Encyclopedia of Shinto

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カテゴリー1： 5. Rites and Festivals
カテゴリー2： State Rites
Title
Chinka-sai (hi/ho shizume no matsuri)
Text
"Festival for appeasing the fire deity" Also called "hi/ho shizume no matsuri." Recorded in the Jingiryō as one of the so-called rituals of the Ritsuryō Shinto system. Ryō no gige mentions the festival as a fire-prevention rite, although it may have been intended more to prevent fires within the imperial palace and other state facilities rather than fires in general. This biannual festival was held in the sixth and twelfth months of the lunar calendar at each of the corners of the imperial palace corresponding the four directions. Oral traditions exist about the concrete details of these rituals, but in many cases their content is far from clear.  According to the Kujikongen, many "secret practices" were used during the festival. The central deity (saijin) of the festival is the kami Homusubi, Izanami's last offspring according to the Engishiki. The liturgy (norito) of this rite tells the story of Homusubi's birth and enumerates the various deities and objects that are effective in appeasing him, thus linking Shinto myth and ritual. Being performed by the diviners Urabe of the Department of Divinities (Jingikan), the festival also contains a strong element of yin-yang divination onmyōdō.
— Namiki Kazuko

Pronunciation in Japanese/用語音声

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