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"Okagemairi," literally meaning
"Thanksgiving Pilgrimage," was
a phenomenon occurring every sixty years
that stirred commoners across the country
during the Edo Period. It was believed
then that everyone should visit Ise Jingu,
the Grand Shrine in Ise, at least once
during their lifetime. Special protection
from the Goddess was said to be bestowed
upon pilgrims in the year following the
reconstruction of the sanctuary.
People, who believed in the rumors of
amulets falling from Heaven, impulsively
set out to visit the shrine without permission
from their family or employers and without
obtaining permits from government officials
in days when people were not allowed to
travel freely.
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