monetary offering at a Shinto shrine; cash gift for a shrine visit
A formal cash offering made when visiting a Shinto shrine, often placed in an envelope and presented at the shrine office. The term originates from the practice of offering a sacred sakaki branch (玉串) and later substituting money.
I made a monetary offering at the shrine for the New Year's visit.
The cash offering is brought in a special gift envelope.
Standard kanji spelling for the monetary offering made at Shinto shrines.
Variant spelling using kana for ぐし; less common but still encountered.
From 玉串 (tamagushi, 'sacred sakaki branch offered to the gods') + 料 (ryō, 'fee, charge'). Originally, worshippers offered a branch, but over time money became a common substitute, hence the term for the monetary offering.