The , also known as the Department of Shinto Affairs, Department of Rites, Department of Worship, as well as Council of Divinities, was a Japanese Imperial bureaucracy established in the 8th century, as part of the reforms. It was first established under the Taihō Code which also established the . However, the and the Daijō-kan made their first appearance in the Asuka Kiyomihara Code.
While the Daijō-kan handled secular administrative affairs of the country, the oversaw matters related to Shintō, particularly of kami worship. The general functions of the included overseeing kami-related affairs at court, managing provincial shrines, performing rites for the , as well as coordinating the provinces' ritual practices with those in the capital based on a code called , which translates to "Code of Celestial and Terrestrial Deities" or "Code of Heavenly and Earthly Gods".
While the department existed for almost a millennium, there are periods of time in Japanese ancient and medieval history where the was effectively nonexistent such as when the physical establishment of the department was burned down during the Ōnin War (1467-1477). During the Meiji period, the was briefly reinstated in 1868 and dissolved in 1871, succeeded by the and the Ministry of Religion (教部省, kyōbushō).
Term The term is composed of the Chinese characters , "council" or "department," and , which are an abbreviated form of , "celestial and terrestrial deities." The term , also known as amatsukami which translates to "celestial deities" or "heavenly gods" encompasses all kami gods in Shintō that reside in Takamagahara or the "High Plains of Heaven," from whom the Japanese imperial line claims descendance. The term , also known as kunitsukami, translates to "terrestrial deities" or "earthly gods" and encompasses all kami gods in Shinto that reside in or have appeared on the earth. Colloquially, the term jingi can also be used to refer to the rituals performed to the heavenly and earthly gods.
Therefore, there are several ways to translate the term jingi-kan in English:
"Department of Divinities" or "Council of Divinities," where the term jingi is used to refer to both heavenly and earthly gods. This is the most common translation used in English. "Department of Rites" or "Council of Rites," where the term jingi refers not to the heavenly and earthly gods but to the rites performed for these gods. "Department of Shinto Affairs" or "Council of Shinto Affairs," where "Shinto Affairs" refer to the general function of , that is to oversee all matters related to Shintō.
Ritsuryō Jingi-kan This Shintō administrative hierarchy was an intentional mirror of its Chinese counterpart, the Ministry of Rites (禮部).Breen, John and Mark Teeuwen (2000) The Jingi-kan was charged with oversight of Shintō clergy and rituals for the whole country.
Hierarchy The Jingi-kan was staffed by four levels of managers, as seen below: +Title in JapaneseRomanizationTitle in EnglishAdditional Details従四位下 - 神祇伯jingi-hakuDirector, junior fourth rank lower gradeJapanese bureaucratic title: 大常伯(たいじょうはく, daijōhaku), 大常卿(たいじょうけい, daijō-kei)、大卜令(たいぼくれい, daibokurei)、祠部尚書(しほうしょうしょ, shihōshōsho)従五位下 - 神祇大副 正六位上 - 神祇少副jingi-daifuku, jingi-shōfukuSenior vice-director, junior fifth rank lower grade Junior vice-director (shōfuku), senior sixth rank upper gradeJapanese bureaucratic title: 大常小卿 (だいじょうしょうきょう, daijōshōkyō), 祠部員外郎 (しぶいんがいろう, shibuingairō)従六位上 - 神祇大祐 従六位下 - 神祇少祐jingi-daijō, jingi-shōjoSenior assistant, junior sixth rank upper grade Junior assistant, junior sixth rank lower gradeJapanese bureaucratic title: 大常丞 (たいじょうじょう, taijōjō), 大卜丞 (たいぼくじょう, taibokujō)正八位下 - 神祇大史 従八位上 - 神祇少史jingi-daisakan, jingi-shōsakanSenior secretary, senior eighth rank lower grade Junior secretary, junior eight rank upper gradeJapanese bureaucratic title: 大常録事 (たいじょうろくじ, taijōrokuji), 大卜令史 (たいぼくれいし, taibokureishi), 祠部主事 (しぶしゅじ, shibushuji)、祠部令史 (しぶれいし, shibureishi), 大常主簿 (たいじょうしゅぼ, taijōshubo)伴部 (神部,卜部,使部,直丁)tomobe (kanbe, urabe, shibu, jikichō) Religious functionariesTomobe are staffs that serve under these officials. Tomobe is composed of thirty kanbe and twenty urabe, thirty shibu (servants), and two jikichō (laborers).
