Daijosai

Akihito (the 125th Emperor) wearing a Haku-Goho (ceremonial robe) at the Omamesai (tasting of the first rice harvest)

Michiko wearing a white five-garment Tang costume on the occasion of Meinong's Taemae Festival in 1990.

In general, like the Niinamesai, the Daijosai is understood as an autumn festival of thanksgiving for the harvest. In fact, there are some similarities in the ritual schedule, and in the same year that Omame-sai is held, Niinamesai is not held. Before the Daiho Ritsuryo, "Otamesai" and "Shinamesai" were different names for the same ritual.

Since rituals are a secret affair, there have been various discussions about their contents. In the past, the theory of the "bedding over the bedding" advocated by Orikuchi Nobuo, that is, a ritual in which the emperor's spirit is put on the new emperor by reproducing the scene of Amagasaki in Japanese mythology, was proposed. The hypothesis was supported, and research was conducted in the form of development or modification of the hypothesis.^[5]　In 1983, Okada Seiji sharply criticized this theory, advocating the rite of holy matrimony, and it gained a certain amount of support in the Japanese historical community.^[6]

However, from 1989 to 1990, Shoji Okada published an essay that rejected both the "makuro-covered bedding (真床覆衾)" theory and the sacred marriage rite theory.^[7]　According to Okada Shoji's theory, the Omamesai is a simple ritual in which the new emperor welcomes Amaterasu for the first time, centering on the offering of sacred food and a communal meal ritual.^[7]　This view, that the emperor enjoys the divine authority of Amaterasu by enhancing the divine authority of Amaterasu, is consistent with the common view before Orikuchi, as well as the view of Middle Ages lords such as Ichijō Kaneyoshi.^[7]　Okada Shoji also noted that the feast of Omameshi-Matsuri is not only to give thanks for the rice harvest, but also for millet, which was an emergency food for the common people in ancient times, and that Omameshi-Matsuri is a prayer for the stability of the people and the prevention of natural disasters that would disturb agriculture. He opined that it is "a prayer for the calming of nature in mountains and rivers" and "the nation's highest ritual to pray for the peace of the nation and its people".^[8]

Later, Masahiro Nishimoto introduced a newly published anecdote from "Nairashiki" and its examination has resulted in the almost complete rejection of both the "mashitoko-covering-bedding" theory and the sacred marriage rite theory by the Japanese historical community.^[9]

The form of the tamesai (= new tasting rice) ceremony was established in the 7th century during the reign of Empress Kōgyoku, but at that time there was still no distinction between the regular tamesai (= new tasting rice) ceremony and the Jinsō tamesai ceremony. The first time that a ceremony of a different scale was held in addition to the regular Omamesai was during the reign of Emperor Tenmu.^[10]　However, at that time, it was not yet a once-in-a-generation event associated with accession to the throne, but was held several times during the reign.^[11] With the establishment of the Ritsuryo system, the festival was named the "Shansho Otamesai" as a once-in-a-generation ritual, and the details of the ceremony, including the ritual procedures, were also established. Of the ceremonial rites stipulated in the Engi-Shiki, only the Omamesai was designated as a "daisai" (ritual of the Great Taste of Rice). The name "Dajo-e" was derived from the fact that a three-day long festival was held after the tasting of the first taro.^[12]　Later on, the ordinary tamesai (= new tamesai) was sometimes referred to as "the annual tamesai" and the practice of tamesai as "the tamesai of every generation". Originally, in the Chronicles of Japan, the tame and the new tame were neither referred to as "festival" nor "assembly. They are simply described as "ote" and "shintame. In the Nara period (710–794), they were called "Otame-kai" and "Shintame-kai," and in the Heian period (794–1185), they were officially called "Otamesai" and "Shintamesai," but in most diaries, "Otamesai" and "Shintame-kai" are used. This indicates that one of the most important components of the tasting of taro and the tasting of shin-tame was the "meeting".^[13]

However, in the late Muromachi Period and the Sengoku Period, the shogunate was weakened by warfare, and the imperial court became impoverished, which hampered the imperial rites. The tame festival was held until 1466, the first year of Emperor Go-Tsuchimikado's reign, but after the outbreak of the Onin War the following year, it became impossible to collect temporary expenses (tame-kaiyaku). For more than a year, he was forced to abort. In August 1545, Emperor Go-Nara wrote a decree to the Ise Jingu Shrine to pray for the restoration of the imperial family and the people, and at the same time to apologize for the inability to hold the tame-matsuri ceremony.^[14]

