Silence of the Sengu Vocabulary Building


Below is a list of words from the passage you just read. What do these words mean?

(Definitions from OxfordDictionaries.com)

Imperial

  • - Relating to an emperor

In the case of this story, "Imperial Grand Shrines at Ise" refers to the shrines of the emperor's family


shrine

  • - A place regarded as holy because of its associations with a divinity or a sacred person or relic, typically marked by a building or other construction

In the case of this story, "Imperial Grand Shrines at Ise" are described as "the most sacred sanctuaries of Shinto"


origins

  • - The point or place where something begins, arises, or is derived

In the case of this story, "Though the origins of this custom may be shrouded in mythology," the writer means that it is not clear how the custom started.


mythology

  • - A collection of myths, especially one belonging to a particular religious or cultural tradition

In the case of this story, "Though the origins of this custom may be shrouded in mythology," the writer is referring to the stories related to the Shinto religion and the Shiken Sengu tradition


faithful

  • - Loyal, constant, and steadfast

In the case of this story, "the faithful adherence to the principles of the Shikinen" refers to the loyal and constant support of the principles of the Shikinen.


adherence

  • - supporting a particular party, person, or set of ideas

In the case of this story, "the faithful adherence to the principles of the Shikinen" refers to the loyal and constant support of the principles of the Shikinen.


architectural

  • - describing the art or practice of designing and constructing buildings.

In the case of this story, "the preservation of ancient Japanese architectural and ritual forms" means that old Japanese building construction and design have been kept alive.


ritual

  • - describing a religious or solemn ceremony consisting of a series of actions performed according to a prescribed order:

In the case of this story, "the preservation of ancient Japanese architectural and ritual forms" means that the actions of old Japanese ceremonies have been kept alive


ancestral

  • - Of, belonging to, inherited from, or denoting an ancestor or ancestors (A person, typically one more remote than a grandparent, from whom one is descended:)

In the case of this story, "As the ancestral shrines of the emperors of Japan" refers to the shrines of the emperor's family


deities

  • - gods or goddesses

In the case of this story, "symbols of the deities’ spiritual presence" refers to symbols of the Sun Goddess and the God of Agriculture

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