Daijō-sai

What it is

The Daijō-sai is one of the rites of the Japanese imperial court and belongs to Shinto. It follows an emperor's accession and stands in the same family of observances as the Niiname-sai, the yearly rite of thanks for the rice harvest held on 23 November, which is also Japan's Labor Thanksgiving Day. In a year when the Daijō-sai takes place, the Niiname-sai is not held. Those who keep it see the emperor as joined to Amaterasu, the sun deity, in a way that is his alone. The prayers ask for calm in public life, for the safety of the people and for a good harvest.

Origins and history

The rite grew out of older farming ceremonies, and its first shape is traced to the Yayoi period. The scale and style used today are credited to the reigns of Emperor Tenmu and Empress Jitō in the 7th century. Under the Ritsuryō system it became a once-in-a-generation rite, and the Engi-shiki set down how it was to be done; among the rites listed there, only this one ranked as a daisai, a great rite. War and poverty broke the chain in the Muromachi and Sengoku years. Emperor Reigen worked to restore court ritual, and in 1687 the ceremony returned after 221 years, in a shortened form. From 1738 it was held at each accession without a break.

The hall and grounds

A complex of more than thirty buildings, the daijōkyū, is put up for each Daijō-sai. Its main halls are the Sukiden, the Yukiden and the Kairyuden, and they stand within the imperial residence of the day. For the Reiwa ceremony this meant the East Garden of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. Emperor and empress each use a separate hall for their portion of the rite. Once the ceremony is over, the grounds are opened to visitors for a few weeks, and then the buildings are taken down.

Debate and secrecy

Because the rite is closed, its inner meaning has been argued over rather than watched. In the 20th century Orikuchi Nobuo proposed that it re-enacted a scene from myth, in which the emperor's spirit passed to the new sovereign. Okada Seiji answered with a theory of sacred marriage. From 1989, Okada Shōji set both aside: for him the heart of the matter was the offering of sacred food and a shared meal, with the emperor welcoming Amaterasu for the first time. Masahiro Nishimoto later brought new evidence, and the older readings lost most of their support.

Today and change

The ceremony is arranged by the Imperial Household Agency and paid for by the state, yet it is treated as a private act of the imperial family, so that religion and government stay apart. Part of it was shown on television in 1990, and the 2019 ceremony was streamed live. Critics, among them people speaking for women's rights, say the secrecy and the public money raise questions under Article 20 of the constitution, which keeps state and religion separate. Supporters reply that it is a family rite of long standing.

How Daijō-sai is kept

The emperor and empress take part on separate sides of the ritual, each in their own hall, and the whole service runs about three hours. The emperor lays out offerings of new grain, kelp, millet and abalone for Amaterasu and the deities around her. He then reads his words to the deities, eats the food he has given, and prays. The empress performs her own portion of the rites. Several hundred guests watch, among them the Prime Minister, officials, representatives of companies and public bodies, and journalists. It happens once only in a reign.

When and where

It falls in November, after the enthronement, and only once in a reign. It is the first Niiname-no-Matsuri of that reign, which is why the ordinary Niiname-sai of 23 November is skipped in the same year. Emperor Akihito's rite fell in November 1990; Emperor Naruhito's was on 14 November 2019.

The rite belongs to Japan and to the imperial court. Its setting has moved with the court: Nara and Kyoto in earlier centuries, then Tokyo. Since the Heisei era it has been held in the East Garden of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, on ground the imperial household sets aside for the purpose.

What Daijō-sai means

For those who keep it, the Daijō-sai joins the new emperor to Amaterasu, the sun deity, and to the deities who come with her, in a bond no one else shares. The offerings are the year's new food, handed back to the powers that granted it. The emperor eats what he has offered, so thanks and prayer are made in one act. Okada Shōji called the rite the nation's highest prayer for the peace of the country and its people.

Questions people ask about Daijō-sai

See also

Hadaka MatsuriJapanese festivals where participants clad in loincloths seek luck and purificationIkatA resist-dyeing craft from Southeast Asia, where yarns are tied and dyed before weavingKadomatsuA Japanese New Year gateway decoration of pine and bamboo where a visiting deity can restKishiwada Danjiri MatsuriA high-speed festival of wooden shrine floats pulled through Kishiwada, Japan

Good reading and sources

• Daijosai ritual: Why Japanese Emperor Naruhito spent a night with the sun goddessThe Indian Express, Article
• Daijosai ritual: Why Japanese Emperor Naruhito spent a night with the sun goddessThe Indian Express, Article

• Daijosai on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-05.