master of religious ceremonies; chief priest at a Shinto ritual
Refers to the person who presides over a Shinto ceremony or festival, leading the rites and offerings.
At the shrine's annual festival, the master of ceremonies intones the norito prayer.
The kanji 斎 means 'purification' or 'abstinence', and 主 means 'master' or 'lord'. The compound refers to the person who leads purification rites. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term is firmly associated with Shinto ritual practice.