After domestic stability was restored by the Oryoho regime and the Tokugawa Shogunate, there was a period of time when the tasting of the tithes was not practiced, but Emperor Reigen was intent on reviving the imperial rites, and first restored the rite of the Crown Prince Asahito in 1683, the first time in approximately 340 years. In 1684, the Emperor wished to transfer the throne to the Crown Prince and to restore the Great Tamesai Ceremony, and had the Shogunate negotiate with the Emperor. At that time, he explained in the form of a precedent that the tame-matsuri should be held upon the accession of the crown prince to the throne. The Shogunate, which had been at loggerheads with the Imperial Court due to the Murasaki Incident and other events, was reluctant to request the same ceremonial protocol as in the previous case (when Emperor Reigen ascended to the throne), but after negotiations, the reestablishment was approved on condition that the entire budget for the succession to the throne be paid in the same amount as in the previous case. In 1687, the emperor abdicated and the crown prince acceded to the throne (Emperor Higashiyama), and the Great Taste of Rice Ceremony was held for the first time in 221 years. However, due to budgetary constraints, the reconstruction was a shortened version at this point.

When the next generation Emperor Nakamikado succeeded to the throne, Daijosai was not held. This is attributed to the pledge during the reign of Emperor Reigen. At the time of the succession to the throne of Emperor Sakuramachi, the imperial court initially declined the offer from the shogunate side, but eventually the imperial court side revived Niiname-no-Matsuri. There was an offer, and after negotiations between the imperial courts, the Daijosai was held again in 1738,^[a] three years after the succession to the throne, and after that, the Daijosai was held without interruption every time it was replaced. It came to be done.^[15]

From the Nara era to the Heian era of the Heijo, the site for the Taimae Ceremony was the Ryuo-dan garden in the front yard of Chodoin, located in the southern center of the Ouchiura. The first two are the first two. After the burning down of Chodoin at the end of the Heian period, it was still built roughly on the former site of Daigoku-den, under the Ryuo-dan. During the reign of Emperor Antoku, the capital was temporarily relocated to Fukuhara-kyō and was postponed due to the death of Emperor Takakura, but was finally moved to Emperor Go-Shirakawa by the ruling of Emperor Shirakawa. The ceremony was held in 1182 (Juei 1), but due to the current circumstances, including the Genpei War (Genpei War), it was held at Shikikakuden. ^[16]　When Emperor Higashiyama was reestablished, perhaps because the site of Daigoku-den was not yet clear, he followed the precedent set by Emperor Antoku and used the forecourt of Shikikakuden, leading to the Meiji period. In the Meiji period (1868–1912), the accession ceremony was held in Shikikinden, but the tamesai ceremony was held at the Fukiage Palace in Tokyo. During the Taishō and Shōwa eras, the former Sentō Gosho in the Omiya Gosho in Kyoto was used under the "Togoku Order". Since the Heisei era, the ceremony has again been held at the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.

