Glossary
Words you’ll hear
Festival and shrine vocabulary in plain English, with the Japanese written form so you can recognize it on signs.
- Chigo 稚児
- A child who serves as a sacred messenger of the kami during the festival.
- Chimaki 粽
- At the Gion Matsuri, a bundle of bamboo leaves sold as a protective charm. It is not food; hang it by your door.
- Ema 絵馬
- A small wooden plaque on which visitors write a wish and hang it at the shrine. Exam wishes fill the racks at Tenmangū shrines.
- Gion-bayashi 祇園囃子
- The festival music of flutes, drums and small gongs, often called kon-chiki-chin after its sound.
- Goryōe 御霊会
- A ritual to calm angry spirits believed to cause disaster and disease. The Gion Matsuri began as one.
- Hatsumōde 初詣
- The first visit of the year to a shrine or temple, usually made between January 1 and 3 to pray for the year ahead.
- Kagura 神楽
- Sacred music and dance performed for the kami. Many forms retell myths, above all the story of Amaterasu and the rock cave.
- Kami 神
- A Shinto deity or sacred presence. Kami can be gods from myth, spirits of nature, or deified people.
- Kojiki 古事記
- Japan's oldest surviving book, compiled in 712. It records the myths of the kami.
- Mamemaki 豆まき
- Throwing roasted soybeans at Setsubun while shouting "Demons out! Luck in!" to drive bad luck from the home.
- Matsuri 祭り
- A Japanese festival, usually held for the kami of a local shrine. The word comes from the idea of serving and entertaining the gods.
- Mikoshi 神輿
- A portable shrine. During the festival the kami rides inside while people carry it through the neighborhood.
- Nodate 野点
- An open-air tea ceremony, held outdoors among flowers or trees.
- Ofuda お札
- A paper or wooden talisman from a shrine, kept in the home for protection and returned to be burned after a year.
- Omamori お守り
- A small cloth charm sold at shrines and temples for protection, health, safe travel or success. Keep it closed and carry it with you.
- Omikuji おみくじ
- A paper fortune drawn by lot at a shrine or temple. Bad fortunes are tied to a rack so the bad luck stays behind.
- Oni 鬼
- A horned demon or ogre of Japanese folklore, often red or blue. At Setsubun, oni are driven out with roasted beans.
- Otabisho 御旅所
- The kami's temporary lodging during a festival, often in the busiest part of town.
- Shimenawa 注連縄
- A thick rope of rice straw, often hung with zigzag paper strips, that marks a sacred boundary at a shrine, a tree or a rock.
- Taimatsu 松明
- A torch made from bundled wood or bamboo. Giant taimatsu are the centerpiece of fire festivals such as the Omizutori.
- Temizuya 手水舎
- The water basin near a shrine entrance, where visitors rinse their hands and mouth to purify themselves before praying.
- Torii 鳥居
- The gate at the entrance to a shrine. Passing through it means stepping from the everyday world into a sacred space.
- Tsuji-mawashi 辻回し
- Turning a float 90 degrees at a street corner by sliding it over wet split bamboo.
- Yabusame 流鏑馬
- Mounted archery, in which a rider at full gallop shoots arrows at wooden targets beside a track. It is performed as an offering to the kami.
- Yamaboko 山鉾
- The general name for the Gion Matsuri floats, both the tall hoko and the smaller yama. Listed as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.
- Yatai 屋台
- A festival float with a roof, often carrying musicians or a small stage. The same word also means a street food stall.
- Yoiyama 宵山
- The festival evenings before a parade, when the floats stand lit in their neighborhoods.