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Concept

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. The most common type of Nusa today consists of a sakaki branch or a white wooden stick with a shide or Nusa ramie attached to the end. In Board of Ceremonies' "Jinja Matsuri Shiki" (1875), a branch of sakaki is used for the Nusa, and in Yatsuka Seinan's "Jinja Yushoku Kijitsu" (1951), Nusa is described as a sakaki branch with only ramie or, in addition, shidare attached, while konusa is made of wooden sticks, thin wood or bamboo. At Ise Jingu Shrine, mikisakaki, a sakaki branch with its leaves and branches still attached, is also used with Nusa attached to it, and a sakaki branch is attached to a cord of hemp as a yu (cotton). In some cases, such as at Kamogoso Shrine (Shimogamo Shrine), a branch of a peach tree is used, following the myth in the Kojiki. Nusa is also used in different ways. In the present day, it is shaken noisily as if to purify dust, but in ancient ceremonies such as at Kasuga Taisha, it is stroked. The same is true at Ise Shrine, where noisy purification is forbidden. Today, Nusa is used by waving it left, right, and left toward the person or object to be purified, which is believed to transfer impurities to the Nusa. In the past, it was left, right, and center. A Gohei is an onusa with only two Shide. File:Oonusa kasugataisha.jpg|Onusa. Only [[ramie]] is attached. Worshippers purify themselves at the entrance to the main shrine of Kasuga Taisha. File:Shinto Priest blessing car.jpg|alt=A priest waves Onusa at a car|A [[Kannushi]] waves Onusa at a car File:Un prêtre danseur d'Ise.jpg|[[Kannushi]] holding onusa seemingly made

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Related concepts (3)
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 .
Gohei
御幣, 御幣, or 幣束 are wooden wands, decorated with two (zigzagging paper streamers) used in Shinto rituals. It may be considered an Ōnusa with only two Shide. The streamers are usually white, although they can also be gold, silver, jade, or a mixture of several colors, and are often attached as decorations to straw ropes () used to mark sacred precincts. The shrine priest or attendants () use the to bless or sanctify a person or object in various Shinto rituals.
Hu (ritual baton)
A () is a flat scepter originating from China, where they were originally used as narrow tablets for recording notes and orders. They were historically used by officials throughout East Asia, including Japan, Korea, Ryukyu, and Vietnam. They are known as in Japan, and are worn as part of the ceremonial outfit. They continue to be used in daoist and shinto ritual contexts in some parts of East Asia. The use of the originated in ancient China, where the Classic of Rites required a to have a length of two six , and its mid part a width of three (笏長二尺六寸,中宽三寸).

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