noun
fixed-interval transfer ceremony
A Shinto ceremony in which a shrine's sacred object is moved to a newly built main hall at a set interval. Most famously associated with Ise Grand Shrine's Shikinen Sengū.
伊勢神宮では二十年ごとに式年遷宮祭が行われる。
At Ise Grand Shrine, the Shikinen Sengū ceremony is held every twenty years.
Refers to the transfer of a shrine's deity to a new or temporary building; 式年遷宮祭 specifically denotes the ceremony performed at fixed intervals.
From 式年 (shikinen, 'fixed year/interval') + 遷宮 (sengū, 'transfer of a shrine') + 祭 (sai, 'festival/ceremony'). The term is deeply rooted in Shinto tradition, particularly the Ise Grand Shrine's periodic rebuilding.