Shinkan (神官) were government officials serving at shakaku-ranked Shinto shrines in Japan.[1][2] Commonly, shinkan were officially appointed kannushi.[3]
According to the 1884 Daijō-kan decree, shinkan is an official who has been given the status of a government official (kanri) to serve at a shakaku-ranked shrine. However, in 1887, at shrines ranking below kanpei-sha, with the exception of Ise Grand Shrine, the position of shinkan was abolished and the position of shinshoku was introduced. In 1945, Ise Grand Shrine abolished the position of shinkan.[2]
Today, the position of shinkan does not exist, and the kannushi of Shinto shrines are collectively referred to as shinshoku.[2]