Functions In its early days, the had four main functions:
To carry out annual rites written in jingiryō as well as oversee the overall coordination of shrine rites. To provide the sovereign and his court with ritualists who assist in the performance of palace ceremonies. When misfortune struck or to determine the cause of ominous events, it performs divination to determine the identity of the responsible kami. To conduct the distribution of tribute offerings (heihaku) to shrines for four annual rituals: Kinen-sai (Toshigoi no Matsuri), the spring and autumn Tsukinamisai, and Niinamesai.
Annual Rites The was responsible for carrying out thirteen rites as written in the jingiryō. The rites are laid out in articles 2 through 9, as well as article 18. Those rituals are: +Ritual TitleChronologyRitual Details/PurposeToshigoi no Matsuri or Kinen-saiearly springprayers for a good harvestHanashizume no Matsuri end of the 3rd monthprayers for freedom from illnessKamu miso no Matsurimiddle of the 4th monthofferings of summer vestments at IseSaigusa no Matsuri4th monththe festival of the Isakawa Shrine in Yamato, a subshrine of the Miwa ShrineÕmi no Matsuri4th day of the 4th monththe festival of the Hirose Shrine, for the kami of rainKaze no Kami no Matsuri4th day of the 4th monththe festival of the Tatsuta Shrine, for the kami of windTsukinami no Matsuri or Tsukinamisai11th day of the 6th monthprayers for a good harvestMichiae no Matsurilast day of the 6th monthperformed at a crossroads outside the capital, to prevent evil spirits from enteringHoshi shizume no Matsuriafter Michiae no Matsuri on the last day of the 6th monthprayers to prevent fires at the palaceGreat Purification (Ōharai)half of the yearpurifies the emperor and the people of the transgressions and defilements of the first half of the yearŌmi no Matsuri4th day of the 7th monthKaze no Kami no Matsuri4th day of the 7th monthKamu miso no Matsuriautumn repetitionTsukinami no Matsuriautumn repetitionMichiae no Matsuriwinter repetitionHoshi shizume no Matsuriwinter repetitionKanname-sai9th and 10th monthsspecial offerings at the Ise Shrines of the wine and food made from the new rice cropAiname-sai11th monthNiiname-sai11th monthGreat Purification (Ōharai)last day of the 12 monthpurifies the emperor and the people of the transgressions and defilement of the second half of the year
Jingi-kan in Medieval Japan From the 10th century to the 15th, the Shirakawa-hakuō family held this position continuously.
In feudal Japan, the Jingi-kan became the final surviving building of the Heian Palace. During the Jōkyū War in 1221, most of the palace was evacuated and fell into disrepair; the Jingi-kan alone remained in operation. A 1624 memoir by a Jingi-haku reports that the Jingi-kan was still being used as late as 1585 and was demolished during renovations. In 1626, a temporary building was constructed to perform additional ceremonies.
Meiji Jingi-kan On 3 March 1868, Emperor Meiji announced that the new Meiji government would restore direct imperial rule (王政復古, ōsei fukko) and unity of rites and government (祭政一致, saisei itchi). The department was reinstated in 1868 at the beginning of the Meiji period as a provisional step to achieve saisei itchi.
In the seventh month of 1869, the department was further reorganized as an office independent of, and positioned above, the Daijō-kan, echoing the structure of its ancient predecessor; proponents of this restructuring included scholars of the Hirata and Ōkuni schools of kokugaku, respectively represented by Hirata Nobutane and Fukuba Yoshishizu. The reorganized Jingi-kan was headed by Nakayama Tadayasu, with Shirakawa Sukenori as deputy; a separate mausoleum section was placed under Toda Tadayuki, while a propaganda bureau known as Senkyōshi, led by Nakayama with Fukuba as deputy, employed graded ranks of religious instructors.
After 1871 In 1870, the Meiji administration attempted to create a new national religion under the term , primarily to keep Christianity from gaining popularity and influence in the Japanese society and to re-educate the population about the significance of the imperial rule. Consequentially, in addition to overseeing Shintō affairs, the began to produce propaganda supporting the empire.
The was demoted to the Ministry of Divinities, lasting from 1871 to 1872, as part of the saisei itchi campaign, bringing the to an end.
The goals of the Great Teaching campaign were deemed too ambiguous to be formed into practice, making it difficult for the Jingi-shō to provide theoretical and spiritual content to be spread among the public. The Jingi-shō also lacked staff to oversee their two major functions, Shintō affairs and propaganda. Because of this, the Jingi-shō was dissolved and the Meiji administration established Ministry of Religion (教部省, kyōbushō), also known as the Ministry of Doctrine.
See also Engishiki, volume 1-10 State Shinto Unity of religion and rule
Notes
External links Kokugakuin University, Encyclopedia of Shinto, "Concepts of Emperor and State" (Jingi-kan)