CHINKON

'Pacifying the soul'= [mi]tama-shizume. Achin-kon-sai(matsuri for the pacification or repose of souls) is held in the imperial palace before thedaijosaiand the rite is practised especially at theIso-no-kami jingu, Tenri, Nara. The idea of chinkon derives from the belief that a soul which had departed from the body at death could be brought back by rituals including dancing, in forms resembling earlykagura. There are several different interpretations of chinkon ortama-shizumeincluding drawing on the strength of a gai-rai-kon, a (higher) soul from beyond; pacification of one's own soul and of others, including the whole community; a kind of intercession for the souls of the dead; unification of dead souls with the kami, and promotion of the 'soul' of the state and the sovereign.