Encyclopedia of Shinto

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カテゴリー1： 5. Rites and Festivals
カテゴリー2： Individual Shrine Observances
Title
Kamiari matsuri
Text
"Kami are present festival." A rite held on the 10th through 17th days of the 10th month of the lunar calendar at Izumo Shrine in the town of Taisha, Hikawa District, Shimane Prefecture. Generally, October is referred to as kannazuki (the month when kami are not present). However, since kami from throughout the country gather at Izumo during this month, it is referred to there as kamiarizuki (the month when kami are present). There is a rite on the 10th to welcome the kami. After the rite, all of the shrine's priests (shinshoku) enter a period of abstinence and purification (monoimi) that lasts until the 17th as they perform rituals for the kami from around the country who are believed to have gathered at 19 subshrines to either side of the sanctuary. This is also known as the oimimatsuri (abstinence festival). A ceremony to see the kami on their way is held on the evening of the 17th. White-robed priests carry sakaki draped with shide (paper strips that are a type of offering) and, concealing the surroundings with a white cloth, send the kami on their way. This send-off ritual is also known as the karasade shinji. There is a similar kamiari matsuri at Sata Shrine at Sata in the town of Kajima, Yatsuka District, Shimane Prefecture, that starts on November 20, with a karasade rite held on the evening of the 25th.
— Mogi Sakae

Pronunciation in Japanese/用語音声

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