shrines that hold the remains of a dead deified person, for example Tokugawa Ieyasu.

The Grand Shrine at Ise is closely related to the rice culture of Japan, with its own rice fields for ritual purposes and a "sacred dining hall" for the deities.

. The Japanese Rice Culture and Ise Shrine .
Shinguu shinden 新宮神田 Shingu rice fields for the deities (at Shingu shrine)
mikeden 御鐉殿 "the sacred dining hall"

. shinden 神田 / saiden 斎田 rice paddies for rituals .

source : Ise Jingu - Shingu shrine

. shinshi 神使 the divine messenger .
at Ise Jingu is niwatori 鶏 the rooster.

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Reiheishi れいへいし【例幣使】
An envoy who was sent from the Imperial court to the Grand Shrines of Ise (Ise Jingū) to present offerings (hōbei 奉幣) for the Kannamesai.
Also referred as Ise no reiheishi. A reiheishi was one type of royal "messenger" (hōbeishi) who brought offerings to shrines. From the medieval period onwards, the presentation of offerings for the Kannamesai was referred to as reihei (regular offerings), and thus the envoy was called a reiheishi.

It was customary to dispatch the messenger on the eleventh day of the ninth month. The chief messenger was selected by divination from amongst the Ō clan. Officials of the Jingikan (Department of Divinities) surnamed Nakatomi, Inbe, or Urabe accompanied him. The first recorded reiheshi was sent in 721.

The practice was discontinued after the Ōnin Disturbance (1467-77), but was revived in 1647 in the Edo Period. However, prior to this (in 1646) the Nikkō reiheishi was initiated. This was a practice in which the court sent messengers to the "main ceremony" (reisai) held at the Tōshōgū in Nikkō where Tokugawa Ieyasu was enshrined. During the Edo period, this latter reiheishi was better known, and thus in contemporary documents the word reiheishi usually implies Nikkō reiheishi.

Offerings of heihaku made to shrines and imperial tombs by order of the Emperor. The term also refers to an envoy who bore these offerings, (alternatively called the hōbeishi). The characters can also be read as hōhei.
The hōbei usually accompanied an imperial message (senmyō) but the paper used for the message differed according to the shrine: for example, the paper used for The Grand Shrines of Ise was a deep blue (hanada-iro), and that for Kamo Shrine was crimson (kurenai-iro), while for other shrines, yellow paper was used.

After the Ōnin War (1467-1477) they ceased entirely, except for the offerings sent to the Grand Shrines of Ise.
Currently hōbei are sent to Ise Shrine and the other venues of imperial rites known as chokusaisha and also to imperial mausolea for Shikinensai memorial rites. Envoys who carry offerings from the Association of Shintō Shrines (Jinjahonchō) to various shrines are currently called kenpeishi.
source : Inoue Nobutaka . Kokugakuin University.

kigo see below

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Kan'namesai かんなめさい【神嘗祭】 Kannamesai

. . . CLICK here for Photos !

A rite at the Ise Shrines celebrating the imperial lineage’s divine ancestry by offering first fruits to Amaterasu Ōmikami on the seventeenth day of the tenth month; the harvest festival of those shrines.

the emperor was to dispatch the imperial ritualist (hōbeishi) on the eleventh day of the ninth lunar month to perform the offering in the Daigokuden (which was known as the Koyasumidono in ancient times). The term reihei, referring to the imperial tribute offered in this ritual, first appears in the fifth year of the Yōrō era (721).

on the seventeenth day of the ninth month, within the palace the formal rite (haishiki) was to be performed at Kōtai Jingū and the “distant rite” (yōhai) was to be performed at upper and middle palaces by the one-hundred ministers of the court. This proclamation rested on the view that, in rites for the imperial ancestors, the Kashikodokoro (because it enshrines the yata no kagami, or sacred imperial mirror) was spiritually linked to the Ise Shrines; and thus the Kashikodokoro was regarded as a substitute (godaigū) for the Ise Shrines within the palace. Thus, on the day of the kannamesai festival, both “worship from afar” and direct worship of the imperial ancestors by the emperor himself (shinsai) were performed within the imperial palace.

With the change to the solar calendar, the seventeenth of the ninth month fell at a time when the harvest had not yet ripened, so in 1878 the ritual was moved to October.

source : Nakanishi Masayuki . Kokugakuin University.
shintōistisches Erntedankfest

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kigo for all spring



. Ise Mairi 伊勢参り Ise Shrine Pilgrimage
Ise sanguu 伊勢参宮（いせさんぐう）
O-kage mairi お陰参り　（おかげまいり）"Thanks pilgrimage" or "blessing pilgrimage"
nuke mairi 抜参（ぬけまいり）leaving secretly and beg your way to Ise
saka mukae 坂迎え（さかむかえ）
isekoo 伊勢講（いせこう）Ise Shrine Group
daidai koo 太々講（だいだいこう）... see below for Kagura dance

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kigo for early summer



Ise kanmiso no matsuri
伊勢神御衣祭 いせかんみそのまつりjinngunkanmisosai 神宮神御衣祭（じんぐんかんみそさい）
miso no matsuri 御衣祭（みそのまつり）
kanso matsuri 神衣祭（かんそまつり）

offerings of summer garments
to the deities at Ise shrine
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

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Ise no o-taue 伊勢の御田植 (いせのおたうえ)
planting rice at Ise
mitamatsuri 御田祭（みたまつり）
"festival of the honorable rice fields"
... omitamatsuri, o-mita matsuri お御田祭（おみたまつり）
Yamada no o-taue 山田の御田植（やまだのおたうえ）
planting rice at Yamada
otaue ogi 御田扇（おたおうぎ） fan for the planting rice ceremony

Before the official rice planting at the small town of Yamada, offerings of rice, fish and fruit are made to the deities. Then the priests and shrine maidens plant the rice which will be harvested by them in autumn and then used for the offerings at the shrine.

Used to be on May 20, but now a sunday close do this date.
In the village of Isobe, it is done on June 24.



When the planting is over, two priest with large fans perform a dance along the path between the rice paddies.

Performed at the Izo no Miya, see below.

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kigo for mid-autumn



Ise gosenguu 伊勢御遷宮 (いせごせんぐう)
transposition of the shrine's sanctuary
. . . . . gosenguu 御遷宮（ごせんぐう）Gosengu Ceremony

This takes plase every 20 years, started more than 1300 years ago.
The shrine buildings at the Naiku and Geku, as well as the Uji Bridge, are rebuilt every 20 years. This is part of the Shinto belief of the death and renewal of nature and the impermanence of all things (wabi-sabi). It is also an opportunity to pass on building techniques from one generation to the next.
The next rebuilding of Ise Shrine is due in 2013.

tootosa ni mina oshi-ainu gosenguu

For holiness,
Everyone has pushed others in the crowd.
The Shrine Removal !
Tr. Oseko

Discussion and more Haiku about Holiness by
. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .

MORE - hokku about visiting the Ise Shrine
. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .

The 62nd Jingu Shikinen Sengu in 2013 伊勢式年遷宮
- - - Details
. WKD : Jingu Shikinen Sengu in 2013 .

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kigo for late autumn

reihei 例幣 (れいへい) imperial envoy
Ise Hoohei 伊勢奉幣（いせほうへい） Imperial Envoy to Ise

kanname no matsuri 神嘗祭 (かんなめのまつり)
kannamesai 晩秋 神嘗祭（かんなめさい）
shinjoosai 神嘗祭（しんじょうさい）

. Kurama no hi matsuri 鞍馬の火祭 Kurama Fire Festival
also called kanname sai 神嘗祭
October 22

explanation see above

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kigo for mid-winter

Daijinguu fuda kubari
大神宮札配 (だいじんぐうふだくばり)
presenting amulets from Daijingu


From the shrine Koo Daijingu 皇大神宮 amulets 大麻(taima)（お札） are presented to the other Ise shrines in Japan.
The head priest of each shrine will then give them to the parishioner families.
In olden times, priests would walk all the way throughout Japan.

kigo for late winter

Saiguu no ema 斎宮絵馬 (さいぐうのえま)
votiv tablets from Saigu
Itsuki no miya no ema 斎宮絵馬（いつきのみやのえま）

At the Emado hall of votive tablets at the Saigu Shrine in Mie, 多気郡明和町, this ritual is held at the last day of the year of the lunar calendar.
The old ema are replaced and the good or bad luck for the coming year is foretold.



Ise saiguu 伊勢斎宮
This shrine is about 20 km away from the main Ise shrine.

