Treatise 23: Deities of Heaven and Earth XXIII

¶**Shrine Officials**

¶Shrine officials (Shinkan) (Note: on examining the various books, those who devote themselves exclusively to the deities of heaven and earth are collectively called by names such as "Shinkan," "Shishikan," "Shashi," and "Shinshoku," and the terminology is not fixed. Here, provisionally, the term "Shinkan" is followed.)

¶In remote antiquity, when the Son of Heaven served the Heavenly Ancestor (Amatsu-Miya), the Son of Heaven and the deity shared the same dais and the same hall, and he revered and served without negligence. The Nakatomi clan and the Inbe clan assisted the Son of Heaven from left and right, and together presided over both ritual and government. The Tamanoya clan, the Kagamitsukuri clan, the Sarume clan, and other clans each kept the duties inherited from their ancestors and served in the rites. In the reign of Emperor Sujin, the place for worshipping the Heavenly Ancestor was first moved to the Himorogi (sacred precinct of branches) at Isonokataki. In the reign of Emperor Suinin it was moved further to the Ise Shrine. Although reverence for the deity grew still deeper, the Shrine and the Imperial Palace were in the end separated into two. (Note: following the Nihon Shoki and the Kogo Shūi.) At this time the Saikan (Ritual Officer), Kannushi (shrine master), Uchindo (inner attendant), Monoimi (abstinence attendant), and Hafuribe (priests) were first established to serve at the Shrine. (Note: following the Yamatohime-no-Mikoto Seiki and the Kōtai Jingū Gishikichō.) Nevertheless, an Imperial princess always attended the rites in the place of the Son of Heaven, and the Saikan was made to hold concurrently the office of a Daibu (grandee) who conducted affairs of government. Ritual and government had never yet been separated. (Note: the account from the Saikan downward follows the Nakatomi-shi Honkeichō.)

¶Now when the Great Ancestor (Emperor Jinmu) worshipped Takamimusubi-no-Mikoto, he personally performed the Utsushi-iwai (rite of manifest purification) and made the Kami-ikusa-no-Kimi (Upper General) the Iwainushi (officiant of the rite). When Emperor Sujin worshipped the two deities Ōmononushi-no-Kami and Ōkunitama-no-Kami, he made a noble who was of the deity's blood the master of the enshrined deity. (Note: following the Nihon Shoki.) When Emperor Nintoku worshipped Futsunushi-no-Kami, he made a member of the imperial family the Kannushi. (Note: following the Shinsen Shōjiroku.) That is to say, the Kannushi was one who, at a given time, petitioned the deities of heaven and earth in the place of the Son of Heaven, and it had not been fixed as a formal official title. For this reason, when Empress Jingū was about to undertake a great enterprise, she herself became the Kannushi and sought the instruction of the deity, and the elder statesmen and senior ministers assisted her. (Note: following the Nihon Shoki.) Such was the weight given to ritual. Down to the clans of the Kuni-no-Miyatsuko, Tomo-no-Miyatsuko, Kimi, Wake, Agatanushi, and Inaki, all alike honored the rites of their ancestors, took up and cultivated the virtue of their ancestors, and extended it to government. (Note: based on the general sense of the Nihon Shoki, the Shinsen Shōjiroku, the Engishiki, and others.) This is why above, ritual and government were both rightly conducted, and below, moral instruction spread everywhere.

¶With the reforms of the Taika era, the Daijingūji (Chief Steward of the Great Shrine) was established and made to preside over the various affairs of the Shrine administration. (Note: following the Kōtai Jingū Gishikichō.) The Shinkan-no-Kami (Head of the Shrine Officials) was also established (Note: this is what the Nihon Shoki calls "Jingikan-no-Kami"), and made to preside over matters of ritual propriety within the royal family and the palace, marriage, and divination. (Note: following the Kogo Shūi.) At this point Shrine officials and government officials were first separated. After this, the Saishu (Chief Ritualist), Gūji (Chief Priest), Negi, Uchindo, Monoimi, Hafuribe, and others became permanent offices presiding solely over matters such as ritual, prayer, the recitation of norito liturgies, and the presentation of food offerings. All of these are parts of the Shrine officials. (Note: following the Kōtai Jingū Gishikichō and the Toyuke-gū Gishikichō.) The court merely sent members of the royal family or the Nakatomi and Inbe clans at the seasons to present heihaku offerings. (Note: following the national histories from the Shoku Nihongi onward.) In the provinces, the provincial governors (Kokushi) were made to administer the shrines. (Note: following the Ryō no Gige.) Descendants of the Kuni-no-Miyatsuko and Agatanushi became district heads (Gunryō, district magistrates) in some cases, and merely kept up the rites of their ancestors in a modest way. (Note: following the Ruijū Sandai Kyaku.) In other cases they held the office hereditarily generation after generation, and some even took "Kannushi" and "Hafuribe" as their clan names. (Note: following the Shinsen Shōjiroku, the Arakida Keizu, the Watarai Keizu, and the Kamo Agatanushi Keizu.) Ritual and government were thus completely separated.

¶With the establishment of the Taihō Code, the Jingikan (Department of Deities) was placed at the head of the hundred offices and made to preside over all government affairs concerning the deities of heaven and earth. (Note: following the Ryō no Gige.) In the conferral of offices and ranks, the Shrine officials of the Great Shrine and of the various shrines were always conferred first, and only afterward the civil and military officials of the capital and the provinces. (Note: following the Shoku Nihongi and the Nihon Montoku Tennō Jitsuroku.) This too still preserved the ancient rite of reverence for the deities. The Shashi (shrine officials) of the provinces were for the most part appointed from among the descendants of the deities, and the custom of honoring ancestors had not yet vanished. (Note: following the Suwa Jin-shi Keizu, the Hiyoshi Shashi Kakei, the Atsuta Shashi Tajima-ke Fu, and the Aso Daigūji Keizu.) But once ritual and government had been separated, the distance between men and deities gradually grew, and with it arose a tendency toward indiscriminate worship and the defiling of rites. As the Jingūji (shrine-temples) gradually flourished, at the Myōjin great shrines other than the Great Shrine, Shrine officials and Buddhist monks generally came to preside jointly over ritual and prayer, and in extreme cases the functions of the Shrine officials were even encroached upon and taken over by monks. The governance of reverence for the deities that the successive emperors had maintained almost came to an end. The changes between ancient and present times are truly something one cannot but lament. (Note: following the national histories from the Shoku Nihongi onward and the Genkō Shakusho.) Now, having examined the various books, I record the history of the Shrine officials of the Great Shrine and the various other shrines, and also of the offices concerned solely with ritual, namely the Jingikan, Miyaji (Palace Diviner), Hezae (Door Attendant), Mikannagi (shrine maiden), Kanbe (Deity Households), and Urabe (Diviners), and append it here.

¶**Shrine Officials of the Great Shrine**

¶**Saishu (Chief Ritualist)**

¶The Saishu. At first it was called "Saikan." (Note: following the Saishu Bunin Shidai and the Ōnakatomi-shi Bun.) In the twenty-fifth year of Emperor Suinin, he commanded five Daibu (grandees), namely Takenunakawawake, ancestor of the Abe-no-Omi; Hikokunibuku, ancestor of the Wani-no-Omi; Ōkashima, ancestor of the Nakatomi-no-Muraji; Tōchine, ancestor of the Mononobe-no-Muraji; and Takehi, ancestor of the Ōtomo-no-Muraji, to conduct the rites of the deities of heaven and earth. He then entrusted Amaterasu-Ōmikami to the Imperial Princess Yamatohime-no-Mikoto, who enshrined her at the Ise Shrine. (Note: following the Nihon Shoki.) The five Daibu also accompanied her and took part in this undertaking. (Note: following the Kōtai Jingū Gishikichō.) In the end Ōkashima was made the Saikan. (Note: following the Yamatohime-no-Mikoto Seiki, the Shinmei Hisho, and the Notoshi Sadanbun. Note: the Shokuin-shō and the Arakida Keizu both write "Saishu," but this is probably a later retrospective name. Also, the Daijingū Zōjiki says that the Saikan was first established in the third year of Emperor Keikō, but this is probably an error.) From then on, the Nakatomi clan held concurrently, generation after generation, the post of "Zenji-sōkan" (Officer for Reporting Prior Matters). (Note: following the Nakatomi-shi Honkeichō.) The account that in remote antiquity Omoikane-no-Kami waited in attendance before the august presence and conducted affairs of government (Note: following the Kojiki) is probably the remnant of this office of Sōkan.

¶In the year Mizunoe-Inu in the reign of Chūsō (Emperor Jomei or Emperor Tenmu), the Saikan was reformed into the Saishu, and Nakatomi-no-Ōshima was appointed to it. (Note: the accounts do not agree on the reform of the Saikan into the Saishu. A chronicle compiled in the second year of Bunpō says that Emperor Jomei reformed it, while the Daijingū Reibun says that it began in the reign of Emperor Tenmu. As it is not known which is correct, both books are followed here.) Ōshima also held concurrently the post of Zenji-sōkan. (Note: following the Saishu Bunin Shidai and the Ōnakatomi-shi Bun.) Afterwards, descendants of the Nakatomi clan held this office generation after generation, and the concurrent holding was no longer practiced. (Note: following the Nakatomi-shi Honkeichō and the Shokugenshō.) Under the regulations of the Engi era, there was one Saishu, filled from among those of the Nakatomi clan in the Jingikan who were of the Fifth Rank or above. Ten Shichō (attendants) were provided, and in the year of first appointment 10,000 bundles of rice were provided. When the four-times-yearly imperial envoys were dispatched, the Saishu accompanied them, and it was ruled that the Jingūshi and others were not to carry out any Jingikan order document lacking the Saishu's signature. (Note: following the Engishiki.) For appointment of the Saishu, the Shōkei (presiding minister) received the imperial command and issued an order document to the Jingikan to fill the post. (Note: following the Saikyūki.) In the fourth year of Tentoku, someone of another clan falsely claimed to be of the Nakatomi clan and was appointed Saishu and Gūji, and since the deity's curses came repeatedly, this was corrected by imperial order.

¶**Daijingūji (Chief Steward of the Great Shrine)**

¶The Daijingūji. He oversees and commands the Negi, Uchindo, Monoimi, and others, makes them serve in the rites, and also presides over the various administrative affairs of the Shingun (shrine districts) and Kanbe (shrine households). (Note: following the Kōtai Jingū Gishikichō, the Toyuke-gū Gishikichō, and the Engishiki.) At first the deity and the Son of Heaven lived in the same hall, and there was no distinction between the property of the deity and the property of the state. (Note: following the Kogo Shūi.) The Kandachi (storehouse of the deity) that Emperor Suinin established at the Shrine was for storing the deity's property separately, and an office to manage it was established. In the fifth year of Taika this was abolished, and the Honshi (Main Office) was newly established as the place for conducting the various affairs of the Shrine, and Nakatomi-no-Katsumi-no-Muraji Suke, who had been the Kandachi-no-Tsukasa, was newly appointed to this post. (Note: following the Kōtai Jingū Gishikichō.) In the first year of Hōki, Nakatomi-no-Asomi Hito was appointed to this post, and later it finally became an office hereditary in that family. In the fifth year of Enryaku, the term of office was fixed at six years. (Note: following the Daijingū Reibun.) In the seventeenth year of the same era, seasonal stipends were first provided, drawn from the Jingikan's shrine-household revenues. (Note: following the Ruijū Kokushi.)

