also: そじん
ancestral deity; deified ancestor
Refers to an ancestor who is worshipped as a god, often in Shinto or folk contexts.
In that village, a festival to worship the ancestral deity is held every year.
Standard kanji spelling for 'ancestral deity'.
Alternate reading; less common than そしん.
Compound of 祖 (ancestor) and 神 (god, deity). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term is used in Shinto and folk religion to refer to ancestors worshipped as deities.