Shinsen are offerings offered at Shinto shrines on the occasion of shrine festivals. We investigated shinsen offerings made at Kyoto's Kamo-wake-ikazuchi-jinja (also known as Kamigamo Shrine) between June 2009 and May 2010. We surveyed all offered items and investigated which biological resources were used, and how and from where they were supplied. We found that totally 2243 items were offered. There were 137 different kinds. 105 kinds of biological resources were used as ingredients. Some of the supply routes for shinsen ingredients were based on ancient customs. The Adogawa region in northern Shiga Prefecture, for example, was a supply area for the shrine based on a system through which the shrine bestowed the region with river fishing rights and rice farming land as a compensation for its supply of ayu fish (Plecoglossus altivelis altivelis) used as items in shinsen offerings. Through shinsen offerings, a great variety of biological resources were used in a sustainable way. We found, however, that some biological resources used in shinsen such as the futabaaoi (Asarum caulescens) are difficult to obtain today.
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