¶In the second year of Daidō, Inbe-no-Hironari submitted a memorial saying: "The Nakatomi and Inbe clans have served the Sun Deity since the Age of the Gods, and their duties are by nature hard to divide. Yet now only the Nakatomi clan is appointed as Gūji of Ise, and the Inbe clan is excluded. This may be called a loss of proper ritual." It was not accepted. In the seventh year of Kōnin, the Gūji Kiyomochi performed a Buddhist service, which brought a curse from the deity; he was subjected to the penalty of a Ōharae (Great Purification) and removed from office. (Note: following the Ruijū Kokushi.) In the twelfth year of Jōgan, one more Gūji post was added. In the fifteenth year of the same era, it was decreed: "The Gūji was originally a single post, but annual provisions of 100 bolts of silk and 300 koku of rice are to be provided." In the fifth year of Gangyō, the Jingikan reported: "The Gūji was originally one person of Junior Sixth Rank, but because an additional post was earlier added, there is no distinction of greater and lesser, and no division of duties. Since both are equally called 'Zuryō' (provincial holders), quarrels arise between them. We request that the numbers and ranks of the greater and lesser be fixed, that at changes of office the Zuryō be handed over, and that both be treated in the same way as appointments to the post of chief official." Thereupon, by imperial order, one Daigūji (Great Chief Priest) was fixed at Senior Sixth Rank Upper and one Shōgūji (Lesser Chief Priest) at Senior Seventh Rank Upper, (Note: following the Nihon Sandai Jitsuroku.) and this was made the regular practice. (Note: following the Engishiki.) In the second year of Engi, one Gon (provisional) official was added to the Daigūji. (Note: following the Daijingū Reibun. Note: the Daigūji, Gon-Daigūji, and Shōgūji were in later ages abbreviated as "Daishi," "Gon-Daishi," and "Shōshi.") When the regulations were fixed, both the greater and lesser Gūji were appointed from among Zōshikinin (miscellaneous officials) and were permitted to carry the shaku (ceremonial baton). Their service evaluation was treated as that of the Chōjōkan (permanent officials), the term was limited to six years, and a Geyu (certificate of release) was sought. Their seasonal stipends were paid from the shrine tax and treated as in the changeover of provincial governors. In the year of first appointment 1,000 bundles of rice were provided, and the annual silk and rice were as in the Jōgan regulations. For those appointed as Gon officials, the silk and rice were apportioned and assigned. On New Year's Day he led the Negi and Uchindo of the various palaces and the district heads of the shrine districts in worshipping the various palaces from afar, and when this was finished the morning court salutation was performed. On the early morning of the third day he paid New Year's greetings at the Saikū (Abstinence Palace). When the heihaku envoy of the Toshigoi-no-Matsuri (Prayer for the Year festival) arrived, he guided the envoy to visit the Two Shrines, the Inner and the Outer. At the Kannamesai and the Sansetsusai (Three Seasonal Festivals) and others, he proclaimed the norito in every case. He drew up the documents of service evaluation for the Negi, Ōuchindo, and those below, and oversaw the various affairs of the shrine districts and shrine households. (Note: following the Engishiki.)

¶The Gūji was appointed by issuing an imperial order document. (Note: according to records.) After this, however, the filling of the three posts of Daigūji, Gon-Daigūji, and Shōgūji came to be carried out sometimes on the basis of merit in construction work, and sometimes by memorials reporting recommendations by clansmen; the number of those who sought the posts and contended for them became very large, and the selection gradually fell into disorder. (Note: following the Ruijū Fusenshō and the Chōya Gunsai.) In the second year of Anna, an imperial order was issued: "The post of Gūji is not to be used for the indiscriminate performance of prayers except on official business of the court. Yet we now hear that there are those who disregard the authority of the court and perform unrighteous prayers. Their offices should be suspended." (Note: following the Daijingū Zōjiki.) In the first year of Gen'ei, Ōnakatomi-no-Kintaka submitted: "In the Jōryaku era, I, Kintaka, built and presented the three compounds of the Saigūryō (Office of the Abstinence Palace) and their halls. On the strength of this service I should have been appointed Gūji, and at the beginning of Chōji I reported the circumstances in detail, but have not yet received the court's favor. On examining precedents, even one who built and presented a single compound has received special reward. All the more so should one who built three. Now the Gūji Kinhira's term has already expired, and I, Kintaka, request that in accordance with the old precedent I be appointed to fill the vacancy." This was granted. (Note: following the Chōya Gunsai.) In the second year of Ōho, an imperial order was issued: "In memorials from the Shrine, it is the custom that the Saishu, Gūji, Negi, and others always attach a Gejō (written statement) when presenting them, but recently the Gūji has not presented such a statement. The Saishu, Negi, and others should be made to explain the circumstances. If there is negligence, they are to be reprimanded and made to attach the statement as before." (Note: following the Mibu Kanmu Komonjo.)

¶**Negi (Shrine Priest)**

¶The Negi. He devotes himself to prayer, also commands the Uchindo and Monoimi and makes them serve in the presentation of food offerings, and further oversees the various affairs within the shrine precincts and the night-duty guard; it is a permanent senior office. (Note: following the Kōtai Jingū Gishikichō, the Toyuke-gū Gishikichō, and the Engishiki.) In the time of Emperor Suinin, Ame-no-Mitōshi-no-Mikoto, a descendant of Ame-no-Koyane-no-Mikoto, was made Negi, (Note: following the Kōtai Jingū Gishikichō.) and the office was passed to his descendants, who became the ancestors of the Arakida-no-Kannushi. (Note: following the Jingū Zatsureishū, the Kōtai Jingū Negi Fuzuchō, and the Daijingū Reibun.) At about the same time, Ōwakugo-no-Mikoto, a descendant of Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Mikoto, was made Kami-no-Kuni-no-Miyatsuko (Provincial Governor of the Deity) and also Daikannushi (Great Kannushi). (Note: following the Daidō Hongi quoted in the Jingū Zatsureishū, and the Yamatohime-no-Mikoto Seiki.) His descendants held the office hereditarily, and these became the Watarai-no-Kannushi. (Note: following the Jingū Zatsureishū, the Daijingū Reibun, and the Watarai Keizu.) When Emperor Yūryaku built the Watarai-no-Miya (the Outer Shrine), he made Ōsasa-no-Mikoto, a descendant of Ōwakugo, the Daikannushi of the two shrines, Inner and Outer. (Note: following the Yamatohime-no-Mikoto Seiki, the Notoshi Sadanbun, and the Daijingū Reibun.) Emperor Tenmu abolished the Daikannushi and established two posts of Negi, appointing the two clans of Arakida and Watarai to them, and made them jointly preside over the affairs of the two shrines. (Note: following the Notoshi Sadanbun, the Daijingū Reibun, and the Negi Bunin Shiyōshū.) Empress Jitō appointed Arakida-no-Nomori as Negi of the Inner Shrine and Watarai-no-Kimimaro as Negi of the Outer Shrine. (Note: following the Shinmei Hisho, the Notoshi Sadanbun, and the Daijingū Reibun.) From this time the two clans of Arakida and Watarai took "Kannushi" as their clan name, were appointed Negi of the two shrines respectively, and their descendants held that office hereditarily generation after generation. (Note: following the Arakida Keizu, the Watarai Keizu, and the Daijingū Reibun.)

¶In the second year of Tenpyō, the ranks of the two Negi were advanced by two grades. (Note: following the Shoku Nihongi.) In the first year of Tenpyō-shōhō, because gold was produced for the first time, ranks were granted to the Negi of the two shrines. (Note: following the Shoku Nihongi and the Daijingū Reibun.) From then on it became the practice to grant ranks on each occasion of celebration, auspicious omen, or prayer. (Note: following the national histories from the Shoku Nihongi onward, the Daijingū Reibun, and the Negi Bunin Shiyōshū.) In the second year of Tenpyō-jingo, they were first permitted to carry the shaku. (Note: following the Daijingū Zōjiki.) In the second year of Jingo-keiun, seasonal stipends were provided. The Inner Shrine was treated as Junior Seventh Rank, and the Outer Shrine as Senior Eighth Rank. (Note: following the Shoku Nihongi.) By a regulation of the eleventh year of Hōki, selection by ten evaluations (ten years of service assessment) was changed, and it was decided that, as with permanent officials, an Inner Rank would be conferred after four evaluations (four years). (Note: following the Shōyūki and the Negi Bunin Shidai.) In the Enryaku era, the fixed number of Negi was set so that one at the Inner Shrine held Junior Seventh Rank Upper and one at the Outer Shrine held Senior Eighth Rank Lower, and in each case a person chosen by divination was appointed. (Note: following the Kōtai Jingū Gishikichō and the Toyuke-gū Gishikichō.) In the seventh year of Jōgan, the Negi had earlier been mistakenly conferred Outer Rank (Gei), but at this time, at the request of the Negi of the Inner Shrine, they were conferred Inner Rank instead. The Outer Shrine, however, did not apply for this, and so it was left as before. (Note: following the Ruijū Daibunin and the Negi Bunin Shidai.) In the eighth year of the same era, it was decided: "The rank stipend of Fifth Rank Negi is to be provided from the shrine tax, and it shall be the regular practice to appoint people of the shrine districts as their Shijin (attendants)." (Note: following the Nihon Sandai Jitsuroku, the Engishiki, and the Ruijū Daibunin.) Under the regulations of the Engi era, all were to be appointed from the people of Watarai District, except that at the Outer Shrine, Zōshikinin were appointed and permitted to carry the shaku. The seasonal stipends were treated, for the Inner Shrine, as Junior Seventh Rank and, for the Outer Shrine, as Junior Eighth Rank, in each case provided from the shrine tax. Rank documents issued by imperial favor were sent by the Shikibushō (Ministry of Ceremonial) to the Jingikan, and the Jingikan sent them down attached to the envoys of the four-times-yearly festivals. The envoy, leading one Jingi-shi (Jingikan secretary), conferred them in the first hall of the Naoraiin (feasting hall). If someone was to be conferred Fifth Rank, this was done at the Nakanoe, and the same was true for the Uchindo and the Hafuri of the shrine districts. If they suffered mourning for a close relative, for fear of contracting pollution they observed mourning for forty-nine days, and after being purified they returned to their posts. The same applied to the fathers of the Uchindo and Monoimi. (Note: following the Engishiki.)

¶In the fifth year of Tengyō, Kannushi Tokiharu, a Negi of the Outer Shrine who held Outer Junior Fifth Rank Lower, was for the first time conferred an Inner Rank. (Note: following the Geki Nikki and the Negi Bunin Shidai.) After this, it became a permanent rule to confer an Outer Rank first and an Inner Rank afterward. (Note: following the Negi Bunin Shidai.) In the fourth year of Tenryaku, one post was added at the Outer Shrine. In the first year of Ōwa, the Inner Shrine was likewise treated. In the second year of Ten'en, one more post was added to each, so that each had three. In the first year of Eien, one post was added at the Outer Shrine. In the fifth year of Shōryaku, one post was added at both shrines. (Note: following the Daijingū Reibun and the Negi Bunin Shiyōshū.) After this, besides the regular Negi there were subordinate officials such as the Gon-no-Negi (provisional Negi), Gi-no-Negi (acting Negi), Gi-Gon-no-Negi, Kanpu-Gon-no-Negi, and Gifu-Gon-no-Negi, and their numbers gradually increased. The regular Negi and Gon-no-Negi were also at times called "Kannushi." (Note: following the Chōya Gunsai, the Daijingū Nenjū Gyōji, and the Negi Bunin Shidai.) In the third year of Kankō, two posts of regular Negi were added at the Inner Shrine and one at the Outer Shrine, so that with those before, each came to six. (Note: following the Daijingū Reibun and the Negi Bunin Shiyōshū.) In the third year of Chōryaku, the Negi and Gon-no-Negi led shrine people into the capital and denounced the wrongdoings of the Saishu and others. Penalties of purification were therefore imposed on each according to the case. Accordingly it was decided: "From now on, entry into the capital by the Negi and others is prohibited. Those who violate this shall be dismissed. If there is something to be appealed, one Gon official is permitted to go up to the capital." (Note: following the Daijingū Zōjiki and the endorsement of the Gofukashin'in Kanpaku-ki.) In the third year of Jōryaku, one Negi of the Inner Shrine was for the first time conferred Senior Fourth Rank Upper. (Note: following the Daijingū Reibun.) In the third year of Kanji it was decided: "When the Negi of the two shrines report on any matter, they must always do so through the Saishu, and must not themselves present a written statement." (Note: following the Negi Bunin Shiyōshū.) In the second year of Ten'ei, one Negi of the Outer Shrine was likewise for the first time conferred Senior Fourth Rank Upper. (Note: following the Daijingū Reibun.)

