Mikoshi
Ritual objects神輿 ・ Reading: mikoshi
Definition
The ornate portable shrine in which a kami rides through the streets during a festival. Carried on the shoulders of chanting teams, the mikoshi lets the deity leave the shrine once a year to bless the whole neighborhood in person.
The kami goes out
For most of the year a kami dwells hidden in the main sanctuary of its shrine. At festival time, priests ceremonially transfer the deity into a mikoshi, a miniature shrine building mounted on carrying poles, complete with a phoenix or sacred jewel on the roof, lacquer, and gilded fittings. Teams of bearers in matching happi coats then carry it through the parish with rhythmic shouts of wasshoi or seiya, often rocking and bouncing it vigorously, which is said to please the kami and spread its blessing.
Watching and joining
The mikoshi procession is the heart of most shrine festivals, from one modest palanquin in a country town to dozens competing at Tokyo's great festivals like Sanja Matsuri in Asakusa. Spectators can follow along freely; joining the bearers usually requires belonging to a neighborhood association, though some festivals welcome visitors who ask in advance. Look for the moment of miyairi, when the mikoshi returns to the shrine and the kami is transferred home again.
Common questions
- Why do bearers shake the mikoshi?
Vigorous rocking and bouncing, called tamafuri, is believed to intensify the kami's power and scatter its blessings over the neighborhood, which is why processions look so energetic.
- Can visitors help carry a mikoshi?
Usually carrying is reserved for neighborhood association members, but some festivals accept outside participants who register in advance. Watching from the roadside is always welcome.
- What is the bird on top of the mikoshi?
A golden phoenix, an auspicious symbol that marks the roof of many mikoshi; others carry a sacred jewel. It signals that a deity is riding within.