Also read noraidono, gesaiden 解斎殿. A
shrine building to which priests retire after performing the Shinto ritual of
offering food and drink to the gods. There they eat the left-overs. Originally
the word naorai 直会 referred to the relaxation enjoyed by the priests following
the tensions incurred during the performance of the sacred rites. The naoraiden
has been referred to as kujouden 九丈殿, gojouden 五丈殿 and yojouden
四丈殿 suggesting that typically they were probably long and narrow structures. The
one at Kamo Wakeikazuchi Jinja 賀茂別雷神社 in Kyoto (Edo period), is 8 bays long and
1 to 1 1/2 bays wide. Examples: Kamo Wakeikazuchi Jinja Naoraiden (1628) in Kyoto. Kasuga Taisha Honsha Naoraiden 春日大社本社直会殿 (1650-51) in Nara. |