¶At that time, the regular Negi of the Inner Shrine numbered one of the Fourth Rank and five of the Fifth Rank; the Gon-no-Negi numbered two of the Fourth Rank and thirty-two of the Fifth Rank; and the Kanpu-no-Negi (Negi by official order document) numbered three of the Sixth Rank. At the Outer Shrine the regular Negi and Kanpu-no-Negi followed the Inner Shrine, and the Gon-no-Negi numbered twenty-eight of the Fifth Rank, all of whom shared in the stipends given for the court nobles and imperial envoys. (Note: following the Chōya Gunsai.) In the second year of Tenji, one rank was conferred on the regular Negi and Gon-no-Negi of both shrines. For those already conferred the Fourth Rank, that portion was transferred and conferred on others, and later this became the precedent. (Note: following the Daijingū Reibun.) At that time there was also discussion of conferring the Third Rank, but it was not realized. (Note: following the Hyakurenshō.) In the first year of Hōen, since the rotating duty of the Negi of the two shrines had become burdensome, the number was increased further to seven each. (Note: following the Chūyūki, the Daijingū Reibun, and the Negi Bunin Shiyōshū.) At that time, regular Negi were filled by imperial pronouncement (Senji) from among those of the Fifth Rank or above. For the Gon officials there was no fixed number; they came to over a hundred at each of the two shrines, and all were held concurrently by Ōuchindo. (Note: following the Shinnin Benkanshō.) In the third year of Hōen, several thousand Negi and others of the two shrines went up to the capital and brought a complaint. (Note: following the endorsement of the Gofukashin'in Kanpaku-ki.) The following year an imperial order was issued: "As for Negi of the two shrines who do not follow the Chōryaku regulation document and violate the law by entering the capital, report the ringleaders. If there is any matter to be reported to the throne, consult with the Gūji and submit it with a written statement attached." (Note: following the Mibu Kanmu Komonjo.) In the third year of Jishō it was decided: "The clansmen of the Gon-no-Negi of the two shrines in some cases change their original surnames and are appointed to other offices, and in other cases neglect the rites of the deities and hasten to powerful houses, and, hoping for promotion, are fond of settling in the capital. Moreover, those who have lawsuits going up to the capital and bypassing proper channels with direct appeals are also to be prohibited from now on. If there is a lawsuit, attach a statement from the Gūji and await the Emperor's decision. Those who fail in their turn of duty are to be dismissed according to law."

¶In the second year of Kenkyū it was decided: "It has long been established as a system that the regular Negi are permanent in attendance and the Gon officials serve in rotation. Yet now the regular officials violate the law and serve by rotation, and the Gon officials and below constantly fail in their turns of duty. Some move to other provinces, and some indiscriminately seek offices in the capital. From now on the old system must be kept, and the new rule must not be violated. For those who still do not reform, rank documents are to be reclaimed in accordance with the order document of the eighth year of Hōki, and their shrine duties suspended." (Note: following the Ruijū Daibunin.) In the fourth year of Kenkyū it was decided: "Negi should be appointed from among those who have learning and are versed in precedent. In recent years, however, promotion has been given merely on the basis of years of service, and many without talent hold this office and are of no use in affairs. From now on the Saishu and Gūji should consult together and select the proper person." (Note: following the Negi Bunin Shiyōshū.) In the third year of Jōkyū, one more regular Negi was added to each of the two shrines. In the second year of Kagen, two more were added to each, and the number was fixed at ten. (Note: following the Daijingū Reibun and the Negi Bunin Shiyōshū.) In the reign of Emperor Go-Daigo, Junior Third Rank was conferred on one Negi of each of the two shrines, which was truly a special case. (Note: following the Negi Bunin Shiyōshū.)

¶**Ōuchindo (Senior Inner Attendant)**

¶The Ōuchindo. In remote antiquity, Sarutahiko-no-Kami, while in heaven, formed a secret pact with the Sun Deity, and went ahead to descend and dwell on the banks of the Isuzu River in Ise. (Note: following the Kogo Shūi.) When Emperor Suinin founded the Shrine, his descendant Ōta-no-Mikoto fixed the site of the shrine and presented sacred rice fields, and his descendants, called Uji-no-Tsuchigimi, served generation after generation as the Uji-no-Ōuchindo. (Note: following the Kōtai Jingū Gishikichō and the Yamatohime-no-Mikoto Seiki.) Afterwards three Uchindo were established at each of the two shrines. (Note: following the Kōtai Jingū Gishikichō and the Toyuke-gū Gishikichō.) In the second year of Tenpyō, the ranks of six persons were each advanced by one grade. In the fifth year of Tenpyō-shōhō, ranks were added for 61 men and women, including Uchindo and Monoimi. (Note: following the Shoku Nihongi.) In the Enryaku era, the fixed number of Uchindo at the Inner Shrine was set at three; one was the Uji-no-Ōuchindo, who presided over the Sansetsusai and the Kannamesai, and on the day the heihaku envoy arrived he provided the Futotamagushi (great jeweled offering branch) and the Ame-no-Yaesakaki (heavenly eight-fold sakaki), and arranged seats for the Saiō (Abstinence Princess) and her attendants. Another presided over the inspection of the august food offerings (Minie) and sacred sake at the Sansetsusai, and another presided over the supplying and preparation of the various offices for the Saiō at the Sansetsusai. (Note: following the Kōtai Jingū Gishikichō.) At the Outer Shrine there were three, each of whom led the Shō-Uchindo and Monoimi in preparing the morning and evening food offerings and also presided over the various affairs of the Sansetsusai. (Note: following the Toyuke-gū Gishikichō.) All Ōuchindo were appointed from among persons selected by divination, were made to serve in purification, were made to keep night duty in rotation, and always served as the chief. (Note: following the Kōtai Jingū Gishikichō and the Toyuke-gū Gishikichō.) In the third year of Daidō it was decided: "The Ōuchindo of the two shrines were originally Hakutei (commoners without rank), but from now on they are to share in the Geko (outer service evaluation) and are permitted to carry the shaku." (Note: following the Nihon Kōki.) In the third year of Jōgan, a Fuku-Ōuchindo (Deputy Ōuchindo) was established at the Inner Shrine. (Note: following the Nihon Sandai Jitsuroku.) Probably one post was added. Under the regulations of the Engi era, there were four Ōuchindo at each of the two shrines, filled by selecting people of Watarai District; they were to share permanently in the Naiko (inner service evaluation), and were not to hand over their posts indiscriminately. (Note: following the Engishiki.) After this, the Ōuchindo had subordinate officials such as the Tamagushi, Banken, and Kujō, all of whom shared in the stipends given for the court nobles and imperial envoys, but they increased and decreased according to circumstances and had no fixed number. (Note: following the Gōke Shidai, the Chōya Gunsai, and the Daijingū Nenjū Gyōji.) The Tamagushi presided over the offering of the Kazurayū (mulberry-fiber head ornament) and the jeweled offering branches, and the Banken presided over inspecting the duty assignments of the Negi and others. (Note: following the Shinnin Benkanshō.) The Kujō presided over the duty rotation within the shrine. (Note: following the Daijingū Nenjū Gyōji.) Gon officials were established for all of these, and these too had no fixed number. They reached over a hundred at each of the two shrines, persons of the Sixth Rank were appointed and made to hold concurrently the post of Gon-no-Negi, and all, it is said, were appointed at will by the Saishu. (Note: following the Shinnin Benkanshō.)

¶**Monoimi and Monoimi-no-Chichi (Abstinence Attendants and their Fathers)**

¶The Monoimi and the Monoimi-no-Chichi. In the reign of Emperor Suinin, when Yamatohime-no-Mikoto enshrined the Great Deity at the Shinohata Palace, she made Ōunena-no-Mikoto, daughter of Ikorohi-no-Mikoto, the Ōmonoimi (Great Monoimi). (Note: following the Yamatohime-no-Mikoto Seiki and the Kōtai Jingū Negi Fuzuchō. Note: "Une" is also written with other characters.) When the shrine was moved to the Isuzu Palace, she made Ehime, daughter of Ōwakugo-no-Mikoto, a Monoimi, and had her serve together with Ōunena in presenting the food offerings. When Yamatohime-no-Mikoto returned to the capital, she appointed Kawahime-no-Mikoto, younger sister of Ikorohi-no-Mikoto, as Ōmonoimi, to attend the rites in her own place. (Note: following the Kōtai Jingū Gishikichō.) Emperor Yūryaku established the Haji-no-Monoimi (Clay-Worker Monoimi), who took clay from Uni to make Ame-no-Hiraka (heavenly flat vessels) and conducted the worship of the various palaces. He also fixed the Mikashiki-no-Monoimi (Monoimi of the August Cooking), who presided over cooking and presenting the august rice. (Note: following the Yamatohime-no-Mikoto Seiki.) In the sixth year of Jinki, the Ōmonoimi-no-Chichi and Monoimi-ko of the Outer Shrine suffered a curse after contracting pollution, so they were subjected to the penalty of Ōharae and removed from office. (Note: following the Daijingū Zōjiki.) In the fifth year of Tenpyō-shōhō, ranks were added for Monoimi. (Note: following the Shoku Nihongi.)

¶In the Enryaku era, the fixed number of Monoimi at the Inner Shrine was set at nine, each assisted by one father, who were called Monoimi-no-Chichi. One Ōmonoimi presided over the presentation of the food offerings. One Miyamori-no-Monoimi (Shrine-Guard Monoimi) presided over the presentation of the food offerings at the East Aidono (Co-Hall). One Jisai-no-Monoimi (Earth-Rite Monoimi) presided over the presentation of the food offerings at the West Aidono and also over the earth-pacifying rite for the shrine ground, cutting the grass of the shrine ground with the sacred sickle (Imikama) and breaking up the shrine ground with the sacred spade (Imisuki). One Sakatsukuri-no-Monoimi (Sake-Brewing Monoimi) presided over brewing the sacred sake. One Sumisake-tsukuri-no-Monoimi (Clear-Sake-Brewing Monoimi) presided over pounding with the mortar to make Shiroki (white sake). One Takimatsuri-no-Monoimi (Waterfall-Rite Monoimi) presided over offering and preparing the ritual items. One Mishioyaki-no-Monoimi (Salt-Burning Monoimi) presided over burning the sacred salt (Mishio). One Hajiki-tsukuri-no-Monoimi (Clay-Vessel-Making Monoimi) presided over making the vessels for the food offerings. One Yamamuki-no-Monoimi (Mountain-Facing Monoimi) presided over offering and preparing the Futotamagushi and Ame-no-Yaesakaki, and also presided over cutting grass and trees with the sacred sickle at the Yamaguchi-sai (Mountain-Mouth Rite) and felling trees with the sacred axe (Imioni) at the Kimoto-sai (Tree-Root Rite). At each of the four separate shrines one was placed, and made to preside over the presentation of the food offerings. (Note: following the Kōtai Jingū Gishikichō; the Engishiki is also consulted.)

