Shinkan (official)

A high priest in 1902, photographed by Kusakabe Kimbei

Shinkan (神官) were government officials serving at shakaku-ranked Shinto shrines in Japan.[1][2] Commonly, shinkan were officially appointed kannushi.[3]

Terminology

According to the 1884 Daijō-kan decree, shinkan is an official who has been given the status of a government official (kanri) to serve at a shakaku-ranked shrine. However, in 1887, at shrines ranking below kanpei-sha, with the exception of Ise Grand Shrine, the position of shinkan was abolished and the position of shinshoku was introduced. In 1945, Ise Grand Shrine abolished the position of shinkan.[2]

Today, the position of shinkan does not exist, and the kannushi of Shinto shrines are collectively referred to as shinshoku.[2]

See also

• Kannushi
• Modern system of ranked Shinto shrines
• Clergy

References

1. Oxford Languages. Google’s Japanese dictionary. 神官 (Shinkan).
2. "神道用語辞典" [Okayama Prefectural Agency of Shinto Shrines. Shinto Terminology Encyclopedia]. 岡山県神社庁 (in Japanese). 神官 (Shinkan). Retrieved March 29, 2021.
3. Dejitaru Daijisen. APA. 2011. Shinkan (神官).