Since its inauguration 1500 years ago, there is one ceremony, the higoto-asayuu-oomikesai (the offering of the sacred meal to the kami) ritual that has continued twice a day without fail. The proceedings, customs, and the spirit of the ceremony at Jingu have been passed down from generation to generation. Here, we are going to introduce the daily chores of a young priest.

From 8 p.m. of the previous day, the young priest confines (sanro) himself in the shrine. Before going to sleep, he changes to a white robe and purifies himself by taking a sacred shower (kessai). He wakes up at 5 in the morning, washes his face, and takes the sacred shower again. After the purification, he goes to the sacred kitchen (imibiya-den) to cook breakfast. He makes sacred fire (imibi) by rubbing wood together and cooks the sacred offering (shinsen) to the kami. The work in the kitchen takes an hour and a half.

Water used in cooking is fetched from the sacred well (kamii-jinja), rice is grown in the sacred rice paddies (shinden), and the vegetables and fruit are raised in the sacred fields (misono), all located within the compound. Sacred salt (mishio) is obtained from the nearby sacred beach (mishio-hama) of Futami, using the ancient processing method. Dried bonito (fish), sea bream (fish), ear shell, seaweed, and sake (Japanese liquor) were added to the menu only after the Meiji era.

After the sacred meal is prepared, he takes his own meal. Then he changes from the white robe to an official white costume and crown, a style that has continued since the Heian period. At 8 a.m. (9 a.m. in winter), he leaves his quarters for the Mikeden (a place of daily offering) carrying the sacred meal in a wooden box. A lucky early worshipper may be able to see him and his fellow priests in procession.

Click on the sea bream or apple in the wooden box for more information.

After delivering the sacred meal, the young priest begins preparing the evening meal. Then he puts on the white costume and crown again. At 4 p.m. (3 p.m. in winter) he delivers the sacred meal to the kami.

Such is the life pattern at Ise Jingu. This has been going on every single day for the past 1500 years without any severence. And this ceremony will surely continue for many more centuries to come, since time flows slowly at Ise Jingu.