¶At the Outer Shrine there were five, each likewise assisted by one father. One Ōmonoimi presided over the same matters as at the Inner Shrine. One Mikashiki-no-Monoimi presided over pounding and cooking the sacred rice and preparing salt and Nie (food offerings). One Mishioyaki-no-Monoimi presided over the same matters as at the Inner Shrine. One Sugatachi-no-Monoimi (Sedge-Cutting Monoimi) presided over making the sacred hoe (Imikuwa) and tilling the sacred rice field, and also, on the day of building a new shrine, over cutting and clearing the grass and trees of the shrine ground. One Nekura-no-Monoimi (Root-Storehouse Monoimi) presided over tilling the Nekura sacred rice field, and sacred sake was brewed from the rice harvested there. At the separate shrine, the Takamiya (High Shrine), one was placed and made to preside over the presentation of the food offerings. (Note: following the Toyuke-gū Gishikichō; the Engishiki is also consulted.)

¶All Monoimi were appointed from among girls (Dōnyo), except that only the Miyamori and Yamamuki were appointed from among boys (Dōnan), and in all cases persons selected by divination filled the posts. The Ōmonoimi of the Inner Shrine, and the Jisai and Miyamori, were not to go outside the river that flows behind the shrine, and those who violated this were removed from office. The Monoimi-no-Chichi of the Outer Shrine and the various separate shrines also presided over the rotating night duty. (Note: following the Kōtai Jingū Gishikichō and the Toyuke-gū Gishikichō.) Except for the Takamiya, all Monoimi were assigned monthly provisions (Getsurō) and were provided with shrine-household goods. In the third year of Gangyō, the Monoimi of the Takamiya also came to be given monthly provisions. (Note: following the Nihon Sandai Jitsuroku.) Afterwards one Monoimi of the Izanagi-no-Miya was added. Under the regulations of the Engi era, all the various Monoimi were drawn from the people of Watarai District, except that for the Izō-no-Miya the people of the Shima shrine households were appointed, and in all cases they were not to hand over their posts indiscriminately. If the father died, his child was removed from office, and if the child died, the father too was removed, and in neither case could they return to the post. (Note: following the Engishiki.)

¶In later ages the name of the Monoimi was not fixed, and they were also called "Monoimi-no-Kora" or simply "Kora." (Note: following the Gōke Shidai, the Chōya Gunsai, the Jingū Zatsureishū, the Daijingū Nenjū Gyōji, and the Nijūni-sha Chūshiki. Note: in the various books it is also written with other characters, as "Kora" in other forms.) The Ōmonoimi in particular was called "Ōkora." (Note: following the Karyaku Chokushiki and the Zō Naigū-ki.) The Monoimi-no-Chichi is not necessarily the actual father. There was also a person called "Tate-no-Haha" (Mother of the Hall) who assisted the Kora, also called "Mora"; she too was not the actual mother. (Note: following the Gōke Shidai, the Chōya Gunsai, the Daijingū Nenjū Gyōji, and the Rōrō Kuchi-no-Jitsuden.) The Ōmonoimi, Mikashiki-no-Monoimi, and Mishioyaki-no-Monoimi were called the "Sanshiki-no-Monoimi" (Monoimi of the Three Kinds), and all shared in the stipends given for the court nobles and imperial envoys. (Note: following the Chōya Gunsai, the Gōke Shidai, and the Kugyō Chokushi Shidai.)

¶**Shō-Uchindo (Junior Inner Attendant)**

¶The Shō-Uchindo. In the Jinki era there was the Mikashiki-no-Uchindo (Uchindo of the August Cooking). (Note: following the Daijingū Zōjiki.) In the Enryaku era, the fixed number of Shō-Uchindo at the Inner Shrine was set at eight: the Miketsukuri (Vessel-Maker), who presided over making the wooden vessels for the food offerings; the Imikanuchi (Sacred Smith), who presided over making miscellaneous metal vessels; the Suetsukuri (Pottery-Maker), who presided over making pottery; the Mikasanui (Hat-Sewer), who presided over sewing straw raincoats and hats; the Hinori (Sun-Prayer), who presided over purging away the calamities of wind and rain; and the Mikannagi, who presided over purification and the lifting of abstinence, one each. The Mimakai (Horse-Keeper) numbered two and presided over keeping the sacred horses. At each of the four separate shrines one was placed, except that at the Tsukiyomi-no-Miya one Mikannagi was added. (Note: following the Kōtai Jingū Gishikichō; the Engishiki is also consulted.) The Outer Shrine had five. The Yūtsukuri (Mulberry-Fiber Maker) presided over making and preparing mulberry-fiber cloth, and the Mikannagi, Imikanuchi, Mimakai, and Mikasanui were one each, each presiding over the same matters as at the Inner Shrine. At the Takamiya one was placed. (Note: following the Toyuke-gū Gishikichō and the Engishiki.) All Shō-Uchindo were appointed from among persons selected by divination, and were also made to preside over rotating night duty. (Note: following the Kōtai Jingū Gishikichō and the Toyuke-gū Gishikichō.)

¶In the first year of Ten'an, the Daijingūji submitted: "The Ōuchindo of the two shrines were earlier permitted to carry the shaku. But the Uchindo of the five separate shrines are not so. On the days of the rites they merely fold their hands and take part in the proceedings, and at the ceremonial site they are no different from ordinary officials and commoners. We request that they likewise be permitted to carry the shaku, so that their dignity is properly displayed." This was accepted and became the regular practice. (Note: following the Nihon Montoku Tennō Jitsuroku and the Daijingū Zōjiki.) In the sixth year of Jōgan, one Mimakai was added at the Outer Shrine. In the ninth year of the same era, one Uchindo of the Izanagi-no-Miya was placed. (Note: following the Nihon Sandai Jitsuroku.) Under the regulations of the Engi era, one Yūtsukuri was added at the Inner Shrine, one each of Suetsukuri and Miketsukuri were added at the Outer Shrine, and one more was added to each of the various separate shrines, one of whom was to be drawn from persons of the Eighth Rank or above and their Onshi-son (descendants entitled to privileged appointment). The selection of people of Watarai District and the Shima shrine households was the same as in the case of the Monoimi. (Note: following the Engishiki.) In later ages the two shrines each had Uchindo such as the Yamamuki, Mishio, Yunokagitori (Hot-Spring Key-Keeper), and Misa (August Hemp), all of whom shared in the stipends given for the palace ministers and imperial envoys. (Note: following the Chōya Gunsai.) Those who served the Great Shrine, when their clan name was unknown, provisionally called themselves the Hata clan, and were commonly appointed afterward. (Note: following the Rōrō Kuchi-no-Jitsuden.)

¶**Shrine Officials of the Various Shrines**

¶Shrine officials of the various shrines. From the middle ancient period onward, every shrine always had a Hafuribe established to carry out its rites; some shrines added Negi and Monoimi to this, and some added a Kannushi above them. At some shrines a Jingūji was also established from the beginning to oversee all shrine business. Generally all were modeled on the Great Shrine, but there were differences of weight in their standing.

¶The Jingūji (Shrine Steward) is also called Gūji, (Note: following the Nihon Kōki.) and was later called Daigūji. (Note: following the Ruijū Fusenshō and the Nihon Kiryaku.) In the seventh year of Hōki, the Jingūji of the Kehi Shrine in Echizen was first established, as an office equivalent to Junior Eighth Rank. (Note: following the Shoku Nihongi.) In the seventeenth year of Enryaku it was decided: "Since the Jingūji and others hold their posts for life once appointed, they insult and defile the deities, become irreverent, and repeatedly bring curses. From now on, upright and prudent persons are to be selected from among the clan and appointed, with six years as the limit of the term." (Note: following the Ruijū Kokushi and the Ruijū Sandai Kyaku.) This was made the regular practice. (Note: following the Engishiki.) Next an imperial order was issued: "Hitherto the various Jingūji had four evaluations (four years) as their limit in the manner of permanent officials, but from now on this is to be changed to follow the precedent of the Banjōkan (rotating officials)." (Note: following the Ruijū Kokushi.) This too became precedent. (Note: following the Engishiki.) In the nineteenth year of the same era it was decided: "If, before the term of the various Jingūji has run out, circumstances arise requiring dismissal due to mourning, no replacement is to be appointed. Have the Kannushi, Hafuri, and others act for them in their duties, and when mourning is over let them return to the post and complete the term." (Note: following the Ruijū Kokushi and the Ruijū Sandai Kyaku.) This later became precedent. (Note: following the Engishiki.) In the twentieth year of the same era, the Jingūji of Izumo was abolished. (Note: following the Ruijū Kokushi.)

¶In the twenty-third year of the same era it was decided: "The posts of Gūji at Kashima in Hitachi, Kehi in Echizen, Keta in Noto, Hachiman in Buzen, and so on are sought by everyone, and each claims to be of a hereditary house. From now on the Jingikan should examine the old records and request the court to appoint someone from among the clan who is capable of the post." In the fourth year of Daidō it was decided: "The changeover of the Gūji of Kehi and Hachiman is to follow the precedent of the Geyu of provincial governors." (Note: following the Nihon Kōki.) Afterwards this precedent was followed. (Note: following the Engishiki.) In the twelfth year of Kōnin, the two clans of Ōga and Usa were made the Gūji of Hachiman, (Note: following the Ruijū Kokushi.) and this was made a permanent rule, so that other clans were not to be appointed in a mixed manner. (Note: following the Engishiki.) In the eleventh year of Jōwa, a Gon-no-Gūji (provisional Gūji) was established at Kashima. The following year Hitachi Province submitted: "Although the duties of the Kashima Gon-no-Gūji are no different from those of the regular Gūji, when the heihaku envoy comes down, only the regular appointee is granted the proper ceremonial dress (Tōshiki), and it is not provided to the Gon appointee. Even when attending the site of the rite, though of the same office, the dress differs. We request that it be provided in accordance with the regular appointee." This was granted and became a permanent precedent. (Note: following the Shoku Nihon Kōki.)

¶In the sixth year of Jōgan it was decided: "The Kashiibyōji (Keeper of the Kashii Mausoleum Shrine) of Chikuzen is to have six years as the limit of his term," (Note: following the Nihon Sandai Jitsuroku.) and this too became a permanent precedent. (Note: following the Engishiki.) In the third year of Ninna it was decided: "By the old custom, when the Jingūji of Katori (Kadori) in Shimōsa went to his post, a Denpu (post-station warrant) was sometimes granted and sometimes not, and there was no fixed rule. From now on the granting of Denpu is to cease, an annotation is to be made in the official order document that food-horses (Jikiba) are provided, and all the various Jingūji who are to be given food-horses shall be treated likewise." (Note: following the Ruijū Fusenshō.) Under the regulations of the Engi era, the Jingūji of the two shrines of Usa and Kehi were appointed from among Zōshikinin, and in both cases were permitted to carry the shaku. The service evaluation of the Kehi Jingūji belonged to the Jingikan, and the various Gon-no-Gūji were to be dismissed at the end of the year when their term was complete. The seasonal stipends of the various Jingūji were, for Katori, Kashima, and Kehi, treated in each case as equivalent to Junior Eighth Rank, and were assigned from the fief-household goods. For Keta it was treated as equivalent to Shōsōi (Junior Initial Rank), and shrine-household goods were provided. (Note: following the Engishiki.) The Gūji of Katori, Kashima, Kehi, Keta, and others were appointed by issuing a Daijōkan order document, and only the Hachiman Gūji of Buzen was sometimes filled by receiving an imperial order. (Note: according to records.)

