What shake means
A shake is a family that held the priesthood of a Shinto shrine by hereditary right. Such families lived near the shrine and carried out its festivals and daily rites. At large shrines several priestly families might share the duties, their houses lining a street known as a shakemachi.
Although hereditary priesthood was abolished as a system in the Meiji era, many former priestly families have continued to serve or to maintain their houses. Their dwellings follow the same layout as farmhouses or samurai houses, with earth floors and reception rooms, but may include features that show the tie to the shrine, such as a household altar or a gate used for festivals.
Reading the records
Records note features of a priestly house. The main house of an old family in Hidakagawa, Wakayama, thatched with a hip-and-gable roof, has a staggered four-room plan and, as befits a shake, a large household altar, with four-groove lintels between rooms showing an old form. The family served for generations as priests of the village shrine, and the estate is joined to the shrine by a small gate.
When describing a family as shake, confirm from records or local and shrine sources which shrine it served and for how long.
References
- 寒川家住宅主屋｜国指定文化財等データベース（文化庁）
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00009819
- 寒川家住宅離れ｜国指定文化財等データベース（文化庁）
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00009820
Last verified: 2026.09.27