mass Ise pilgrimage
Historical term for large-scale, often spontaneous pilgrimages to the Ise Grand Shrine that occurred periodically during the Edo period. Compare with 伊勢参り, which refers to individual or smaller-scale pilgrimages.
See also: 伊勢参り
During the Edo period, mass pilgrimages to Ise called okagemairi occurred several times.
Standard kanji spelling for this historical term.
Variant with the honorific prefix in kana; less common but still encountered.
From 御蔭 (okage, 'divine favor' or 'thanks to') + 参り (mairi, 'pilgrimage'). The name reflects the belief that these mass pilgrimages were inspired by divine favor or blessings.