¶In the second year of Ten'en, the Gūji of Munakata in Chikuzen submitted: "Having respectfully examined the old precedents, before the Tengyō era this shrine had not yet had a Gūji, and the Kannushi served as its head and handled miscellaneous affairs. Because of prayers for the suppression of the rebellion of Fujiwara-no-Sumitomo, the deity was conferred Senior First Rank and First Order of Merit, and Minamoto-no-Kiyohira, Dazai-no-Daini (Senior Assistant Governor-General of Dazaifu), first ordered that a Gūji be established and had the Kannushi hold the post concurrently. Thereafter he has continued to hold it concurrently, but has not yet received an imperial pronouncement. It is only that in the Dazaifu and the provincial offices, people take turns contending for the post. The land rents of the sacred fields and the seasonal ritual funds lack a proper use, and are forcibly used in place of labor service. The miscellaneous business of the shrine is gradually declining as a result. Examining further the neighboring precedents, as for the Kōra Daijingūji (Great Shrine Steward of Kōra) in Chikugo, formerly the provincial governor would each time appoint one of his retainers to the post of Kengyō, but at the changeover of office the person would abandon the post and go up to the capital, and nothing was asked at all about diligence or negligence during his tenure. By an order document of the Anna era, a Daijingūji was for the first time appointed. Since then the deity's majesty has grown ever more solemn, and repairs have been carried out without neglect. Moreover, at the shrines of Sumiyoshi and Kashii in this province, and Kamado and Hakozaki in Chikuzen, the Daigūji serves as the Kanju (chief). Yet only at this shrine one person holds the post concurrently. In light of the precedents of the various shrines, the weight of the office seems to be made light of. We humbly request that an order document be granted appointing Munakata-no-Asomi Ujiyoshi to the post of Daigūji." In the second year of Tengen this was granted. (Note: following the Ruijū Fusenshō.) From then on, the clansmen of the various shrines cited precedents and set forth their merits, and the number seeking the post of Gūji became very large. The court immediately granted their requests, generally treating them as precedents, and the system fell into disorder. (Note: following the Ruijū Fusenshō and the Chōya Gunsai.)

¶**Kannushi (Shrine Master)**

¶The Kannushi. In remote antiquity too there was what was called "Saishinshu" (master of the enshrined deity), (Note: following the Nihon Shoki.) but it had not yet been established as a formal official title. (Note: regarding what in remote antiquity was called the master of the enshrined deity, that is, Kannushi, this has already been briefly described above, and it is of course different from what is called Kannushi in later ages. But the origin of the name may well derive from it. Added by way of remark.) From the middle period onward, Kannushi came increasingly to be placed at the shrines of heaven (Tensha) and earth (Chisha). In the fifth year of Emperor Tenmu, an imperial order was issued: "Of the shrine taxes of the various shrines, two thirds are to be given to the Kannushi." (Note: following the Nihon Shoki.) In the nineteenth year of Tenpyō, Junior Sixth Rank Upper Ōmiwa-no-Asomi Ikaho, Kannushi of Ōmiwa, and Ōyamato-no-Sukune Mimori, Senior Sixth Rank Upper, Kannushi of Ōyamato, were each granted Junior Fifth Rank Lower. (Note: following the Shoku Nihongi. Note: "Ōmiwa-no-Kannushi" appears in the original as "Ōkannushi," but it is corrected here on the basis of other texts.) In the seventeenth year of Enryaku it was decided: "The appointment and terms of the Kannushi, Kan'osa, and others are all to follow those of the Jingūji." (Note: following the Ruijū Kokushi and the Ruijū Sandai Kyaku.) In the nineteenth year of the same era, the Dazaifu reported: "The Taryō (district magistrate) of Munakata District in Chikuzen was, at the time of appointment, customarily made Kannushi concurrently and immediately conferred the Fifth Rank. Yet now the imperial order of the seventeenth year of Enryaku says: 'Selection by hereditary lineage is to be permanently abolished, and persons of ability are to be promoted and employed. There are also specific articles.' Since Munakata-no-Asomi Iketsukuri, who as Taryō held the Kannushi post concurrently, died, for three years until now the offerings for the rites have repeatedly been lacking. We have visited persons of ability and tried them, but have not yet obtained a suitable person. Moreover, examining the Jingikan's order document of the seventeenth year of Enryaku, it says: 'For the post of Kannushi there is already a term limit. Even if there is someone with talent who can govern the district and also holds the Kannushi post, he is to occupy a lifelong position and be made to hold a six-year appointment concurrently.' This matter is not satisfactory, and we respectfully request the decision of the court." Thereupon, by imperial order, the concurrent holding of the Kannushi post by district heads was stopped. (Note: following the Ruijū Sandai Kyaku.) In the twentieth year of the same era, the Kannushi of Sumiyoshi was for the first time made to carry the shaku. (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku.) Later this was made the precedent. Zōshikinin were appointed to it. (Note: following the Engishiki.)

¶In the second year of Daidō, an imperial order was issued: "The period of mourning of Kannushi is to be exactly the same as that of Gūji. As for their return to office after mourning, why should the precedent be different? From now on it is to be the permanent rule that they likewise return to office. However, while they are dismissed, let the Hafuribe act for them in their duties." (Note: from the equivalent of "it is thought" onward, the Engishiki is followed.) "Moreover, among the various shrines some appoint a Kan'osa, but this is irregular. If there are shrines that appoint a Kan'osa by order document, it should be changed to Kannushi." (Note: following the Ruijū Sandai Kyaku.) In the sixth year of Tenchō, Yamato-no-Asomi Yakatsugu was made Kannushi of Wakasahiko. (Note: following the Ruijū Kokushi.) In the third year of Kōnin it was decided: "On the day of the changeover of the Kannushi of the various shrines, it shall be a permanent rule that Geyu be given in every case." (Note: following the Nihon Kōki and the Engishiki.)

¶In the twelfth year of Kōnin, Yamato Province submitted: "Among the Myōjin within the province, shrines such as Ōyamato, Ōmiwa, Hirose, Tatsuta, Kamo, and Anashi pray for agriculture and ward off calamity, and have repeatedly shown spiritual efficacy. Yet recently, because the Kannushi have not been suitable persons, curses have repeatedly been brought about. Therefore the province, in accordance with the purport of the order document of the seventeenth year of Enryaku, selected persons and reported them, but at times other persons have been appointed, contrary to the purport of the document. We request that the persons selected and reported be appointed without exception." It further reported: "When those holding government offices serve concurrently as Kannushi, they always attend to their main posts and do not engage in shrine business. This is the reason shrines fall into decay. We request that persons without government office be selected and appointed solely as Kannushi, to devote themselves to prayer and also to take charge of repairing the shrines." It further reported: "The service evaluations of the Negi, Hafuri, and others are determined by the provincial governors, but only the Kannushi do not belong to the provincial governors. Therefore there is no way to examine merits and faults during their tenure. We request that the service evaluation of the Kannushi also be subject to praise and blame by the provincial governors according to the circumstances, so that good and bad are made clear." All were granted. Later, on the request of the Senkakusho (Office for Compiling Regulations), it was promulgated and enforced throughout the realm. (Note: following the Ruijū Sandai Kyaku.)

¶In the tenth year of Jōwa, the Kannushi of Takeiwatatsu-no-Mikoto in Higo and the Ōmiwa Kannushi of Hiraoka in Kawachi, and others, were permitted to carry the shaku permanently. (Note: following the Shoku Nihon Kōki.) In the third year of Saikō, the Jingikan reported: "On examination, the Kannushi of Sumiyoshi, Hiraoka, Kashima, Katori, and others are all permitted to carry the shaku. The other shrines have no such precedent, and on the days of the rites they merely fold their hands and take part. We request that the Kannushi of shrines of the Third Rank and above likewise be made to carry the shaku." By imperial order: "It is permitted for those who hold Nyūshiki (those with rank), but it does not apply to Hakutei." (Note: following the Nihon Montoku Tennō Jitsuroku and the Ruijū Sandai Kyaku.) In the second year of Jōgan, a Kannushi was first established at the Futara Shrine in Shimotsuke. In the seventh year of the same era, whereas formerly the Kannushi of Hirano and Umenomiya had been provided with silk cloth and the like for the seasonal ceremonial dress (Tōshiki) in spring and winter, at this time one Kannushi of Hiraoka was likewise made to follow the same. In the eighth year of the same era, when a Kannushi was newly established at the Mitose Shrine in Yamato, a curse arose, and so it was stopped. (Note: following the Nihon Sandai Jitsuroku.)

¶In the eighteenth year of the same era, the Iwashimizu Hachimangū Gokokuji submitted: "At this shrine formerly Ki-no-Mitoyogon was made Kannushi and served in the rites. We now request that, following the Usa Shrine, it be made a standing post." This was granted. (Note: following the Nihon Sandai Jitsuroku and the Ruijū Sandai Kyaku.) In the second year of Gangyō, Junior Fifth Rank Lower was conferred on the Kannushi of Kasuga. (Note: following the Nihon Sandai Jitsuroku.) In the fifth year of the same era, Takashina-no-Tadamine, a clansman of the Munakata Shrine in Yamato, submitted: "From the Kiyomihara court (the court of Emperor Tenmu) until today, the sacred treasures and garden lands dedicated by the clansmen of this shrine have been quite numerous in kind and number, and the clansmen have succeeded one another and presided over the matter generation after generation. But now, with the long passage of years, people's hearts have slackened, and sometimes sacred treasures are lost and sometimes rites are neglected. Because of such negligence, curses of the deity have repeatedly been brought about. Therefore last year we memorialized, 'Please establish a Kannushi in accordance with Chikuzen,' but have not yet received a decision. We humbly request that a Kannushi be appointed quickly and made to take charge of shrine affairs. However, his changeover and replacement are to await the recommendation of the head of the clan, and his term is to be governed solely by the regulations of the Kyaku-shiki." This was granted. (Note: following the Nihon Sandai Jitsuroku and the Ruijū Sandai Kyaku.)

¶Under the regulations of the Engi era, the Kannushi of the various shrines were to be appointed by selecting persons of Eighth Rank or above, aged sixty or more, who were capable of the rites. Even clansmen and commoners of the shrine households were first to follow this precedent, and afterward it was extended to able-bodied Hakutei, who in that case were exempted from taxes and labor service. (Note: following the Engishiki.) For their appointment, the pronouncement of the Shōkei was used. (Note: according to records.) The cases of establishing Kannushi at the various shrines are generally as described above. Besides these, the Kannushi of Unatari, Muraya, Makimuku, Ike, Onchi, Ōi, Katsuragi-Kamo, Hinokuma, Kunikakasu, Itakiso, Narukami, Ōharano, Yamashina, Taima, Morimoto, Masamune, and others were all established before the Engi era. (Note: written with reference to the Ryō no Gige, the Ryō no Shūge, the Jōgan Gishiki, and the Engishiki.)

¶In the second year of Enkyū, a clansman of the Kibitsuhiko Shrine submitted: "While the Kannushi of the various shrines are in the capital, it is the custom to place a deputy (Daikan) to carry out the rites. Now the Kannushi of this shrine, Kaya-no-Sadamasa, is in the capital on business, and so the regular festival has fallen into abeyance. In accordance with neighboring precedents, we request that one clansman be made deputy." (Note: following the Mibu Kanmu Komonjo.) This is what is called "Kannushi-dai" (deputy Kannushi). At that time some of the shrines had Ō-Kannushi (Great Kannushi), Chū-Kannushi (Middle Kannushi), or Gon-no-Kannushi (provisional Kannushi), Sō-Kannushi (General Kannushi), and so on, (Note: following the Tsumori Keizu and the Kii Monjo-san.) and some had eight or nine posts, regular and provisional together, at a single shrine. (Note: following the Hiyoshi-sha Ki.) Later, in the end, anyone who carried out the business of a shrine came to be called "Kannushi" indiscriminately, and the system of antiquity fell into decline.

¶**Negi and Hafuribe (Priests and Ritual Attendants)**

¶Negi (Note: also written with other characters) and Hafuribe (Note: also written simply as "Hafuri"). The Negi presides solely over prayer. (Note: following the general sense of the Ruijū Sandai Kyaku. Note: anciently prayer itself was called "negi," and later the act came to be used as an office title.) The Hafuribe presides over speaking words on behalf of the Saishu. (Note: following the Ryō no Gige. Note: that "Hafuri" is read for the character "ho" is still equivalent to saying "habu-ri" (raising of wings). Probably those who serve the deities raised their robe sleeves lightly and had dignity in advancing and withdrawing, and so received this name. Added by way of remark.) This office appears from very ancient times. (Note: the Nihon Shoki says that at the eastern campaign of the Great Ancestor (Emperor Jinmu), Kose-no-Hafuri, Ino-no-Hafuri, and others were put to death, but this refers to the kind called Tsuchigumo and not to Hafuribe.) Emperor Sujin made Kamo-no-Agatanushi Kashima the Hafuri of the Hie Shrine. (Note: following the Hie-sha Negi Kuden-shō.) In the time of Emperor Suinin, the Hafuri of the Azura Shrine in Owari was established. (Note: following the Owari-no-Kuni Fudoki quoted in the Shaku Nihongi.) At about the same time, Yamatohime-no-Mikoto fixed the Hafuri of the twenty subordinate shrines of the Great Shrine. Emperor Yūryaku further established the Hafuri of its three subordinate shrines. (Note: following the Kōtai Jingū Gishikichō.) Emperor Chūai made Igahiko, a man of Uda in Yamato, a Hafuri and had him worship the two deities Ōkuranushi and Tsuburahime. In the time of Empress Kōgyoku the Hafuribe became very numerous, and it is said that there was no shrine, great or small, without a Hafuri. In the eighth year of Empress Jitō, because of an auspicious omen, ashiginu cloth was bestowed on the Hafuribe and others. (Note: following the Nihon Shoki.)

¶Under the Taihō regulations, the Jingikan was in charge of the register of Hafuribe. The Hafuribe were selected by the provincial governors from among the shrine households and requested from the Daijōkan. If no suitable person was found among the shrine households, they were to be taken widely from commoners. (Note: following the Ryō no Gige.) In the ninth year of Tenpyō, ranks were conferred on the Hafuribe of the various deities. In the nineteenth year of the same era, two Mehafuri (female Hafuri) of the Great Deity Hachiman were each conferred Outer Junior Fifth Rank Lower from Junior Eighth Rank Upper, and one of them later became a Negi. In the fourth year of Tenpyō-hōji, one grade of rank was bestowed on the Hafuribe of the various shrines. This was because of prayers for the illness of the Empress Dowager. In the eighth year of Tenpyō-shōhō, on an imperial progress to Kawachi, regular tax goods were bestowed according to circumstance on 118 Hafuri and Negi of the various shrines in the province. In the first year of Jingo-keiun, because of an auspicious omen, one grade of rank was conferred on the Hafuribe of the provinces. (Note: following the Shoku Nihongi.)

¶In the sixth year of Hōki it was decided: "On the days of the four-times-yearly distribution of offerings (Hanpei), Hafuribe of the provinces who do not attend the Jingikan are each to be punished." In the Kōnin years this regulation was repeated. In the seventh year of Hōki it was decided: "If the Hafuri of the various shrines do not attend to sweeping and repair and thereby cause damage, their rank documents are to be reclaimed, and they are to be replaced and returned to their original status as a regular practice." (Note: following the Shoku Nihongi and the Ruijū Sandai Kyaku. Note: the Ruijū Sandai Kyaku gives the eighth year of Hōki.) In the eleventh year of the same era, Nakatomi-no-Kashima-no-Muraji Ōmune, Hafuri of the Kashima grove in Hitachi, who held Senior Sixth Rank Upper, was conferred Outer Junior Fifth Rank Lower. When Emperor Kanmu ascended the throne, one grade of rank was granted to the Negi and Hafuri of the various shrines. (Note: following the Shoku Nihongi.) From then on, the granting of ranks to Negi and Hafuri on each accession, calamity, or auspicious omen is too frequent to enumerate. (Note: following the Ruijū Kokushi and the Nihon Kiryaku.) Next an imperial order was issued: "Have the Negi and Hafuri of the two Kamo shrines carry the shaku for the first time." (Note: following the Shoku Nihongi.) Later this was made the precedent. (Note: following the Engishiki.)

¶In the sixteenth year of Enryaku, an imperial order was issued: "Hafuribe who commit offenses or whose manner of purification is incorrect are to be dismissed in accordance with reason." (Note: following the Ruijū Kokushi.) In the third year of Kōnin, an imperial order was issued: "For shrines of the provinces without shrine households, from now on the Negi and Hafuri are to carry out repairs. Those who violate this are to be dismissed; those with rank are to have their rank documents reclaimed, and Hakutei are to be punished with one hundred strokes of the staff." (Note: following the Nihon Kōki.) In the eleventh year of the same era, the Hafuri and Negi of the Kashima Shrine were made to carry the shaku. (Note: following the Ruijū Kokushi.) In the second year of Tenchō it was decided: "By earlier precedent, the small shrines of the provinces sometimes had only a Hafuri and no Negi, sometimes had both offices, and sometimes had only a Mehafuri to preside over the rites, so that there had never been a fixed rule. From now on, where both offices are established, a woman is to be made Negi. However, those placed earlier are to serve until the end of their lives." (Note: following the Ruijū Sandai Kyaku. Note: the involvement of women in divine matters has been so since the earlier ages. That Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto served with kagura is the most ancient instance. When the Great Ancestor (Emperor Jinmu) performed the Utsushi-iwai, there must have been a reason why he conferred the title "Itsuhime" on Michi-no-Omi. After Emperor Sujin, when worshipping the Heavenly Ancestor, an Imperial princess was always made to undertake it. But this rite probably did not begin with Emperor Sujin; from the age when the Son of Heaven and the deity dwelt on the same dais and in the same hall, a Heavenly princess (Amatsuhime) was always made to attend, and so such a system came about. The Kogo Shūi says that Ōmiyanome-no-Kami attended before the Heavenly Ancestor, and, like the Naishi of the present age, with good words and beautiful speech harmonized sovereign and subjects and delighted the heart of the Son of Heaven. This was truly a precious office, and cannot be compared with the likes of Mekannagi and Mehafuri. The attendance of Imperial princesses at the rites may derive from this. And the fact that the various shrines frequently had women undertake the rites may in turn be due to these precedents. Added by way of remark.)

¶In the first year of Jōwa, the Negi and Hafuri, two persons, of the Keta Shrine in Noto were for the first time permitted to carry the shaku. In the second year of the same era, the Hafuri and Negi of the Kehi Shrine in Echizen were likewise so permitted. In the third year of the same era, Shimōsa Province submitted: "We request that the Negi of the Katori Shrine be made to carry the shaku as well, in line with the Kashima Shrine, with succession from generation to generation," and this was granted. In the second year of Kashō, the Negi and Hafuri of the Matsuo Shrine were also permitted to carry the shaku. (Note: following the Shoku Nihon Kōki.) In the third year of Ninju, the Hafuri of the Takeminakatatomi-no-Mikoto and Sakino-Yasakatome-no-Mikoto Shrine was permitted to carry the shaku. In the first year of Saikō, the Negi and Hafuri of the Takase, Futagami, and other shrines in Etchū were likewise so permitted. (Note: following the Nihon Montoku Tennō Jitsuroku.) In the third year of the same era, an imperial order was issued: "The Negi and Hafuri of the shrines of the provinces are to be treated as the Kannushi, and all are permitted to carry the shaku." (Note: following the Nihon Montoku Tennō Jitsuroku and the Ruijū Sandai Kyaku.)

¶In the seventh year of Jōgan it was decided: "The appointment of Hakutei as Hafuribe of the various shrines is to be stopped, and it is to be the regular practice to select and appoint persons of Eighth Rank or above, aged sixty or more, who are capable of the duties. However, those placed earlier are to serve until the end of their lives." (Note: following the Nihon Sandai Jitsuroku and the Ruijū Sandai Kyaku.) The following year it was decided: "We earlier stopped the appointment of Hakutei as Hafuribe, but the provinces exclusively call them clansmen or shrine-household people and try to appoint Kachō (men liable to tax and labor service), greatly harming the principles of government. From now on, even among clansmen and shrine-household people, those of Eighth Rank or above and those aged sixty or more must always first be fully employed. If there are no suitable persons, use the young. And have the various shrines report the clan names of the Kannushi, Negi, Hafuri, and others, have the provincial governors examine them, and prepare and send registers to be kept for cross-checking." In the tenth year of the same era, the Senkakusho submitted: "The Tenchō regulation says, 'Where both Negi and Hafuri are established at the various shrines, a woman is to be made Negi.' Yet the Saikō Kyaku says, 'The Hafuri and Negi of shrines of the Third Rank and above are likewise permitted to carry the shaku.' Now the shrines of the provinces are very numerous, and the provincial governors all claim spiritual efficacy and request additions of rank, so that within two or three years they are easily conferred the Third Rank. All the Zōshikinin of the provinces are made Negi and Hafuri, and there are none who do not carry the shaku, so that people suitable for dispatch as envoys are scarce. This is because, in the first place, the Hafuri of the various shrines preside solely over the rites, while the Negi have the office but no actual duties. We humbly request that from now on, for shrines newly conferred the Third Rank or above, in accordance with the Tenchō order document, a woman be appointed Negi and the number of those carrying the shaku be reduced." This was granted. (Note: following the Ruijū Sandai Kyaku.)

¶In the fifth year of Gangyō, Iyo Province submitted: "The registers of clansmen of the Hafuribe of the various shrines are compiled every year and presented to the Daijōkan attached to the Chōshūshi (annual reporting envoy), but there is no fixed time limit and they are compiled too frequently. We request that, in accordance with the genealogical charts of district heads, they be presented once every Ichiki (twelve years)." By imperial order: "They shall be presented once every three years, and all the provinces shall follow this." (Note: following the Nihon Sandai Jitsuroku and the Ruijū Sandai Kyaku.) Under the regulations of the Engi era: "The filling of Negi and Hafuri follows entirely the precedent of the Kannushi. Once appointed, they are not to be indiscriminately replaced. In cases of quarreling or striking others, or other offenses, they are to be transferred to the Jingikan, and the provincial governors are not to punish them indiscriminately. The register of Hafuribe is compiled every year and sent to the Daijōkan for cross-checking, and when the facts are confirmed, a Henshō (return certificate) is attached. The Negi and Hafuri of the two Kamo shrines are appointed from among Zōshikinin. If anyone holds the Fifth Rank, he is permitted to attend the Sechie (seasonal banquets). The Hafuri of the Usa Shrine are appointed from among Zōshikinin and made to carry the shaku." (Note: following the Engishiki.) In the second year of Daiji, the Mene-Negi (female Negi) of the Usa Shrine was conferred rank in recognition of three years of service. (Note: following the Chūyūki.) In later ages, the Negi and Hafuri all had titles such as Shō (regular), Gon (provisional), Dai (greater), Shō (lesser), Fuku (deputy), and Gi (acting), and it was the practice for the various shrines to add them according to circumstance. (Note: written with reference to the Ruijū Fusenshō, the Suwa Jin-shi Keizu, the Azuma Kagami, the documents of the shrines of Kashima, Katori, Yoshida, and Satsu, the Kehi-sha Ki, the Hiyoshi Jinja Shashi-ke Kakei, and the Kamo Chūshin Zakki.) At the Hie Shrine, for example, there were more than twenty Negi and Hafuri, regular and provisional. (Note: following the Hiyoshi-sha Ki.)

