Asaga

An annual event held by the Imperial Court. It was held on January 1st, when ministers performed a "haibu" (prayer and dance) to the Emperor, who appeared at the Daigokuden (Daigokuden) as a New Year's ceremony. It was also called "chohai" (morning worship) or "mikado-ogami" (mikado-ogami). It was an adaptation of the system of "choga" (morning greetings) that had been practiced in China since the Han Dynasty, and the ceremonial attire was purely Chinese. Its origins in Japan are unclear, but it was first held in 646 (Taika 2) during the reign of Emperor Kokutoku.

The ceremony was the same as the enthronement ceremony, with well-dressed ministers lining up in the south garden of the Daigokuden, the emperor and the empress appearing, the crown prince playing congratulatory speeches, and the emperor responding by issuing an imperial decree. The ministers then performed a prostration dance and offered New Year's greetings, making it an extremely large-scale ceremony. As a result, the number of years when it was not held increased, and instead a much smaller "Kochohai" was held. Choga was abolished after the Shoryaku era (990-995) of Emperor Ichijo.

[Nobuhiko Sakai]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

朝廷の年中行事。1月1日、群臣が年始の礼として大極殿(だいごくでん)に出御した天皇に、「拝舞(はいぶ)」という礼を行った儀式。「朝拝(ちょうはい)」「みかどおがみ」ともいった。中国で漢朝以来行われていた朝賀の制度を取り入れたもので、その礼服は純然たる中国式であった。わが国における起源は明確ではないが、孝徳(こうとく)天皇の646年（大化2）には行われている。

　その儀式は即位の式と同じで、盛装した群臣が大極殿の南庭に整列し、天皇は皇后とともに出御してから皇太子が賀を奏し、天皇がそれに答えて詔(みことのり)を下す。さらに群臣が拝舞(はいぶ)して年始の挨拶(あいさつ)をするというもので、きわめて大規模な盛儀であった。そのためかしだいに行われない年が多くなり、かわりにはるかに小規模な「小朝拝(こちょうはい)」が代行された。朝賀は一条(いちじょう)天皇の正暦(しょうりゃく)年間（990～995）以後は廃絶した。

［酒井信彦］

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