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and , also called Iwanami Japanese dictionary, 6th Edition (2008), DVD version. (collectively known as The term ''setsumatsusha'' is the combination of the two terms ''sessha'' and ''massha''.) are small or miniature shrines entrusted to the care of a larger shrine, generally due to some deep connection with the enshrined '' kami''.
The two terms used to have legally different meanings, but are today
Being true shrines, ''setsumatsusha'' have most features other types of shrines have, including doors and often stairs. However, the is a style normally used only in ''sessha'' and ''massha''. It owes its name to the fact that, unlike other shrine styles, it doesn't feature a stairway at its entrance, and the veranda is completely flat. Miniature stairways can however be present. They can be either , that is have the entrance under the gable, or, more frequently, , that is, have the entrance on the side parallel to the roof's ridge (see examples in the gallery). Apart from the lack of a staircase, such shrines belong to the '' nagare-zukuri'' or '' kasuga-zukuri'' styles.
File:Hinomisaki-jinja sessha.jpg, A large ''sessha''
File:Kagami-no-miya-jinja. 01.jpg, A ''massha'' at Ise Shrine
File:Katsuragi-jinja (Gose, Nara) massha.jpg, A row of ''massha''
File:Iwashimizu Hachimangu setummasha6.jpg, A ''hirairi'' ''sessha''
File:Aguchi-jinja setsumassha2.jpg, A ''tsumairi'' ''sessha''
and , also called Iwanami Japanese dictionary, 6th Edition (2008), DVD version. (collectively known as The term ''setsumatsusha'' is the combination of the two terms ''sessha'' and ''massha''.) are small or miniature shrines entrusted to the care of a larger shrine, generally due to some deep connection with the enshrined '' kami''.
The two terms used to have legally different meanings, but are today synonyms
A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...
. ''Setsumatsusha'' can lie either or the main shrine's premises. ''Setsumatsusha'' are usually 1x1 '' ken'' in size. They can however be as small as beehives or relatively large and have 1x2, 1x3 or even, in one case, 1x7 bays.
History
The practice of building ''sessha'' and ''massha'' shrines within a ''jinja'' predates written history. The earliest ''setsumatsusha'' usually had some strong connection to the history of the area or the family of the enshrined ''kami''. During the Heian period, Ise Shrine used to make a distinction between the two types based on whether a shrine belonged to the Engishiki ''Jinmyōchō'' list (''sessha'') or to the ''Enryaku gishikichō'' list (''massha''). From theJapanese Middle Ages
The first human inhabitants of the Japanese archipelago have been traced to prehistoric times around 30,000 BC. The Jōmon period, named after its cord-marked pottery, was followed by the Yayoi period in the first millennium BC when new inventi ...
onwards, at other shrines popular ''kami'' like Hachiman
In Japanese religion, ''Yahata'' (八幡神, ancient Shinto pronunciation) formerly in Shinto and later commonly known as Hachiman (八幡神, Japanese Buddhist pronunciation) is the syncretic divinity of archery and war, incorporating elements f ...
, Inari or were often enshrinedThrough a process called '' kanjō'' in ''setsumatsusha'', but no clear distinction between the two terms was made. From the Meiji period to the Second World War, a shrine dedicated to family members of a ''kami'', to the , or the ''kami'' of the region where the main shrine was, were to be considered ''sessha'' with a higher rank than the rest, which were called ''massha''. When the shrine ranking system was abolished in 1946, legally the distinction disappeared, but both terms remained in use out of habit.
Architectural style
Being true shrines, ''setsumatsusha'' have most features other types of shrines have, including doors and often stairs. However, the is a style normally used only in ''sessha'' and ''massha''. It owes its name to the fact that, unlike other shrine styles, it doesn't feature a stairway at its entrance, and the veranda is completely flat. Miniature stairways can however be present. They can be either , that is have the entrance under the gable, or, more frequently, , that is, have the entrance on the side parallel to the roof's ridge (see examples in the gallery). Apart from the lack of a staircase, such shrines belong to the '' nagare-zukuri'' or '' kasuga-zukuri'' styles.
Architectural examples
Notes
References