Masakaki

Masakaki at Yasaka Shrine
Masakaki featuring a sword hung on its left side
Masakaki featuring a mirror and magatama hung on its right side

A masakaki (Japanese: 真榊) is an object used in Shinto rituals. It is put on both sides of a table where the event takes place. A masakaki is made with the branches of a sakaki tree. These branches are attached to the top of cloth banners, which come in five colors - green, yellow, red, white, and blue. These five colors stand for the wuxing (five elements). At funerals, masakaki with yellow and white banners are used.

Special treasures are hung on these branches. On the left side, a sword is hung. On the right side, a mirror and a magatama are hung. The three of them symbolize the Imperial Regalia of Japan. This configuration is sometimes referred to as a masakaki-dai. A masakaki offering involves donating two such masakaki-dai to a shrine or at a jichinsai.

They were mentioned in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki as implements used to get Amaterasu to leave the cave.

In 2016, Shinzo Abe caused a controversy for making a masakaki offering to Yasukuni Shrine. It was incorrectly reported as being a small tree by some sources. In early 2023, Fumio Kishida ran into a similar controversy.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.