Department of Divinities

The Department of Divinities (神祇官, Jingi-kan), also known as the Department of Shinto Affairs, was a Japanese Imperial bureaucracy established in the 8th century, as part of the ritsuryō reforms.

History[]

This Shinto administrative hierarchy was an intentional mirror of its Chinese counterpart, the Ministry of Rites (禮部).^[1] The Jingi-kan was charged with oversight of Shinto clergy and rituals for the whole country. It was headed by the Jingi-haku (神祇伯). 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.^[2]

It was reinstated in 1869 with the onset of the Meiji period, but was quickly replaced with a more "modern" system paralleling Western institutions. A system of regular offerings (hōhei) to 3,132 kami enshrined across the nation was instituted.^[3] The department was disbanded under the 1945 Shinto Directive. Its civilian duties were taken over by the Association of Shinto Shrines.

See also[]

• Engishiki, volume 1-10
• State Shinto

Notes[]

External links[]

• Kokugakuin University, Encyclopedia of Shinto, "Concepts of Emperor and State" (Jingi-kan)

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