• During the Edo period, the Emperor decided to follow the old ways and forbid Buddhism Sangha Bhikkhunī to enter the palace and remove the title of successive emperors. Reigen and Regent Ichijō Fuyūketsu (Kaneteru), who opposed the Emperor's brother, Prince Gyōjo, and Minister of the Left Konoe Motohiro Hui and others were at odds with each other. This movement to exclude Buddhism was reinforced each time the new emperor held the first Grand Tasting Ceremony, in conjunction with the rise of Kokugaku and the theory of the reverence for the emperor, which led to criticism of the long-established court practice of shimbutsu shugō and to debates about the pros and cons of the exclusion of Buddhism and its attendant enthronement ceremony. Some believe that it developed into a distant cause of the Separation of Shinto and Buddhism at the Imperial Court in the Meiji period.^[17]
• In the Ōei Taimeikai (Records of the Great Tasting Ceremony) written by Ichijō Tsunetsugu in the Muromachi period, it is written that "The national event is the Taimeikai, and the event is no more than a Shinto meal", and in the Eiwa Taimeikai, it is written that only the emperor and his attendants may enter the temple (Taimekiya). However, in the historical background of the period when young emperors between the ages of two and seven continued from Emperor Horikawa to Emperor Antoku and Emperor Go-Toba, we can see "Nigyo" and "Gode" in Oe Masafusa's "Eke Yadai" and "Enkei Datame Ki" and "Go-Toba" in the "Enkei Datame Ki" and "Go-Toba". If the emperor was 10 years of age or older (an adult who had reached the age of full age), as described in the "Oei Taiteki," the emperor himself offered the "Nigyo" service, and if the emperor was 9 years of age or younger, the regent offered the "Gode" service. In addition, a few days before the Omame-sai, a preliminary ritual of the offering of the offering of the offering of the offering of the food to the gods is held.^[18]
• The ceremonies related to the coronation ceremony were designated as national events, while the ceremonies related to the Daijosai were designated as imperial events. It is often misunderstood that "imperial event" here does not mean "private event of the imperial family" but "public event of the imperial family". The budget for Daijosai is extraordinary, other than the usual court fees. According to the government announcement (final answer) at that time, the reason why Daijosai was not regarded as "state affairs" is that the emperor's "state affairs" under the Constitution of Japan requires "advice and approval of the Cabinet". This is because the Daijosai, which is a traditional ritual of the imperial family, does not fall under the category of "state affairs."

First, two special rice paddies (斎田, saiden) are chosen by turtleshell divination (亀卜 kiboku) and purified by elaborate Shinto purification rites. The families of the farmers who are to cultivate the rice in these paddies must be in perfect health. Once the rice is grown and harvested, the rice is divided into two storehouses, the takakaya no mikura (高茅御倉) for the majority of the rice, while the best of it is stored in the inamiden (稲美殿), which is regarded as a de facto Shinto shrine and its stored rice as its go-shintai (御神体), the embodiment of a kami or divine force. Each kernel must be whole and unbroken, and is individually polished before it is boiled. Some sake is also brewed from this rice. The two sets of rice seedlings now blessed each come from the western and eastern prefectures of Japan, and the chosen rice from these is assigned from a designated prefecture each in the west and east of the country, respectively.

Two thatched roof two-room huts (悠紀殿 yukiden, lit. East-region hall) and (主基殿 sukiden, lit. West-region hall) are built within a corresponding special enclosure, using a native Japanese building style that predates and is thus devoid of all Chinese cultural influence. The Yukiden and Sukiden represent the east and west halves of Japan, respectively. Each hall is divided into two rooms, with one room containing a large couch made of tatami mats at its center which serves as a seat for Amaterasu, in addition to a seat for the emperor and a place to enshrine the kami; the second is used by used by ritual officials and the sword and jewel of the Imperial regalia are placed there. All furniture and household items also preserve these earliest, and thus most purely Japanese forms: e.g., all pottery objects are fired but unglazed. These two structures represent the house of the preceding emperor and that of the new emperor. In earlier times, when the head of a household died his house was burned; before the founding of Kyoto, whenever an emperor died his entire capital city was burned as a rite of purification. As in the earlier ceremony, the two houses represent housing styles from western and eastern parts of Japan. Since 1990, the temporary enclosure is located at the eastern grounds of the Imperial Palace complex.

This ceremony, also known as O-ni-e-matsuri (大嘗祭) and O-name-matsuri (大嘗まつり (大嘗祭) is marked as an Imperial court ritual performed by the Emperor of Japan upon his succession to the throne, and is an Imperial Household Ritual. In olden times, it was also called "Ohonimatsuri" or "Ohonamatsuri".^[19] In modern times, however, it is read phonetically as "Daijosai".^[20]

• Saiten
• Festival of the Deva and Naraka
• Sacrifice to Taishan
• Secular Games

• Daijosai
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  Scale model of the Heisei era daijokyu, built in 1990
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  Prince Nashimoto Morimasa at Emperor Taishō's ceremony
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  The daijokyu, where the festival was held, depicted on a postage stamp commemorating the Emperor Showa's accession and Daijosai.
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  A table in red lacquer for holding the sword and jewel of the Imperial regalia
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  Imperial throne

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  Traditional dancing of eastern Japan, performed during the rituals in the Yukiden.
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  Traditional dancing of western Japan, performed during the rituals in the Sukiden.
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  Kinshitsu Kakusa (from the Showa Tairekiroku)