МАЭ № 13-34/3

Visiting a Shrine. Miyamairi ceremony.

Japanese

1820-s

silk textile, Japanese watercolours, ink, Japanese washigami paper, glue

35,0 x 47,3

This list is a sequel to the previous and depicts the miyamairi ceremony proper. For this shrine visit, the newborn has been carried to the shrine. This ritual was intended to protect the newborn by warding off evil spirits and invoking the god who is the guardian of the shrine. The child’s father and grandmother (father’s mother) participated in this ritual. They took the infant to the shrine where a miko-san priestess performs the rite of shaking a ritual bell miko-suzu above his head. In her left hand, the miko-san holds a tray called the sanbo, on which the ofuda amulet is placed . The infant is held by his grandmother, who wears a five-color ribbon used in this ritual. Standing slightly apart is a maid carrying packages wrapped in red (offerings for miko-san). The father relaxes on the stairs of the shrine, observing the ritual.

Ethnographic drawing