Tamagushi

A branch with paper, offered.

Also known as: Sakaki offering branch

In Japanese:: 玉串

CulturalReligiousQuiet profile

Meanings

The Shinto offering of a sakaki branch dressed with folded paper streamers.

Culturally establishedTradition
Serves as an offering presented during Shinto rites.
Contexts: History, Religion
Culturally establishedTradition
Presented with a prescribed turning of the branch before it is set down, so the object and the movement together constitute the offering — the symbol includes an action.
Contexts: History, Religion

Visual description

A small evergreen branch, each leaf a glossy oval, with a strip of folded paper hanging from the stem, held upright and set on a stand during the rite.

A fuller structured visual breakdown is not yet documented for this symbol.

Confidence

IdentityModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the identity is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.
Historical originLow confidence: Low confidence because the historical origin is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far, but early or supporting evidence is limited, but the regional or cultural match to this specific claim is not precise.
Current useModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the current use is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.
Visual matchModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the visual match is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.

Sources

The symbols of religious and spiritual traditions
Religious-studies scholarship and the traditions' own published accounts · retrieved 2026-08-27
Cited for the identity of a symbol and for the account a tradition gives of it, attributed to that tradition. Never cited for the truth of any religious claim. Where a symbol is sacred, restricted or contested, the record says so and does not reproduce restricted material.

Last reviewed 2026-08-27

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Meanings

The Shinto offering of a sakaki branch dressed with folded paper streamers.

Culturally establishedTradition

Serves as an offering presented during Shinto rites.

Contexts: History, Religion

Culturally establishedTradition

Presented with a prescribed turning of the branch before it is set down, so the object and the movement together constitute the offering — the symbol includes an action.

Contexts: History, Religion

Confidence

IdentityModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the identity is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.
Historical originLow confidence: Low confidence because the historical origin is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far, but early or supporting evidence is limited, but the regional or cultural match to this specific claim is not precise.
Current useModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the current use is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.
Visual matchModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the visual match is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.

Sources

The symbols of religious and spiritual traditions
Religious-studies scholarship and the traditions' own published accounts · retrieved 2026-08-27
Cited for the identity of a symbol and for the account a tradition gives of it, attributed to that tradition. Never cited for the truth of any religious claim. Where a symbol is sacred, restricted or contested, the record says so and does not reproduce restricted material.

Last reviewed 2026-08-27