Offeringsman - Kusainin

Japanese: 供祭人 - くさいにん

The inhabitants of the mikuriya (kitchens) owned by the Kamo Shrines (Kamigamo and Shimogamo) in Yamashiro (Kyoto Prefecture) in various regions were engaged in fishing and hunting, and were responsible for presenting fish as offerings to the altar. In 1090 (Kanji 4), Emperor Shirakawa donated over 600 cho of non-exportable land to each of the Kamo Shrines, and allocated mikuriya to various provinces, but both shrines owned many mikuriya around Lake Biwa and the Seto Inland Sea, including some that existed before that. At the Omi Adogawa shrine of the Upper Shrine, it is said that after Kanji's donation, 52 people became shrine priests, and each person was asked to set aside three cho of public land to make sacred fields and offer offerings as tribute.In the case of the Nagasu shrine in Settsu, which had become the shrine territory of the Lower Shrine a few years earlier, it is said that since then, "they invited the netters from the sea, talked to those involved in river fishing, and invited several hundred households to become offering priests."

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

山城(京都府)の賀茂神社(上賀茂･下鴨両社)が各地に領有した御厨（みくりや）の住民で，漁猟に従事し，供祭物(神前への供物)としての魚類の貢進を任とした人々。1090年(寛治4)白河上皇が賀茂両社にそれぞれ不輸田600余町を寄進するとともに，御厨を諸国に分置したが，それ以前からのものも含め，両社は琵琶湖岸や瀬戸内海周辺に多くの御厨を領有した。上社の近江安曇河（あどがわ）御厨では，寛治の寄進以後同社神人（じにん）となった52人について，人別に3町の公田を引き募って神田とし，贄（にえ）を貢進させたと伝え，その数年前に下社が社領とした摂津の長洲御厨の場合は，以来〈海中の網人を招き寄せ，河漁にたずさわる輩を語らい寄せて，数百家をいざないすえ，供祭人となした〉といわれる。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

<<: Tanaka's snailfish

>>: Grass City - Soushi