Reisai

A Reisai (例祭) is a Shinto festival (Matsuri) held at a Shinto shrine every year. The Reisai is the most important festival of the shrine.

It is held on a special day for the  or the shrine itself. 

If a shrine is for a historical figure, this festival is usually on their birthday or day of death. 

In cases where there is no specific historical date, the festival is usually held during the  or  as a general celebration. 

The date of the Reisai is fixed and cannot be arbitrarily changed. If a shrine needs to change its reisai date, it must get permission from the Association of Shinto Shrines.

 History 
People started calling important festivals reisai in the early modern period. 

In the early modern period, illustrated  around the country would often include entries such as "XX Shrine Annual Festival on XX Month XX Day," which shows that it had become common to refer to important festivals that represent a shrine as annual festivals.

In the Meiji period the Reisai and Niiname-sai and Kinen-sai festivals, were called 'great festivals', Important shrines had imperial envoys give  to the shrines, representing the Imperial House of Japan.

After World War II, the government stopped giving , but imperial envoys still visit imperial shrines during annual festivals. 

 Reisai at various Shrines 
shrine Regular festival day Kashihara Shrine February 11th Kasuga-taisha March 13th Ōmiwa Shrine April 9 Katori Shrine April 14th Heian Shrine April 15 Okunitama Shrine May 5 Izumo-taisha May 14 Kamo Shrine May 15 Atsuta Shrine June 5 Yasaka Shrine June 15 Hikawa Shrine Aug. 1 Kashima Shrine September 1st Iwashimizu Hachiman Shrine September 15 Dazaifu Tenmangū September 25 Mononobe Shrine October 9 Isonokami Shrine October 15 Meiji Shrine November 3

References

Category:Festivals in Japan
Category:Shinto