¶**Monoimi (Abstinence Attendant)**

¶The Monoimi. Also called "Imiko," and likewise girls were appointed to it. It was established at shrines such as Kashima, Katori, Kamo, Hiraoka, Kasuga, Ōharano, Hirano, Matsuo, Sono-Karakami, Yamashina, Taima, Morimoto, and Masamune. (Note: written with reference to the Jōgan Gishiki and the Engishiki.) At the Hiraoka Shrine, daughters of the Ōnakatomi clan were used. (Note: following the Ruijū Fusenshō.) Under the regulations of the Engi era, ritual garments were provided to the Monoimi of the various shrines in every case. (Note: following the Engishiki.) In the Jishō era, there was a Monoimi of Kashima who conspired with Taira-no-Hirotsune, fabricated falsehoods, and tried to seize the Kannushi's lands. (Note: following the Kashima-sha Monjo.) Probably there were some who were not girls. In recent times, for the Monoimi of Kashima, two girls aged ten or under were selected and made to keep abstinence for a hundred days; after that, using the Ame-no-Hawakagi (heavenly leafy young trees) as firewood, tortoise shells were burned, and one was determined by divination and employed. Except at the time of the rites, she was not permitted to go out of the hall. (Note: following the Kashima Saijo Yurai Ryakki and the Kashima-sha Monjo.) At the various shrines there were also places that established offices such as Shayo (shrine custodian), Kashigime (female cook), Bettō (steward), and Kengyō (superintendent), (Note: following the Nihon Sandai Jitsuroku, the Ruijū Sandai Kyaku, the Jōgan Gishiki, and the Ruijū Fusenshō.) but these are not described in detail here.

¶**The Six Offices Attached to the Jingikan**

¶The six offices attached to the Jingikan.

¶**Miyaji (Palace Diviner)**

¶The Miyaji. In remote antiquity, when Susanoo-no-Mikoto took Kushinadahime as his consort, her father and mother, Ashinazuchi and Tenazuchi, were made Miyaji and given the title "Inada-no-Miyanushi-no-Kami." (Note: following the Nihon Shoki.) The Miyaji began here. (Note: following the Shaku Nihongi.) At the Imperial residence and in the households of the Empress and the Crown Prince, one was established in each, and in every case a person capable of the duty was selected from among the Urabe and appointed, to preside over matters such as the Gokei (Imperial purification) and Miura (Imperial divination). (Note: following the Engishiki.) The one at the Imperial residence was called "Ōmiyaji" and also "Uchi-no-Miyaji." The one of the Crown Prince was called "Bō-no-Miyaji," and was always appointed when a Crown Prince was installed. On the day the Son of Heaven acceded to the throne, he was transferred directly to Ōmiyaji. (Note: following the Nintoku Tennō Jitsuroku and the Miyaji Hiji Kuden.) In the first year of Keiun, the Ōmiyaji was added to the category of permanent officials. In the third year of Yōrō, the Miyaji were first made to carry the shaku. In the ninth year of Tenpyō, rank was bestowed on the Ōmiyaji. (Note: following the Shoku Nihongi.) Under the regulations of the Engi era, the Miyaji's seasonal stipends and horse allowances were drawn from the shrine tax, and their monthly provisions were provided from the official fields. At the Saikū of Ise and the Saiin of Kamo, one Miyaji each was also established, to serve in matters of purification and divination. (Note: following the Engishiki.) The Miyaji of the Imperial residence, the Empress's household, and others were appointed by a report from the Jingikan, with the pronouncement of the Shōkei. That of the Imperial residence was sometimes appointed by receiving an imperial order. (Note: following the Saikyūki.) In later ages, when a Miyaji was young or in mourning, another person was provisionally made to act for him, called "Miyajidai" (deputy Miyaji). (Note: following the Ruijū Fusenshō and the Miyaji Hiji Kuden.)

¶**Heza (Door Seat Attendant)**

¶The Heza. These too were established, one each, in the same manner as the Miyaji, and in every case boys (Dōnan) were appointed. (Note: following the Engishiki.) They were presented from the three provinces of Awa, Bizen, and Bitchū. (Note: following the Ruijū Sandai Kyaku and the Ruijū Fusenshō.) For the Imperial residence they were chosen from the three clans of Azumibe, Mibu, and Nakatomibe of Awa; in the case of a reigning Empress they were chosen from the four clans of Mibu, Amabe, Mibu-no-Obito, and Mibube of Bizen; and for the Empress's household they were chosen from the three clans of Amabe-no-Obito, Ikube-no-Obito, and Kasa-no-Asomi of Bitchū. In the third year of Tenpyō, seasonal garments and monthly allowances were provided to the Heza. (Note: following the Ruijū Sandai Kyaku.) Under the regulations of the Engi era, boys aged seven or more selected by divination were assigned. When the time for marriage came, they reported to the Benkan and were replaced, and one was also established at the Saikū. (Note: following the Engishiki.) After this, the presentation of Heza by Bitchū and Awa continued without interruption until the Chōwa era. (Note: following the Ruijū Fusenshō.)

¶**Mikannagi (Shrine Maidens)**

¶The Mikannagi. As already briefly described above, the office originates with Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto. The Mikannagi of the Chinkonsai (Spirit-Pacifying Festival) is precisely its remnant. (Note: following the Nihon Shoki, the Kogo Shūi, and the Jōgan Gishiki.) The Mikannagi of the Jingikan numbered five, the Yamato-no-Kuni-no-Kannagi two, the Ikushima-no-Kannagi of the Left Capital one, the Ikasuri-no-Kannagi of the Right Capital one, and the Mikado-no-Kannagi one, and to each was provided one Iomori (hut-keeper), exempt from the household tax levy. (Note: following the Ryō no Shūge.) In the Daidō era, Inbe-no-Hironari, on the ground that the Sarume clan was not appointed to the Mikannagi of the Chinkon, submitted a memorial asking that this be restored. (Note: following the Kogo Shūi.) Under the regulations of the Engi era, the Mikannagi (Note: also called "Ō-Mikannagi"), the Mikado-no-Kannagi, the Ikushima-no-Kannagi, and one Mikannagi each for the Empress's and Crown Prince's households were chosen from commoner women capable of the duty. However, their service evaluation was treated as that of Sanji-no-Kunin (miscellaneous palace women), and the Ikasuri-no-Kannagi was chosen from girls of seven or older of the Tsuge-no-Kuni-no-Miyatsuko clan, and replaced when the time for marriage came. Each time a Mikannagi was replaced, the shrine hall and the things below it were renewed. However, at the places worshipped by the Ikasuri, Mikado, Ikushima, and other Kannagi, only the shrine hall was renewed, and no garments were offered. To each newly appointed Mikannagi, one house was provided. Further, to each of the Mikannagi, one chō of rice field in the Kinai was provided, and clothing was drawn from the shrine tax. In summer one bolt of ashiginu was given as seasonal garments, and in winter none was given. For meals, rice and salt were provided to each. (Note: following the Engishiki.) The Mikannagi were appointed by a report from the Jingikan, with the pronouncement of the Shōkei. (Note: following the Saikyūki.) In case of mourning, another person was made to serve in their place, called "Mikannagidai" (deputy Mikannagi). (Note: following the Ruijū Fusenshō. Note: the Nihon Shoki records that shamans and mediums (Fugeki) pretended to speak the words of deities, fabricated false sayings, deluded the people, and greedily took goods and wealth, and so on; harm by shamans and mediums is thus also ancient. But these are all of the kind that the Ruijū Sandai Kyaku calls Sūku (straw dogs), Fusho (talismans), Enmi (curse-charms), and Juso (curses). The successive courts repeatedly issued orders to suppress and prohibit them, and the fact that the Wamyōshō classes shamans and mediums with the Kottōbu (beggar and thief class) is greatly different from the official Mikannagi.)

¶**Sarume (Female Entertainers)**

¶The Sarume. These too transmit the legacy of Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto and serve at the rites generation after generation. (Note: following the Nihon Shoki, the Kogo Shūi, and the Jōgan Gishiki.) From the middle ancient period onward, daughters of the Hieda clan were appointed to it. (Note: following the endorsement of the Saikyūki.) The Hieda clan are descendants of Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto. (Note: following the preface of the Nihongi Kōnin Shiki.) The Sarume were appointed by a Naishi (court lady) reporting on the basis of a report from the Nuidonoryō (Bureau of Sewing). The court placed their maintenance fields in Wani Village in Ōmi and Ono District in Yamashiro. By the Kōnin years, the two clans of Ono and Wanibe privately used these fields and presented as Sarume persons who were not of that clan, confusing the clans and disordering the divine rites. Therefore, by imperial order, the presentation of Sarume by the two clans was stopped, and it was made a permanent rule that one daughter of the Sarume-no-Kimi clan be fixed and presented to the Nuidonoryō, and be appointed at each vacancy. (Note: following the Ruijū Kokushi and the Ruijū Sandai Kyaku.) Under the Jōgan regulations, four Sarume served at the Daijōsai (Great Thanksgiving Festival), and at the Chinkonsai too they performed dances following the Mikannagi. (Note: following the Jōgan Gishiki.) The Engi regulations followed this. (Note: following the Engishiki.) In the ninth year of Tentoku, on a report from the Nuidonoryō, an order document was issued to the clansmen of the two provinces of Yamato and Ōmi to present three Sarume to fill cases of death and vacancy and to replace them. (Note: following the endorsement of the Saikyūki.) By the time of the accession Daijōsai of Emperor Go-Saga, there were no longer any Sarume serving in the rites, and the ancient practice from the Age of the Gods fell into disuse. (Note: following the Heiko-ki.)

¶**Kanbe (Deity Households)**

¶The Kanbe. Clansmen of the Nakatomi, Inbe, Sarume, Kagamitsukuri, Tamatsukuri, Tatenui, Kanhatori, Shitori, Omi, and other clans, who have served the rites since the Age of the Gods, are called Kanbe. (Note: following the Nihon Shoki and the Kogo Shūi.) Under the Taihō regulations, thirty Kanbe were established. (Note: following the Ryō no Gige. Note: the Ryō no Shūge says that the "Kanbe" in the Eikin-ritsu refers to Hafuri and is different from this.) By the Daidō era, apart from two or three clans such as the Nakatomi and Inbe, the various Kanbe no longer shared in service evaluations, and the descendants of the deities were scattering and on the verge of extinction. Inbe-no-Hironari worried about this and submitted a memorial asking for a return to antiquity, (Note: following the Kogo Shūi.) but it was not adopted. Under the Jōgan regulations, grasping the heihaku, carrying the food offerings, performing song and dance, and arranging the shrine halls were all under the charge of the Kanbe. (Note: following the Jōgan Gishiki.) The Engi regulations also followed this. (Note: following the Engishiki.)

¶**Urabe (Diviners)**

¶The Urabe. All who serve the deities invariably conducted matters by divination. In the Age of the Gods, Ame-no-Koyane-no-Mikoto presided over the Futomani divination. (Note: following the Nihon Shoki.) The Urabe lived in Iki, Tsushima, and Izu, and all were descendants of Ame-no-Koyane-no-Mikoto; the court selected them to fill the office, twenty in all. Five each came from Iki, from Izu, and from the Upper District (Kami-agata) and the Lower District (Shimo-agata) of Tsushima, and they were called the "Shikoku-no-Urabe" (Urabe of the Four Provinces). (Note: following the Shinsen Kisō-ki.) Under the Taihō regulations, the Urabe belonged to the Jingikan and served the divine rites by means of divinatory cracks. (Note: following the Ryō no Gige.) The Urabe were appointed by a report from the Jingikan, with the pronouncement of the Shōkei. (Note: following the Saikyūki.) Under the regulations of the Engi era, one Urabe was also established at the Great Shrine, to divine the miscellaneous affairs of the year. (Note: following the Engishiki.) Other matters appear in the Treatise on Offices (Shokkan).

