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カテゴリー1： 5. Rites and Festivals
カテゴリー2： Individual Shrine Observances
Title
Chinka sai
Text
"Festival for the Pacification of Fire." A monoimi (purificatory abstinence) ritual held on the evening of July 19 at Mononobe Jinja Shrine in Ōda City, Shimane Prefecture. In the past, this ritual was observed in the evening of all the Days of the Horse in the sixth month of the lunar calendar, when use of musical instruments in the village was forbidden. Today, the taboo on playing musical instruments on shrine precincts (keidai) is still observed from before dawn on the day of the festival, and priests (shinshoku) undergo ritual purification (misogi) at the seashore. At around eight o'clock in the evening another ritual of preparatory purification (shubatsu) is held in front of the main torii, and all take their seats at the haiden for the beginning of the ceremonies. The chief priest (gūji) enters the haiden to worship, accompanied by the assembled priests' three chantings of "yōin", in a rite called kamiokoshi (waking the kami). From this moment the taboo on musical instruments is lifted and ritual music is performed.
Another chinkasai is held at Itsukushima Shrine in Miyajima Town, Saeki District, Hiroshima Prefecture on the evening of December 31. Parishioners (ujiko) light torches from a sacred flame started by rubbing sticks together. Ashes from the torches are later placed on the altars (kamidana) in the homes as a charm against fire.
A chinkasai is also held at Iyahiko Shrine in the town of Iyahiko, Kanbara District, Niigata Prefecture on April 1 and November 1. The shrine priests (shinshoku) perform ablutions (misogi) at Nozumi no Hama beach prior to the festival. On festival day, the priests prepare special offerings (tamagushi) by tying together a sakaki and a bamboo branch of about 60 centimeters in length and hanging paper circles on them. The offeringas are then placed in the center of the haiden. Next, the priests perform a sacred song (kamiuta) to the accompaniment of kakko (hourglass-shaped drums used in gagaku). Led by the gūji, they worship one by one in front of the tamagushi. A special offering (shinsen) known as ōmike is presented on the first day of the chinkasai.
— Mogi Sakae

Pronunciation in Japanese/用語音声

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