Tamagushi (Sacred Branch Offering)

A tamagushi is a sprig of the sacred sakaki tree (Cleyera japonica) adorned with shide (zigzag paper streamers) that is offered to the kami during Shinto ceremonies. The offering of a tamagushi, called tamagushi-hoten, is one of the most solemn acts a worshipper can perform and is a standard element of formal shrine ceremonies.

During the ritual, the participant receives the tamagushi from the priest, holds it reverently, turns it clockwise so the stem points toward the altar, and places it on the offering table (an-table). This is followed by deep bows and hand claps. The rotation of the branch symbolizes offering one's sincerity to the kami.

The tamagushi embodies a key Shinto concept: the connection between the natural world and the divine. The sakaki is an evergreen tree that has been considered sacred since antiquity — its name may derive from 'sakae-ki' (flourishing tree) or 'sakai-ki' (boundary tree, marking the border between divine and human realms). The use of a living branch as the most formal offering reinforces the Shinto worldview in which nature itself is sacred.