Basic Terms of Shinto 神道基本用語集

詳細表示 (Complete Article)

Title
Saishu
祭主
Text Supreme Priest/Priestess. The highest religious officiant at Ise no Jingû ranking above the daigûji and devoting him/herself entirely to religious ceremonies. From the Heian to the Meiji periods, a male representative from the governmental Bureau of Divinities (Jingikan) held the post. From the Meiji Restoration (1868) to the end of World War II, the post was held by a male member of the imperial family, but a female member now occupies the position, in imitation of the ancient custom of having an unmarried imperial princess, called a mitsue-shiro, serve the shrine in the role of saigû.