Harae
Encyclopedia
Harae or harai is the general term for ritual
s of purification
in Shinto
. Harae is one of four essential elements involved in a Shinto ceremony . The purpose is the purification of pollution or sins (tsumi
) and uncleanness (kegare
) . These concepts include bad luck and disease as well as guilt
in the English sense. Harae is often referred to as the purification, but is also known as an exorcism
to be done before worship. Harae often involves symbolic washing with water, or having a Shinto priest shake a large paper shaker called ōnusa
or haraigashi over the object of purification. People, places, and objects can all be the object of harae.
. In the myth, while Amaterasu supervised the pure weaving hall, Susano-o broke in through the rooftop and dropped a flayed heavenly horse killing one her attendants. Startled by the horse, Amaterasu fled to cave Amano-Iwato. Susano-o then was expelled from heaven and Amaterasu’s sovereignty resumed. The traditional Shinto purification ritual, Harae is represented when Susano-o is removed from heaven.
In all Shinto religious ceremonies, harae is performed in the beginning of the ritual to cleanse any evil, pollution or sins away before anyone gives offerings to the kami
. Often, water and salt are used for the ceremonies to rinse hands and the face, as well as the shrine before it is prepared with offerings of goods and food (Boyd & Williams, 2005). Then the priest, along with the rest of the participants of the ritual chant a solemn liturgy
before the assistant priest purifies the offerings using a wand called haraigushi .
Another method used to perform harae is misogi. A participant standing under a cold waterfall while chanting a liturgy characterizes this method. Misogi is said to be done on the 11th day of the month, including the winter months at the Tsubaki Grand Shrine .
Oharae is another method performed as a cleansing ritual to cleanse a large group of people. This ritual is practiced mostly in June and December to purify the nation, as well as after a disaster occurs. The practice is also performed at the year-end festival and also before major national festivals .
Shubatsu, a cleansing ritual performed by sprinkling salt, is another practice of the Shinto religion. Salt is used as a purifier by placing small piles in front of restaurants, known as or , for the two-fold purposes of warding off evil and attracting patrons. In addition, sprinkling salt over a person before attending a funeral is also practiced commonly in the Shinto religion. Another type of this cleansing is to sprinkle water at the gate of one’s home, both in the morning and evening . A significant use of this practice is seen when Sumo
wrestlers sprinkle salt around the fighting ring to purify the area .
Ritual
A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value. It may be prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. The term usually excludes actions which are arbitrarily chosen by the performers....
s of purification
Purification
Purification is the process of rendering something pure, i.e. clean of foreign elements and/or pollution, and may refer to:* List of purification methods in chemistry* Water purification** Organisms used in water purification...
in Shinto
Shinto
or Shintoism, also kami-no-michi, is the indigenous spirituality of Japan and the Japanese people. It is a set of practices, to be carried out diligently, to establish a connection between present day Japan and its ancient past. Shinto practices were first recorded and codified in the written...
. Harae is one of four essential elements involved in a Shinto ceremony . The purpose is the purification of pollution or sins (tsumi
Tsumi
is a Japanese word that indicates the violation of legal, social or religious rules. It is most often used in the religious and moral sense. Originally, the word indicated a divine punishment due to the violation of a divine taboo through evil deeds, defilement or disasters...
) and uncleanness (kegare
Kegare
is the Japanese term for a state of pollution and defilement, important particularly in Shinto as a religious term. Typical causes of kegare are the contact with any form of death, childbirth , disease and menstruation. In Shinto kegare is a form of tsumi , which needs to be somehow remedied by the...
) . These concepts include bad luck and disease as well as guilt
Guilt
Guilt is the state of being responsible for the commission of an offense. It is also a cognitive or an emotional experience that occurs when a person realizes or believes—accurately or not—that he or she has violated a moral standard, and bears significant responsibility for that...
in the English sense. Harae is often referred to as the purification, but is also known as an exorcism
Exorcism
Exorcism is the religious practice of evicting demons or other spiritual entities from a person or place which they are believed to have possessed...
to be done before worship. Harae often involves symbolic washing with water, or having a Shinto priest shake a large paper shaker called ōnusa
Onusa
An or simply is a wooden wand used in Shinto rituals. It is decorated with many shide . When the shide are attached to an hexagonal or octagonal staff, it can be also called...
or haraigashi over the object of purification. People, places, and objects can all be the object of harae.
History
Harae stems from the myth of Susano-o, the brother of the Sun goddess AmaterasuAmaterasu
, or is apart of the Japanese myth cycle and also a major deity of the Shinto religion. She is the goddess of the sun, but also of the universe. the name Amaterasu derived from Amateru meaning "shining in heaven." The meaning of her whole name, Amaterasu-ōmikami, is "the great August kami who...
. In the myth, while Amaterasu supervised the pure weaving hall, Susano-o broke in through the rooftop and dropped a flayed heavenly horse killing one her attendants. Startled by the horse, Amaterasu fled to cave Amano-Iwato. Susano-o then was expelled from heaven and Amaterasu’s sovereignty resumed. The traditional Shinto purification ritual, Harae is represented when Susano-o is removed from heaven.
The rituals
There are various ways in which harae is practiced. In Ise, “the holiest of all Shinto shrines”, wooden charms named o-harai, another name for harae or harai, are hung all over the shrine.In all Shinto religious ceremonies, harae is performed in the beginning of the ritual to cleanse any evil, pollution or sins away before anyone gives offerings to the kami
Kami
is the Japanese word for the spirits, natural forces, or essence in the Shinto faith. Although the word is sometimes translated as "god" or "deity", some Shinto scholars argue that such a translation can cause a misunderstanding of the term...
. Often, water and salt are used for the ceremonies to rinse hands and the face, as well as the shrine before it is prepared with offerings of goods and food (Boyd & Williams, 2005). Then the priest, along with the rest of the participants of the ritual chant a solemn liturgy
Liturgy
Liturgy is either the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to its particular traditions or a more precise term that distinguishes between those religious groups who believe their ritual requires the "people" to do the "work" of responding to the priest, and those...
before the assistant priest purifies the offerings using a wand called haraigushi .
Another method used to perform harae is misogi. A participant standing under a cold waterfall while chanting a liturgy characterizes this method. Misogi is said to be done on the 11th day of the month, including the winter months at the Tsubaki Grand Shrine .
Oharae is another method performed as a cleansing ritual to cleanse a large group of people. This ritual is practiced mostly in June and December to purify the nation, as well as after a disaster occurs. The practice is also performed at the year-end festival and also before major national festivals .
Shubatsu, a cleansing ritual performed by sprinkling salt, is another practice of the Shinto religion. Salt is used as a purifier by placing small piles in front of restaurants, known as or , for the two-fold purposes of warding off evil and attracting patrons. In addition, sprinkling salt over a person before attending a funeral is also practiced commonly in the Shinto religion. Another type of this cleansing is to sprinkle water at the gate of one’s home, both in the morning and evening . A significant use of this practice is seen when Sumo
Sumo
is a competitive full-contact sport where a wrestler attempts to force another wrestler out of a circular ring or to touch the ground with anything other than the soles of the feet. The sport originated in Japan, the only country where it is practiced professionally...
wrestlers sprinkle salt around the fighting ring to purify the area .
See also
- The Glossary of ShintoGlossary of ShintoThis is the glossary of Shinto, including major terms the casual reader might find useful in understanding articles on the subject. Words followed by an asterisk are illustrated by an image in one of the photo galleries...
for an explanation of terms concerning Japanese Shinto, Shinto art, and Shinto shrine architecture.