MIE, May 10 (News On Japan) –
The “Okihiki” ceremony, by which residents transport timber to the Outer Shrine of Ise Grand Shrine forward of its subsequent Shikinen Sengu reconstruction seven years from now, started in Ise City, Mie Prefecture, on May ninth.
Held as soon as each 20 years, the Shikinen Sengu is a significant ritual by which all shrine buildings at Ise Grand Shrine are rebuilt and the sacred deity is transferred to a brand new sanctuary. The “Okihiki” ceremony entails native residents carrying the sacred building timber, referred to as “goyozai,” used within the rebuilding course of. The “Rikubiki” land procession to the Outer Shrine started on May ninth.
Around 3,000 members took half within the occasion, carrying 10 cypress logs measuring between 4.4 meters and seven meters in size. The logs have been purified within the Miyagawa River earlier than members carried out the dramatic “Donden Gaeshi,” a spotlight of the Rikubiki ceremony by which extra water is shaken off the timber.
Afterward, members pulled the cypress logs, loaded onto ceremonial carts, for about two kilometers towards the Outer Shrine of Ise Grand Shrine whereas shouting spirited chants.
From May tenth, extra Okihiki processions involving members recruited from throughout Japan will happen.
Source: TBS