Shake - Shake

A hereditary family of Shinto priests who worship at a shrine. In ancient times, the clan head or political leader represented the clan or region in the rituals and affairs of a shrine, and in many local shrines, local members such as parishioners and villagers served on a rotating basis. However, when worshiping the gods, long periods of purification were required to make the festivals more solemn, and in order to constantly manage the daily affairs of the shrine, it was considered appropriate to be the descendants of the enshrined deity as a qualification for worship, so gradually full-time families of Shinto priests were born and passed on hereditary. For example, at Ise Grand Shrine, there were several dozen families for each position such as the head priest, chief priest, and assistant priest, at Kamokamishimo Shrine there were over 150 families, at Kibitsu Shrine there were over 60 families, and at other ancient and famous shrines there were also their own families. Fourteen famous families, including the Fujinami and Kawabe families of Ise Grand Shrine, the Senke and Kitajima families of Izumo Grand Shrine, the Atsuta Grand Priest Senshu family, and the Tsumori family of Sumiyoshi Shrine, were ranked as noble families in the Meiji period. Many families of shrines were also present for generations at ordinary shrines in various regions during the Middle Ages and early modern times. In 1871 (Meiji 4), the state abolished the system of hereditary succession to the priesthood, based on the idea that shrines should not be the private domain of individual families; however, in practice these remained at government-run and nationally-supported shrines, and the old shrine families continued to exist in practice in local areas.

[Mure Hitoshi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

神社を奉祀(ほうし)する世襲の神職の家柄。神社の祭祀(さいし)・社務には、古代では氏長者(うじのちょうじゃ)や政治の長(おさ)が、その氏・地域を代表して、また地方の多くの神社では、氏子・村人ら地域の構成員が当番制でこれに奉仕してきた。しかし、神仕えに際し、祭りをより厳粛に行うために長期の潔斎が必要となり、また日常の社務を恒常的に取り仕切るため、さらに奉祀の資格として祭神の裔孫(えいそん)たることがふさわしいとして、しだいに専従の神職家が発生し、世襲された。大社の例では、伊勢(いせ)神宮に祭主家・宮司家・禰宜(ねぎ)以下の各職掌ごとに数十家の、賀茂上下(かもかみしも)社では百五十数家、吉備津(きびつ)宮では六十数家の社家があり、その他の古社・名社にもそれぞれの社家が存した。名家として、伊勢神宮の藤波・河辺氏、出雲(いずも)大社の千家(せんけ)・北島氏、熱田(あつた)大宮司千秋(せんしゅう)家、住吉(すみよし)神社津守(つもり)氏など14家が、明治になり華族に列せられた。各地の一般の神社でも中世・近世には累代の社家が多く存した。1871年（明治4）には、国家により、神社は一人一家の私にすべきものではないとの精神によって神官世襲の制が廃止されたが、実際はこれは官国幣社にとどまり、地方では事実上、旧社家が存続した。

［牟禮　仁］

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