Eight-Legged Offertory Table
This eight-legged table is central to the Shinto rite of shunsai, which has been performed at Kasugataisha Shrine for over 900 years. As an object, the table is neither ancient nor rare; it is replaced every 20 years. Nevertheless, it represents a long lineage of ritual that links Kasugataisha to the imperial household.
The shunsai rite is held on the first, eleventh, and twenty-first days of each month. In the morning, priests gather outside the Main Sanctuary to make offerings to the four deities enshrined therein. An ornate cloth is laid down, and this eight-legged table is placed atop it. Next, a priest brings a selection of seasonal fruits and vegetables to present alongside the conventional offerings of rice and sake. The chief priest offers a prayer on behalf of the worshippers, which is followed by everyone chanting words of purification in unison. On occasion, shrine maidens perform a kagura dance accompanied by a zither, flute, and clapper ensemble. This rite is open to spectators on the twenty-first of each month, but advance registration is required to participate on January 21.
The first shunsai was performed in 1121 by priests from the Imperial Department of Divinities, and the first offertory table was likely brought from the Imperial Palace. Shunsai is performed for the continued strength and prosperity of the imperial family and, by extension, the entire country. Rites like shunsai therefore reinforce the strong relations between Kasugataisha, the Fujiwara family, and the imperial family.
この英語解説文は観光庁の地域観光資源の多言語解説整備支援事業で作成しました。