2023 Volume 78 Issue 5 Pages I_229-I_239
Shinto rituals play various roles that include community revitalization and tourism. The Agency for Cultural Affairs is providing financial and institutional support for preserving and utilizing Shinto rituals. The recent COVID-19 pandemic, along with the increasingly worsening population decline, is expected to affect the continuation of Shinto rituals strongly. For this study, we conducted a literature survey of Shinto rituals performed in Ibaraki Prefecture 30 years ago to elucidate the actual conditions of inheritance and extinction of Shinto rituals. We analyzed factors underlying their inheritance and extinction. Results indicated that the ritual types, regional characteristics, and shrine grade influenced the inheritance and extinction of Shinto rituals, although the decline of populations around shrines did not. Interviews with successors revealed that some Shinto rituals are being carried out because of the existence of preservation associations and reduction of individual burdens imposed by duty systems, even under circumstances in which it is considered difficult to carry on the traditions.