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observance kigo for the New Year

. Hatsu Ise 初伊勢 First visit to the Ise Shrine 　


chakkirako ちゃっきらこ / チャッキラコ Chakirako dance festival
hatsu Ise odori 初伊勢踊 first Ise dance
hiyari odori 日やり踊
sagichoo odori 左義長踊 Sagicho Dance

At the shrine Kainan Jinja 海南神社 in Miura Peninsula Kanagawa.
On January 15.
The women come together, sing and dance.
They make a sound with special bamboo tools (ayadake 綾竹) which sounds like
chakkirako .


. sagichoo 左義長 Sagicho fire and dance .

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伊勢大神楽　Ise-ookagura　Ise Ookagura

Ise Ookagura is a theatrical dance in the Shinto religion. The dance troupes traveled around remote areas for those who could not visit and worship at the Ise Shrine. The history of Ise Ookagura dates back more than 600 years.
The performance is composed of two elements: “dance” from shishi-mai lion dance and “music” called houkagei, which later became known as Daidougei or street performance.

Ise Ookagura starts with a slow and elegant bell dance, followed by the Shiguruma Dance and the humorous Leap Dance, in which Sarutahiko (a monkey boy) jumps around a sleeping shishi lion.
The houkagei music performance has a wide repertory, including the Music of Ayatori (“cat’s cradle”) in which performers manipulate wooden poles freely and the Music of Plates, in which performers do dish-spinning tricks with long poles, to pray for a rich harvest. Between the performances, houkagei performers and a clown act comically together. The performance then finishes with Rankyoku music.

Ise Ookagura was designated an Important Intangible Cultural Asset by the Japanese government in 1983. Ise Ookagura, which originally started with 12 troupes, is still preserved by a handful of troupes that travel around Japan to pass down their historical culture to future generations.
source : nippon-kichi.jp


Ise Daikagura

Ise Daidai Kagura 伊勢 大々神楽 (だいだいかぐら)

. WKD : Ise Kagura

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Ise Ondo 伊勢温度　Ise Song and Dance


Ryuryukyo Shinsai (1764 – 1820)

This is one of the most famous folk songs and dances. It spread over most of Japan because the Ise Pilgrims have been singing it.

- quote -
Ise Ondo Koi no Netaba 伊勢音頭恋寝刃
The Ise Dances and Love's Dull Blade
The drama "Ise Ondo Koi no Netaba" was premiered in the 7th lunar month of 1796 in Ôsaka, produced at the Kado no Shibai by the zamoto Fujikawa Hachizô III].

The play is loosely based on a real killing spree which took place in Furuichi (aburaya Sôdô), and which caused a sensation, about two months before the play's premiere in the 7th lunar month of 1796. The murders that inspired it having taken place in summer, "Ise Ondo" is a "summer play", with characters wearing light cotton yukata and using fans, and the Aburaya House of Pleasure's curtains being decorated with patterns of flowing water and floating bowls.
- Full text of all scenes :
Scenes no longer normally staged
Penultimate scene of Act I: by a jizô statue in a field
Last scene of Act I: Futami-ga-Ura
Final scene of Act II (which is not normally performed): within the precincts of the Ise Shrine
Act III, Scene 1: a room in the Aburaya House of Pleasure in Furuichi
Act III, Scene 2: in inner courtyard at the Aburaya
Act IV - versions
- source : kabuki21.com -


CLICK for more kabuki photos !


. Japanese Legends - 伝説　民話　昔話 – ABC-List .

A legend from Nara, 橿原市 Kashihara town
A man named 惣五郎 Sogoro once finished planting a large rice field, when he found a young fox dead by the field side. So he burried the poor animal and said prayers for its soul.
At night he heard voices of five or six people at the door, calling out:
"Hey you rice-planter Sogoro, we pulled them all out!"
It must have been the parents of the young fox, who by mistake thought he had killed their child.
Sogoro took pity on them too, sat by the field and explained the events again and again.
That night he heard the voices again, singing the Ise Ondo and then telling him:
"Sorry we pulled your plants out! But now, they are all replanted!"
Next morning he found some 鏡餅 offerings in front of his door and all the fields were planted as before.

- reference : Nichibun Yokai Database -

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Izoo no Miya 伊雜宮 Izo no Miya
伊雜宮
Izawa no Miya 伊雑宮（いざわのみや）Izooguu いぞうぐう
磯部の宮、磯部の大神宮さん
This is a separate shrine within the Ise compound, where the Taue field-planting takes place.



