Shinsen
shinsen 神饌 literally god food offering offering food given shinto shrine kamidana japan annual festival carried different time year originated shinto ritual festival part ritual local would offer food received special blessing welcome kami god spirit food offered could range staple rice seafood food foraged mountain seasonal food local specialty food connected enshrined kami end ritual offered food eaten together gain sense unity kami gain blessing protection rite known naorai shrine building dedicated preparing shinsen shrine separate shrine office outside using shimenawa priest ujiko someone worship ujigami purified abstaining meat prepare offering purifying fire known imibi used ensure saliva breath touch shinsen common priest cover mouth paper care put preparation shinsen even whose relative recently met illness death allowed take part meiji era imperial court would send chief steward festival held imperial ground kasuga festival held kasuga grand shrine prepare offering upon emperor meijis order revive traditional ceremony shinsen offered returned unique kind given festival tied imperial family preparation carried regular shinto priest underlying concept one sincerity many change content shinsen depending season region region custom offering first produce year altar without eating remains also area offering selected amongst seasonal food grain ever since japan learned cultivate rice spring season plow field autumn season harvest crop become foundation japanese society believed kami food agriculture ukanomitama resides within rice rice deeply connected way life reason food drink made rice mochi sake form omiki staple offering much even saying say kami without sake however ritual specific form specific offering standardized either specialty food aside grain also common seafood vegetable offered shrine offer fowl however rare animal meat offered shinsen engishiki list many specific offering sacred sake various kind mochi also contains record prepare dish like simmered bonito sweetfish boiled brine crucian carp simmered hishio although many shrine desire shinsen made vegetable emit strong smell buddhist diet known kinkunshoku shrine go example garlic offered kamigamo shrine animal meat offered shiromi shrine rite known onie carried head boar hunted year offered shrine people honoured died war common offer beer cigarette offtheshelf item also considered shinsen local specialty item tied tradition often given shinsen continued present day many remained form region characteristic shinto ritual example nara prefecture burdock ritual shimane prefecture eggplant ritual shiga prefecture cucumber festival kyoto wasabi festival tokyo sumomo plum festival food symbolising ripe harvest shrine mimi shrine mihama fukui prefecture suwa shrine nambu aomori prefecture miho shrine found matsue shimane prefecture offered dioscorea tokoro plant regularly eaten everyday life three different interpretation tokoro offered three different shrine offered mimi shrine thanks keeping hunger bay famine miho shrine said lucky charm book edo period resulting used talisman new year suwa shrine traditionally used medicinal property tougashi food prepared oil often given shinsen oil traditionally made ingredient sesame seed kaya walnut said method using oil fry food came china leading called tougashi chinese sweet sweet called hesodango named look like belly button heso offered kobe ikuta shrine made beating rice rice flour rolling ball pressing finger middle made semicircular shape like gyoza dumpling instead called buto laced together way look like called magarimochi cylindershaped called baishi though originally made splitting yshape plant also many shrine offer plant example isagawa shrine nara offer sake barrel decorated sasayuri lily enshrined deity himetataraisuzuhimenomikoto lived mount miwa young legend bank saigawa river flow area lily bloomed even lily offered shinsen come mount miwa order prevent treatment shinsen changing offering kami simply regular mundane item many detail tied offering shinsen passed generation generation among trusted family member mindlessly spread method result written record left often personal memo official record left behind also case preparation shinsen many shrine longer know tradition make certain offering written record left however also shrine upon realising would difficult pas certain aspect preparation traditional method chose leave written record great council state issued proclamation abolishing hereditary system shinto priest new generation succeeded last attempt pas information katori shrine noted detail ritual various document amongst detail attached illustration light imibi required tool use cut weave manchurian wild rice used make vessel hold offering prepare dry fish make purifying smoke area ujiko prepared shinsen method passed group known miyaza family took leading role miyaza known touya head family central figure family called tounin according record detailing system tounin required go extreme fasting shrine miho shrine still retain strict rule pertaining example someone chosen tounin must go purification four year without fail always ensure pray shrine midnight meet anyone time required restart beginning shrine even one finally became tounin go strict training required remain room impurity removed restricted meeting woman meeting anyone gained respect villager gained authority become tounin general rule part miyaza male household female position well rare current day rural shrine struggle find successor occasion amount mochi needed large take lot time people prepare much would impossible single shrine priest take resort buying already steamed pounded mochi store take shaping mochi originally head priest kitano tenmangu shrine would stay chamber seven day ritual would eat food made woman would made man attended ritual ritual eased abstaining meat three day taking consideration duty required priest however priest taking preparation simply due lack successor rather descendent follower sugawara michizane prepare shinsen legend sugawara michizane sent dazaifu follower returned kyoto belonging kitano tenmangu shrine built one prepare offer shinsen continuing life purifying spirit dead osechi omiki 南里空海 神饌 世界文化社 isbn 岩井宏實 神饌 神と人との饗宴 法政大学出版局 isbn 増田昭子 雑穀の社会史 吉川弘文館 isbn 上田正昭 春日大社 秘儀開封 生きている正倉院 角川書店 isbn 井上順孝 図解雑学シリーズ図解雑学 神道 ナツメ社 isbn 國學院大學日本文化研究所 日本の食とこころ そのルーツと行方 慶友社 isbn 吉川雅章 談山神社の祭 嘉吉祭神饌「百味の御食」 綜文館 ise jingu – english – ise grand shrine shinto shrine dedicated sun goddess amaterasu jinja honcho – english – official japanese organization shinto shrine