Donation - Kishin

"To make people donate things" means to donate land or property to a shrine or temple. It is usually used in contrast to "kanjin," which means encouraging people to donate money and goods to a shrine or temple, whereas "donation" means making a voluntary donation. In many cases, it was done to pray for peace of the nation, safety of the domain, prosperity of one's family, personal success and success, and even the subjugation of an enemy. The property that was donated was called "donation," and included a variety of items such as swords, bows and arrows, and horses, and later, the earnings from entertainers' volunteer performances were also donated to the shrine. When making a donation, a document outlining the purpose of the prayer was attached; this is called a "donation letter," "donation letter," or "votive letter," and is an important resource for economic research into ancient shrines and temples.

[Shigeru Matsumoto]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

「物を寄せまいらせる」ことで、社寺に土地や財物を寄付することを意味する。通常、「勧進(かんじん)」に対して用いられる語で、勧進が人に勧めて社寺などに金品を奉納せしめるのに対し、寄進は自ら進んで奉納寄付することをいう。多くの場合、国家の安寧、領内の安全、一門一家の繁栄、一身の出世栄達、さらには仇敵調伏(きゅうてきちょうぶく)などの祈願のために行われた。寄進される財物のことを寄進物といい、太刀(たち)、弓矢、馬をはじめ、さまざまなものが含まれ、のちには、芸人の奉仕出演の上がり高を神社に寄付するということも行われた。寄進に際し、祈願の趣旨を記した文書が添えられるが、これは寄進状、寄付状、あるいは奉納状といわれ、古社寺の経済的研究に重要な資料となっている。

［松本　滋］

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