葉月潮 伊雑の宮を さしてゆく
hazukijio Izoo no miya o sashite yuku

The tides of August
coming on a pilgrimage
to the Izoo Shrine.

. Yamaguchi Seishi 山口誓子 .
Composed 1976.
In August the great tides of the Pacific Ocean roll into Matoya Bay and, after passing through a narrow strait, enter the Izoo Lagoon. A god is enshrined at the Izoo Shrine there, and the great tides come all that way to worship the god.
Tr. Kodaira & Marks

There is now a beautiful red bridge over Matoya Bay 的矢湾大橋 and a memorial stone with this haiku by Seishi.
source :　www.kanko-shima.com


. WKD : hazuki 葉月 (はづき) leaf month, .


source :　facebook

太一は天の中心に位置する北極神と解され、天皇大帝や昊天上帝といった至高神と同定されることもあった。
大団扇（おおうちわ）の「太一」
大団扇が立てられている右方向に伊雑宮の森があり、絵の船はお宮に向って進んでいるように描かれています。

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Worldwide use

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Things found on the way

. WASHOKU
Ise udon 伊勢うどん served at the shrine Ise Jingu 　

awabimeshi, awabi-meshi あわびめし rice with abalone
Ise ebi 伊勢エビ料理 lobster from Ise
Ise takuan 伊勢たくあん pickles radish from Ise
Itoin Senbei, ito-in senbei 絲印煎餅 Senbei with a "stamp like a thread"
Manjuu kaidoo 饅頭街道 Manju Road
. WASHOKU
Local Dishes from Mie　三重県の郷土料理 　


. Toyouke Oomikami 豊受大神 (とようけおおみかみ) .
Toyouke Omikami, Toyoukehime no Kami
The goddess of agriculture and industry in the Shinto religion.
Worshipped at the Lower Shrine, Gegu 下宮 in Ise.
She offers food to Amaterasu.
and
an explanation about the chigi 千木 "1000 roof beams" of a Shinto shrine.

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. Eto 干支　 Zodiac Animal Amulets .


. shinkei 神鶏土鈴 sacred rooster clay bells
from the Great Ise Shrine


. Folk Toys from Mie .


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HAIKU

gekuu, gekū 外宮　outer shrine complex of Ise
naikuu, naikū 内宮 inner shrine complex of Ise
伊勢神宮 Ise Jingu, Ise Grand Shrine
. WKD : Ise - Geku and Naiku - and HAIKU .

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春めくや人さまざまの伊勢まいり
haru meku ya hito samazama no Ise mairi

spring in full swing -
everyone has his own way
of visiting the Ise shrine
Yamamoto Kakei 山本荷兮
慶安元年（１６４８）～享保元年（１７１６）
doctor from Nagoya
From the Poem Collection "Days of spring" 春の日.


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. WKD : Kobayashi Issa 小林一茶 .

おのづから頭が下る也神ぢ山
onozukara zu ga sagaru nari Kamiji yama

by itself
my head bows...
Mount Kamiji
Tr. David Lanoue

A hill dedicated to the sun goddess Amateru, Mount Kamiji is located in a garden in the inner precincts of Ise shrine. Since Issa composed the poem in First Month in Shinano Province, 300 kilometers north of Ise shrine, he must have relied on memory and imagination when composing this haiku.

Issa bows to the sacred hill. More accurately, "the head, by itself" is bowing without conscious intention on the part of the poet. For this reason, I first translated zu ga sagaru literally as "the head bows," rather than "my head bows." However, in a note on a similar haiku in which a head "by itself bows," Shinji Ogawa writes that first person, "my head," preserves the poem's intensity in English.
David Lanoue



Kamijiyama 神路山 Mount Kamijiyama, about 400 m high


神垣や白い花には白い蝶
kamigaki ya shiroi hana ni wa shiroi choo

fence of the Gods -
a white butterfly
on a white flower
Tr. Gabi Greve
inverting lines 2 and 3 for more fluent English


. kamigaki 神垣 the "Fence of the Gods" to the inner shrine .

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Related words

. 'O-Ise-san in Tokyo' - 東京大神宮 Tokyo Daijingu .


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. Ise-Shima 伊勢志摩 と伝説 Legends about Ise-Shima .

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