Chokusai-sha shrine (勅祭社)
"The Chokusai-sha shrine" is a shrine where festivals are attended by imperial messengers sent by the Emperor (called chokusai). However, Ise Jingu Shrine's Godai-matsuri Festival (except for the Tsukinami-sai Festival) is treated separately, and, therefore, it is not called a chokusai-sha shrine, even though imperial messengers are sent every year.
Chokusai-sha shrines existed from long ago, and most notable were the Nijuni-sha Shrines in the Kyoto area.
Modern chokusai-sha shrines were introduced in 1868, when Emperor Meiji held a festival in Hikawa-jinja Shrine as chokusai. In 1870, twelve shrines in Tokyo and neighboring areas were designated as junchokusai-sha shrines (Hie-jinja Shrine, Nezu-jinja Shrine, Shibashinmei-gu Shrine, Kanda-jinja Shrine, Hakusan-jinja Shrine, Kameido-jinja Shrine, Shinagawa Kibune-sha Shrine, Tomioka Hachiman-jinja Shrine, Oji-jinja Shrine, Akasaka Hikawa-jinja Shrine, Rokusho-jinja Shrine, Sagiinomiya-jinja Shrine), but this was temporary. The beginning of chokusai-sha shrines was in 1883, when the Kamo-matsuri Festival and the Iwashimizu-matsuri Festival at Kamo-jinja Shrine (Kamomioya-jinja Shrine, Kamowakeikazuchi-jinja Shrine) and Iwashimizu Hachiman-gu Shrine were designated as chokusai. Their numbers have increased since then, and by the end of the war (1945), the following shrines were chokusai-sha shrines. (Shrine names and name of their locations today.
Shikinai' refers to shikinai-sha (shrine listed in the Engishiki (List of Official Shrines)) (Myojin refers to myojin-taisha shrine), 'Ichinomiya' refers to the ichinomiya (shrine with the highest ranking in the area) of the province, 'Beppyo' indicates the classification between beppyo-jinja shrine and tanritsu)
Currently, there are sixteen chokusai-sha shrines, excluding the Chosen-jingu Shrine, which closed when the war ended. Among these, imperial messengers are sent every ten years to Usa-jingu Shrine and Kashii-gu Shrine, every six years to Kashima-jingu Shrine and Katori-jingu Shrine, and to the grand festival in spring and autumn at the Yasukuni-jinja Shrine.