Concept
Gohei
Related concepts (10)
Shinto shrine
A Shinto shrine is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more kami, the deities of the Shinto religion. The honden (本殿, meaning: "main hall") is where a shrine's patron kami is/are enshrined. The honden may be absent in cases where a shrine stands on or near a sacred mountain, tree, or other object which can be worshipped directly or in cases where a shrine possesses either an altar-like structure, called a himorogi, or an object believed to be capable of attracting spirits, called a yorishiro, which can also serve as direct bonds to a kami.
Kannushi
A "Divine Master (of ceremonies)", also called meaning "god's employee", is a person responsible for the maintenance of a Shinto shrine as well as for leading worship of a given . The characters for are sometimes also read as with the same meaning. Originally, the were intermediaries between and people and could transmit their will to common humans. A was a man capable of miracles or a holy man who, because of his practice of purificatory rites, was able to work as a medium for a .
Shimenawa
lit. 'enclosing rope' are lengths of laid rice straw or hemp rope used for ritual purification in the Shinto religion. vary in diameter from a few centimetres to several metres, and are often seen festooned with —traditional paper streamers. A space bound by typically indicates a sacred or ritually pure space, such as that of a Shinto shrine. are believed to act as a ward against evil spirits, and are often set up at a ground-breaking ceremony before construction begins on a new building.
Shide (Shinto)
紙垂, 四手 are zigzag-shaped paper streamers, often seen attached to or , and used in Shinto rituals in Japan. A popular ritual is using a , or "lightning wand", named for the zig-zag paper that adorns the wand. A similar wand, used by for purification and blessing, is the with two . A Shinto priest waves the over a person, item, or newly bought property, such as a building or a car. The wand is waved at a slow and rhythmic pace, but with a little force so that the strips make a rustling noise on each pass of the wand.
Ōnusa
An 大幣 or simply 幣 or 大幣 is a wooden wand traditionally used in Shinto purification rituals. Ōnusa are decorated with a number of shide (paper streamers). When the shide are attached to a hexagonal or octagonal staff, the wand is also known as a 祓串. The word Taima also refers to cannabis in the Japanese language. Nusa is an old word for cannabis. The Jingū Taima is a type of ōnusa. although they are often used in different ways than normal Onusa, usually kept in envelopes.
Shintai
In Shinto, shintai, or go-shintai when the honorific prefix go- is used, are physical objects worshipped at or near Shinto shrines as repositories in which spirits or kami reside. Shintai used in Shrine Shinto (Jinja Shinto) can be also called mitamashiro. In spite of what their name may suggest, shintai are not themselves part of kami, but rather just temporary repositories which make them accessible to human beings for worship. Shintai are also of necessity yorishiro, that is objects by their very nature capable of attracting kami.
Kagura
"god-entertainment" is a type of Shinto ritual ceremonial dance. The term is a contraction of the phrase "seat of god", indicating the presence of gods (kami) in the practice. One major function of kagura is purifying and shaking the spirit, involving a procession-trance process. Usually a female shaman will perform the dance and obtain the oracle from the god—in the setting, the dancer herself turns into god during the performance. Once strictly a ceremonial art derived from "oracular divinification", kagura has evolved in many directions over the span of more than a millennium.
Miko
A 巫女, or shrine maiden, is a young priestess who works at a Shinto shrine. Miko were once likely seen as shamans, but are understood in modern Japanese culture to be an institutionalized role in daily life, trained to perform tasks, ranging from sacred cleansing to performing the sacred Kagura dance. Miko clothing The traditional attire of a miko is a pair of red 緋袴 (divided, pleated trousers), a white kosode (a predecessor of the kimono), and some white or red hair ribbons. In Shinto, the color white symbolizes purity.
Yorishiro
A 依り代/依代/憑り代/憑代 in Shinto terminology is an object capable of attracting spirits called kami, thus giving them a physical space to occupy during religious ceremonies. Yorishiro are used during ceremonies to call the kami for worship. The word itself literally means "approach substitute". Once a yorishiro actually houses a kami, it is called a shintai. Ropes called shimenawa decorated with paper streamers called shide often surround yorishiro to make their sacredness manifest.
Shinto
Shinto (神道) is a religion originating from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners Shintoists, although adherents rarely use that term themselves. There is no central authority in control of Shinto, with much diversity of belief and practice evident among practitioners. A polytheistic and animistic religion, Shinto revolves around supernatural entities called the kami (神).