Haraeor (祓 or 祓い) is the general term for ritual purification in Shinto. is one of four essential elements involved in a Shinto ceremony. The purpose is the purification of pollution or sins () and uncleanness (). These concepts include bad luck and disease as well as guilt in the English sense. is often described as purification, but it is also known as an exorcism to be done before worship. often involves symbolic washing with water, or having a Shinto priest shake a large paper shaker called or over the object of purification.
Japanese pagodaMulti-storied pagodas in wood and stone, and a gorintō Pagodas in Japan are called tō, sometimes buttō or tōba and historically derive from the Chinese pagoda, itself an interpretation of the Indian stupa. Like the stupa, pagodas were originally used as reliquaries but in many cases they ended up losing this function. Pagodas are quintessentially Buddhist and an important component of Japanese Buddhist temple compounds but, because until the Kami and Buddhas Separation Act of 1868, a Shinto shrine was normally also a Buddhist temple and vice versa, they are not rare at shrines either.
Kumano shrineA Kumano shrine is a type of Shinto shrine which enshrines the three Kumano mountains: Hongū, Shingū, and Nachi [Kumano Gongen]. There are more than 3,000 Kumano shrines in Japan, and each has received its kami from another Kumano shrine through a process of propagation called bunrei or kanjō. The point of origin of the Kumano cult is the Kumano Sanzan shrine complex in Wakayama Prefecture, which comprises Kumano Hayatama Taisha (Shingū, Wakayama), Kumano Hongū Taisha (Tanabe, Wakayama) and Kumano Nachi Taisha (Nachikatsuura, Wakayama Prefecture).
Stone lanternStone lanterns are a type of traditional East Asian lantern made of stone, wood, or metal. Originating in China, stone lanterns spread to Japan, Korea and Vietnam, though they are most commonly found in both China – extant in Buddhist temples and traditional Chinese gardens – and Japan. In Japan, tōrō were originally used only in Buddhist temples, where they lined and illuminated paths. Lit lanterns were then considered an offering to Buddha. Their use in Shinto shrines and also private homes started during the Heian period (794–1185).
Department of DivinitiesThe Department of Divinities, also known as the Department of Shinto Affairs, Department of Rites, Department of Worship, as well as Council of Divinities, was a Japanese Imperial bureaucracy established in the 8th century, as part of the ritsuryō reforms. It was first consolidated under Taihō Code which established the Department of Divinities and Daijō-kan, the Council of State. However, the department and Daijō-kan made its first appearance in the Asuka Kiyomihara Code.
ZenpokoenfunZenpokoenfun is an architectural model of Japanese ancient tombs (Kofun), which consists of a square front part (前方部) and a circular back part (後円部). The part connecting the two is called the middle part (くびれ部), which looks like a keyhole when viewed from above. Therefore, they are also called keyhole-shaped mounds in English, and in Korean, they are called long drum tombs (장고분) due to their resemblance to Janggu, and it is also a form of the Kofun that appeared earlier in the Kofun period along with the circular-type (Enfun).
Man'yōshūThe maɰ̃joꜜːɕɯː; literally "Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves" is the oldest extant collection of Japanese waka (poetry in Classical Japanese), compiled sometime after AD 759 during the Nara period. The anthology is one of the most revered of Japan's poetic compilations. The compiler, or the last in a series of compilers, is today widely believed to be Ōtomo no Yakamochi, although numerous other theories have been proposed. The chronologically last datable poem in the collection is from AD 759 ( () 4516).
Buke shohattoThe Buke shohatto, commonly known in English as the Laws for the Military Houses, was a collection of edicts issued by Japan's Tokugawa shogunate governing the responsibilities and activities of daimyō (feudal lords) and the rest of the samurai warrior aristocracy. These formed the basis of the bakuhan taisei (shogunate-domains system) which lay at the foundation of the Tokugawa regime. The contents of the edicts were seen as a code of conduct, a description of proper honorable daimyō behavior, and not solely laws which had to be obeyed.
Sumiyoshi sanjinis the generic name for the three Shinto gods Sokotsutsu no O no Mikoto (底筒男命), Nakatsutsu no O no Mikoto (中筒男命), and Uwatsutsu no O no Mikoto (表筒男命). The Sumiyoshi sanjin are regarded as the gods of the sea and sailing. They are sometimes referred to as the Sumiyoshi daijin. The Sumiyoshi taisha has four buildings dedicated to four kami—the three Sumiyoshi brothers and Empress Jingū who is also enshrined.
Soga clanThe Soga clan was one of the most powerful aristocratic kin groups (uji) of the Asuka period of the early Japanese state—the Yamato polity—and played a major role in the spread of Buddhism. Through the 5th and 7th centuries, the Soga monopolized the kabane or hereditary rank of Great Omi and was the first of many families to dominate the Imperial House of Japan by influencing the order of succession and government policy. The last Soga predates any historical work in Japan, and very little is known about its earliest members.
