Sengū
Sengū (遷宮) is the Japanese term for the transfer of a shintai to a Shintō shrine.[1] When the honden, the main hall of a Shintō shrine, is repaired or rebuilt, the shintai must be moved. Ceremonies to mark this occasion are also called Sengū.
Shikinen sengū (式年遷宮) is the term used for ceremonies at Ise-jingū (Mie Prefecture) and Sumiyoshi taisha in Ōsaka in which the main hall is identically and completely rebuilt at fixed intervals (shikinen) on one of two adjacent sites. At the shrine renewal, the shintai is then transferred to the new honden at a solemn ceremony (sengū) and the old building is burned down. One of the new sacred mirrors is offered at this time by the Tennō himself. It is said that this ceremony is related to the Shikinensai, the commemoration of the anniversary of the death of a historical emperor.
In addition to the shrines at Ise and Sumiyoshi, such ceremonies were once held at other shrines, including the Katori-jingū, the Kashima-jingū, the Usa-jingū, the Kasuga-taisha, and the Suwa-taisha (the Onbashira-sai).
The term Sengū is used only for the sanctuary of a Shintō shrine; another term is used for the procession of the imperial palace, a Buddhist temple, or a statue of Buddha: Senza (遷座).
Weblinks
- Nakanishi Masayuki: „Shikinensengū“. In: Encyclopedia of Shinto. Kokugaku-in, 11. November 2006 (englisch)
- Kateigaho International Edition - Artikel über das Shikinen-sengū - Englisch
- The Shikinen Sengu ceremony in Ise Jingu
References
- ^ "Basic Terms of Shinto詳細". 國學院大學デジタルミュージアム (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-03-04.