¶**Saifuku (Ritual Garments)**

¶The Saifuku. The regulations on dress and ornament appear in the Treatise on Rites and Music (Reigaku). In the first place, in the earlier ages there was no distinction between ceremonial garments (Reifuku) and ritual garments (Saifuku). Only in remote antiquity, when Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto prayed to the Heavenly Ancestor, she made a headdress of masaki vine and a sash of hikage vine. (Note: following the Kojiki and the Kogo Shūi. Note: "masaki-no-kazura" is written in various books with other characters, and probably means "masakae vine." It is also written as "tokorozura," a kind of vine whose tendrils are very long and which is said to stay green through the winter. There is a theory that it is the hekusokazura, but this is mistaken. "Hikage-no-kazura" is also called "hikage vine," a kind of creeper, tough enough to be made into a sash. There are theories that it is sagarigoke (hanging moss) or sarushi-ogase (pine lichen, also called Jora), but both are probably mistaken. Added by way of remark.) When Ame-no-Futodama-no-Mikoto worshipped Ōnamuchi-no-Kami, he wore a thick sash (Futotasuki). (Note: following the Nihon Shoki.) The divine words also contain a phrase about putting a thick sash on the weak shoulders of the Inbe. (Note: following the Engishiki.) For those who serve the deities, there may have been such a regulation in particular. In the first place, in remote antiquity the Most August (the Son of Heaven) used a garment of white silk (Hakui), (Note: following the general sense of the Kōtai Jingū Gishikichō and the Ryō no Shūge.) and the assembled officials used the blue-printed robe (Aozuri-no-Koromo) with crimson cords attached, as their ordinary dress. (Note: following the Kojiki.) After that, the development was not uniform, and at times the systems of Sui and Tang were imitated. (Note: following the general sense of the Nihon Shoki, the Ryō no Gige, and an old record held at Jizō-in of Daigo-ji.) For the great rites (Taishi), even the ceremonial garments of the Tang system were used. (Note: following the old record held at Jizō-in of Daigo-ji.) But since there were regulations left by the former sages that were hard to change suddenly, they were not yet fixed as a permanent system. Even with the establishment of the Taihō Code, the Son of Heaven still used the white silk garment, and only the Crown Prince and the princes and ministers of the Fifth Rank or above used the newly established ceremonial garments for the great rites. (Note: following the Ryō no Gige.) Emperor Shōmu first wore the Benpuku (crown robes), (Note: following the Shoku Nihongi.) and the use of the white silk garment fell into disuse. But the ceremonial rites of the earlier ages could not all be discarded. Eventually, in the Kōnin era, a compromise preserved the ancient system, and the white silk garment and the blue-printed robe were made the Saifuku. In all rites great and small, the Son of Heaven and the Empress always used the white silk garment, only the Crown Prince used the ceremonial garments, and princes and ministers used the blue-printed robe. (Note: written with reference to the Nihon Kiryaku, the Dairi-shiki, and the Kōnin Shiki quoted in the Seiji Yōryaku.)

¶In all rites there are the Daisai (greater abstinence) and the Shōsai (lesser abstinence). The Daisai is still equivalent to what is called Sansai (loose abstinence), and the Shōsai still equivalent to Chisai (strict abstinence). Since the rite of the Shōsai is the weightiest, those who themselves take part in the rites were called "Shōsai-no-Kannin" (officials of the lesser abstinence), and all wore the Saifuku. (Note: following the Dairi-shiki and the Jōgan Gishiki.) At this point the Saifuku and the Reifuku were first separated, and the Jōgan and Engi regulations all followed this, (Note: following the Jōgan Gishiki and the Engishiki.) so that the ancient system fortunately did not perish. Down to recent times, although there are differences in their refinement and coarseness, the remains of the earliest antiquity can be examined through them. Therefore I now collect and record the august garments of the Son of Heaven and the Saifuku of the princes and ministers used at the Daijōsai, Niinamesai (First-Fruits Festival), and others, and append them here.

¶**Gyofuku (August Garments)**

¶The Gyofuku. Under the Jōgan regulations, at the Daijōsai, two sets of august garments, three coverlets (Fusuma), two Nigitae pillows, three silk Bokutō (caps), two single-layer garments of Mōda cloth, and two Tobari (curtains) were used. (Note: following the Jōgan Gishiki.) The Engi regulations followed this. At the Niinamesai, two white silk robes (Haku-no-Hō) were used, with the Akome and Kazami each as above; two each of Hakama, Naka-bakama, and Fundoshi-type under-hakama; two coverlets, one spread coverlet (Shikibusuma), one cushion (Shitone), two white silk curtains (Haku-no-Katabira), one white silk Saka-makura pillow and one bleached-cloth Shoku each, one Dakin (towel), two pairs of white silk Shitōzu (socks), two sashes, two combs, one pair of shoes, and two pieces of Shōha white silk. However, at the Jinkonjiki of the sixth month, white silk single-layer garments were used instead of the white silk robe, the Akome, Kazami, white silk Saka-makura, and sash were omitted, and one cushion and one mat were added. For the Empress's household, two coverlets, one spread coverlet, one Shoku, and two tan of Chōfu cloth were used, the combs and shoes being as above, but in the sixth month a cushion was used in place of the spread coverlet. (Note: following the Engishiki.) In later ages the Gyofuku was called "Haku-no-Shōzoku" or "Shiro-Shōzoku" (white vestments). (Note: following the Nenjū Gyōji Shōzoku-shō, the Kazari-shō, and the Nishi-Sanjō Shōzoku-shō.) Other matters appear in the Treatise on Rites and Music (Reigaku).

¶**Ōshinpuku (Garments of Princes and Ministers)**

¶The Ōshinpuku. Under the Jōgan regulations, at the Daijōsai, Saifuku were distributed and bestowed on those of Sangi rank and above. From the Jingi-haku (Head of the Jingikan) down to the Dankin (zither players), each used one indigo-printed padded robe (Ai-zuri-no-Watanohō) dyed with alder, and one white Hakama; from the Shishō (clerks) down to the Kanhatori, each used one blue-printed cloth upper garment (Aozuri-no-Nuno-no-Uwagi). The Mikannagi and Sarume each used one robe with a green outer side and white silk lining, one double-sided sash, one Kazami, one skirt (Mo) with a green outer side and white silk lining, one each of an under-skirt and Hakama, one pale-blue sash (Hanada-no-Obi), one narrow-cloth Hatsugami (hair band), one Hire (scarf) with a scarlet outer side and white silk lining, one narrow-cloth upper garment, and one pair of thread shoes (Senkai). The assembled officials from the Imperial princes downward who were of the Shōsai class, and down to the Naishi and below and the Nyoju (maids), each used one blue-printed upper garment. Those of the Fifth Rank and above used crimson-dyed hanging cords (Tare-himo), in a combination of darker and lighter shades. The others used knotted cords (Musubi-himo), and on the days of the rites and at banquets, the Hikage-no-Kazura was likewise added. (Note: following the Jōgan Gishiki.)

¶Under the Engi regulations, the dress of the Jingikan and of the Imperial princes and below of the Shōsai class at the Daijōsai was in every case the same as under the Jōgan regulations. The Kadobe (Gate Guards), Katarube (Reciters), and Narabue-no-Takumi (flute makers) all used blue-printed cloth upper garments, and the Mononobe used upper garments of dark-blue cloth (Konnuno). The Inami-no-Urabe and Negi-no-Urabe were each given Tōshiki dress. At the Chinkonsai of the Niinamesai, from the Jingi-haku down to the Dankin, each used one alder-printed white silk robe and one Hakama. The Sarume followed the Daijōsai provisions, except that the double-sided sash and narrow-cloth upper garment were omitted and a double-sided cord and narrow-cloth socks were added. For the various offices of the Shōsai at the Niinamesai, blue-printed cloth upper garments were provided. From the Imperial princes and ministers down to the Nyoju, the total was 312 garments, of which 130 used narrow cloth. The rest were all Sado cloth, scarlet cords, white silk coverlets, Chōfu cloth coverlets, and so on, each with its number. To those of the Chūgūshiki (Office of the Empress's Household) from the Nyoju upward, a total of 89 blue-printed cloth upper garments were provided, of which 49 used narrow cloth, and the rest were all Sado cloth, scarlet cords, white silk coverlets, and cloth coverlets, these too each with its number. (Note: following the Engishiki.)

¶In later ages the blue-printed robe was called "Omigoromo" (robe of abstinence), and was made of white cloth, printed with mountain indigo (Yamaai) to form patterns, with designs such as plum blossoms, willows, pheasants, butterflies, young bracken, small birds, and water ripples, cut and sewn like a Kariginu (hunting robe) with a long hem. (Note: following the Masasuke Shōzoku-shō, the Heiji Hiki quoted in the Kazari-shō, the Nishi-Sanjō Shōzoku-shō, and the Sezoku Senshin Hishō.) Worn over the Sokutai (formal court dress), two red cords were attached together at the right shoulder and hung down front and back, and the cap was as usual. The Hikage-no-Kazura was tied to the Koji (cap-support) and hung to left and right, with a Kokoroba (heart-leaf ornament) set up in front of the Koji. (Note: following the Masasuke Shōzoku-shō.) These were collectively called "Omi-Shōzoku." (Note: following the Sakeiki.) There were also garments such as the Shoshi-Shōomi (Omi of the various offices), Hōeki-no-Omi, Watakushi-no-Omi (private Omi), Suitō-no-Omi (accounts Omi), and Nyogyō-no-Omi (nominal Omi), and their tailoring differed slightly in each case. (Note: written with reference to the Kazari-shō, the Nishi-Sanjō Shōzoku-shō, the Nenjū Gyōji Shōzoku-shō, the Daijōe Kifuku-zu, and the Shōzoku Chakuyō-zu.) The red cords are probably a remnant of the sash of Hikage vine. Three strands of white silk or gauze were used, one jō four or five shaku in length, and braided to make them. One was a deep crimson color and one a Suō (sappanwood) color, and sometimes patterns of applied shells or embroidery were added, which were printed and applied before being attached. When engaged in work, they were tied as a sash. (Note: following the Masasuke Shōzoku-shō, the Nishi-Sanjō Shōzoku-shō, the Shōzoku Jūyō-shō, the Shōzoku Zushiki, and the Shōzoku Chakuyō-zu.) The Hikage-no-Kazura too is a remnant of the Masaki-no-Kazura, and later was probably replaced by Rakatsu (Rakazura). The hikage moss was anciently called "Hikage," and in later ages was further made with blue thread or white thread. Sometimes it was made as a cord (Himo) or braid (Kumihimo), about one jō two shaku in length, with eight strands on each of the left and right, or twelve, and the center was tied into an Agemaki (double-loop knot). (Note: following the Nishi-Sanjō Shōzoku-shō, the Shōzoku Jūyō-shō, and the Shōzoku Zushiki.) Among the young there were some who made it of mixed colored threads, red and white, (Note: following the Heiji Hiki.) but this is said to have greatly lost the ancient meaning. The Kokoroba is a kind of Kazashi (hair ornament), a plum branch made of gold, about three or four sun in length, with one or two branches on each of left and right, and flowers made of silver or shell. (Note: following the Heiji Hiki, the Shōzoku Jūyō-shō, and the Shōzoku Zushiki.)