Shinmei shrines

The solar goddess of Shinto, Amaterasu Omikami, is considered to be the ancestral deity of the Imperial House of Japan, and is widely worshiped in agricultural rituals.

[1] However, as the power of the imperial court declined in the middle of the Heian Period, the central government could no longer financially support the Shinmei Shrines.

Local lords donated part of their own estates (Shōen) as Shinryo (Japanese: 神領, lit.

[3] During the Kamakura and later Muromachi Periods, Oshi's influence began to spread among both high-ranking samurai class and the common people.

[5] In the Edo Period, the Ise faith became even more popular, spreading throughout the country and permeating a wide range of social classes.