Ise faith

Japanese: 伊勢信仰 - いせしんこう

Faith centered on Ise Shrine. Originally, Ise Shrine held an important position in the system as the "God of the Nation's Noblest," and offerings to the shrine were prohibited to anyone other than the Imperial Family. However, as support for the shrine waned with the decline of the dynasty's finances toward the end of the Heian period, some of the priests began working as so-called Oshi (master priests) and worked to expand the network of believers (parishioners) nationwide. In particular, in the Tokai and Kanto regions, many powerful clans and military commanders were invited by Oshi to donate Mikuriya (kitchens) and Misono (gardens) as shrine land. Among them, Minamoto no Yoshimune, who donated Soma Mikuriya, said, "This is because the whole of Great Japan is the territory of the Kotai Ise Shrine and Toyouke Shrine," and this well describes the content of the faith.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

伊勢神宮を中心とする信仰。伊勢神宮は元来〈国家至貴の神〉として皇室以外の奉幣を禁ずるなど，制度上重い地位にあったが，平安末期には王朝財政の衰えとともに支持が薄くなったため，神職団の一部はいわゆる御師（おし）としての活動を開始して，全国的に信徒(檀那)網を広げることに努めた。ことに東海･関東の地方には御師の勧誘により神領としての御厨（みくりや）･御薗(園)（みその）を寄進する豪族･武将が多かったが，なかで相馬御厨を寄進した源義宗の，〈これ大日本国は惣じて皇太神宮･豊受宮の御領たるの故なり〉という言葉は，よく信仰内容を物語っている。

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

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