expression, godan verb (-ru)
offer a ritual wand to a Shinto deity
A formal Shinto expression for presenting a 幣 (nusa), a wand with hemp and paper streamers, to a god. Used in ritual contexts.
神主が幣を奉る儀式を見学した。
We observed the ceremony where the Shinto priest offers a ritual wand to the deity.
Compound of 幣 (nusa, 'ritual wand') + を (object marker) + 奉る (tatematsuru, 'to offer humbly'). The exact historical origin of the phrase is uncertain, but it is a fixed Shinto ritual expression.