Encyclopedia of Shinto
| Main Menu: | |
| Links: |
詳細表示 (Complete Article)
| カテゴリー1： | 4. Jinja (Shrines) |
|---|---|
| カテゴリー2： | Ritual Implements and Vestments |
| Title | An |
| Text | A table-like platform used during rites and ceremonies to hold heihaku, shinsen, tamagushi, and other ritual implements. An may also be called heihakuan, shinsen an, and tamagushi an to differentiate their specific purposes. Various sizes and shapes are used, and they may have four, eight, or sixteen legs. The type most frequently used today has eight legs, four per side, and is called hassoku an, hakkyaku an, or hassoku tsukue; any of these terms may be abbreviated and called hassoku or hakkyaku. Under the ritual system outlined in Engishiki, the Department of Kami (Jingikan) is to make offerings (heihaku) "upon the an" at major shrines and "below the an" at minor shrines. This practice led to the use of expressions used to indicate "upon the table shrines" (anjōsha) and "below the table shrines" (angesha). — Inoue Nobutaka |
Pronunciation in Japanese/用語音声
An example for how the an is employed at a shrine. A komo (a fabric mat woven from wild straw) is laid out on the ground, on top of which the an is positioned. On top of the an itself, tamagushi (a type of offering) is placed. Filmed at Atsuta Jingū.
2005年 **月 **日
Ōsawa Kōji
Japanese cypress (hinoki) an from Ise Jingū_Shinto Museum of Kokugakuin University____