祭さい文ぶん

also: さいもん

さ

い

ぶ

ん

Meanings

ritual address to the gods; Shinto prayer

A formal prayer or address recited at Shinto ceremonies; also refers to a genre of song that originated with mountain ascetics and spread among common people during the Kamakura period.

神かん主ぬしが祭さい文もんを読よみ上あげた。
The Shinto priest recited the ritual address to the gods.
鎌かま倉くら時じ代だいに山やま伏ぶしから広ひろまった祭さい文もんという歌うたがある。
There is a type of song called saimon that spread from mountain ascetics during the Kamakura period.

Usage patterns

〈事こと〉を祭さい文もんにするto turn an event or story into a 祭文 (ritual chant/song)
旅たびの悲ひ劇げきを祭さい文もんにして語かたり継ついだ。
They turned the tragedy of the journey into a 祭文 and passed it down orally.
祭さい文もんを読よむto recite a ritual address to the gods
神かん主ぬしが神しん前ぜんで祭さい文もんを読よんだ。
The Shinto priest recited the ritual address before the deity.

Kanji

祭ritual, offer prayers, celebrate
文sentence, literature, style

Related words

祝詞のりと
祝詞 is the standard, everyday term for a Shinto ritual prayer, while 祭文 is a more formal or archaic term that can also refer to a related sung genre.

Don't confuse with

呪じゅ文もん
呪文 is a magical incantation or spell chanted for personal effect, whereas 祭文 is a formal address recited to the gods in a Shinto ceremony.

Written forms

祭文Usage100%
- さいもん
  Standard kanji spelling; the reading さいもん is more common than さいぶん.
- さいぶん
  Alternate reading, less common; may appear in older or specialized contexts.
さいもん

Etymology

Composed of 祭 (festival, ritual) and 文 (writing, text). The exact historical derivation of the song genre is uncertain, but it is associated with mountain ascetics (山伏) and later spread to the laity.