Paper short abstract:

The Ōharae is a Shinto purification ritual that is performed twice a year in various shrines all over Japan and whose ritual "tools" are the natural elements. In the last years, the ritual has been performed to purify the world from Covid-19, thus showing its relevance in the contemporary context.

Paper long abstract:

Purification (harae 祓) is an essential concept in Japanese tradition. This is particularly evident in Shinto rituals, which generally include a preliminary section where purification is performed. Purification both prepares the ideal ground for the main practice and is crucial for its success. My project is about the Ōharae (大祓), a Shinto ritual performed to promote the well-being of living creatures. In the ritual, various tangible and intangible tools are used. A formula (norito 祝詞) is chanted to send the pollution off to the ocean, usually inside small containers floated away on a river. A wand made from the wood of a sacred tree (sakaki 榊) is used to physically remove the pollution from the air, the earth, and the participants. In the ocean, a series of kami are responsible for swallowing up the pollution into the abyss and processing it to make it harmless to the environment and living beings. The natural elements involved, such as the air, rivers, mountains, trees, and the ocean, are ritual “tools” because through them the purifying intervention of the kami is possible. One of the central ideas of the Ōharae ceremony is that natural elements are fundamental to supporting life because it is through the cooperative work among the kami, nature, and human beings that purification becomes possible.

In recent times, the Ōharae has been celebrated for the specific purpose of purifying the world from Covid-19 and, more generally, from the evils of the world, such as wars and natural disasters. This suggests that the ritual is still considered relevant and its purpose is adapted depending on the current needs.

My project aims at clarifying the little-studied relation between nature and Ōharae and the role it plays in the ritual. Moreover, I intend to investigate the evolution of the ritual and its adaptation to the contemporary world. The questions that will guide my presentation are: What is the historical evolution of Ōharae? What is the relationship between this ritual and nature in the wider context of Japanese culture? What is the role of Ōharae in contemporary society?