Jichinsai
ritual for placating the earth god of a locality before construction / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jichinsai is a festival in Japanese culture. It happens before construction starts on a new building.[1][lower-alpha 1]
People do the ritual to ask for permission from the landlord deity to make a building on their land.[2]
It is a way to pray for safety during the construction. The contractor, who makes the building, pays for the festival. This includes the omiki and tamagushi offerings. The owner and other people involved help pay, too.[3] People set up a Himorogi at the space in order to do the ceremony.[4]
The ceremony is held in the presence of builders, designers, and clients. A wooden platform is set up, and in the center is an altar on which offerings such as rice, sake, fish, vegetables, salt, and water are placed. In some cases, sand or salt from the beach near Ise Grand Shrine may be used.[1] Five-colored silk banners, called Masakaki, are used in the ritual.