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Department of Divinities
The Department of Divinities (神祇官, jingi-kan), also known as the Department of Shinto Affairs, Department of Rites, Department of Worship, as well as Council of Divinities, was a Japanese Imperial bureaucracy established in the 8th century, as part of the ritsuryō reforms. It was first established under the Taihō Code which also established the Council of State (太政官, daijō-kan). However, the Jingi-kan and the Daijō-kan made their first appearance in the Asuka Kiyomihara Code.
While the Daijō-kan handled secular administrative affairs of the country, the Jingi-kan oversaw matters related to Shintō, particularly of kami worship. The general functions of the Jingi-kan included overseeing kami-related affairs at court, managing provincial shrines, performing rites for the celestial and terrestrial deities (天神地祇, tenjin chigi), as well as coordinating the provinces' ritual practices with those in the capital based on a code called jingi-ryō (神祇令), which translates to "Code of Celestial and Terrestrial Deities" or "Code of Heavenly and Earthly Gods".
While the department existed for almost a millennium, there are periods of time in Japanese ancient and medieval history where the Jingi-kan was effectively nonexistent such as when the physical establishment of the department was burned down during the Ōnin War (1467-1477). During the Meiji period, the Jingi-kan was briefly reinstated in 1868 and dissolved in 1871, succeeded by the Ministry of Divinities (神祇省, jingi-shō) and the Ministry of Religion (教部省, kyōbushō).
The term jingi-kan is composed of the Chinese characters kan (官), "council" or "department," and jingi (神祇), which are an abbreviated form of tenjin chigi (天神地祇), "celestial and terrestrial deities." The term tenjin (天神), also known as amatsukami which translates to "celestial deities" or "heavenly gods" encompasses all kami gods in Shintō that reside in Takamagahara or the "High Plains of Heaven," from whom the Japanese imperial line claims descendance. The term chigi (地祇), also known as kunitsukami, translates to "terrestrial deities" or "earthly gods" and encompasses all kami gods in Shinto that reside in or have appeared on the earth. Colloquially, the term jingi can also be used to refer to the rituals performed to the heavenly and earthly gods.
Therefore, there are several ways to translate the term jingi-kan in English:
This Shintō administrative hierarchy was an intentional mirror of its Chinese counterpart, the Ministry of Rites (禮部). The Jingi-kan was charged with oversight of Shintō clergy and rituals for the whole country.
The Jingi-kan was staffed by four levels of managers, as seen below:
In its early days, the Jingi-kan had four main functions:
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Department of Divinities
The Department of Divinities (神祇官, jingi-kan), also known as the Department of Shinto Affairs, Department of Rites, Department of Worship, as well as Council of Divinities, was a Japanese Imperial bureaucracy established in the 8th century, as part of the ritsuryō reforms. It was first established under the Taihō Code which also established the Council of State (太政官, daijō-kan). However, the Jingi-kan and the Daijō-kan made their first appearance in the Asuka Kiyomihara Code.
While the Daijō-kan handled secular administrative affairs of the country, the Jingi-kan oversaw matters related to Shintō, particularly of kami worship. The general functions of the Jingi-kan included overseeing kami-related affairs at court, managing provincial shrines, performing rites for the celestial and terrestrial deities (天神地祇, tenjin chigi), as well as coordinating the provinces' ritual practices with those in the capital based on a code called jingi-ryō (神祇令), which translates to "Code of Celestial and Terrestrial Deities" or "Code of Heavenly and Earthly Gods".
While the department existed for almost a millennium, there are periods of time in Japanese ancient and medieval history where the Jingi-kan was effectively nonexistent such as when the physical establishment of the department was burned down during the Ōnin War (1467-1477). During the Meiji period, the Jingi-kan was briefly reinstated in 1868 and dissolved in 1871, succeeded by the Ministry of Divinities (神祇省, jingi-shō) and the Ministry of Religion (教部省, kyōbushō).
The term jingi-kan is composed of the Chinese characters kan (官), "council" or "department," and jingi (神祇), which are an abbreviated form of tenjin chigi (天神地祇), "celestial and terrestrial deities." The term tenjin (天神), also known as amatsukami which translates to "celestial deities" or "heavenly gods" encompasses all kami gods in Shintō that reside in Takamagahara or the "High Plains of Heaven," from whom the Japanese imperial line claims descendance. The term chigi (地祇), also known as kunitsukami, translates to "terrestrial deities" or "earthly gods" and encompasses all kami gods in Shinto that reside in or have appeared on the earth. Colloquially, the term jingi can also be used to refer to the rituals performed to the heavenly and earthly gods.
Therefore, there are several ways to translate the term jingi-kan in English:
This Shintō administrative hierarchy was an intentional mirror of its Chinese counterpart, the Ministry of Rites (禮部). The Jingi-kan was charged with oversight of Shintō clergy and rituals for the whole country.
The Jingi-kan was staffed by four levels of managers, as seen below:
In its early days, the Jingi-kan had four main functions: