Impurity - filth

It refers to all impurities that come into contact with the body, eyes, and affect utensils, clothing, and food. In the Kojiki and Nihonshoki, in addition to ke, it is written as o, o-ke, o-ku, ke-aku, and is also read as kegarawashi or kitanashi. Ke is an ancient Japanese concept of impurity that is closely related to sin and disaster, and in ancient times the distinction between ke and sin was unclear, and sin was also treated as a type of ke. It is believed that the introduction of foreign ideas, including Buddhism, had various influences on Japan's ancient concept of impurity, and the things that have been treated as impure include death, childbirth, pregnancy, wounds to the fetus, menstruation, and injury to the human body; for food, animal meat, the five spices (leeks, leeks, garlic, shallots, and ginger), and food and drink that become impure fire; for acts, murder, reburial, excavation of a grave, and accidental fire; and for livestock, the death, maiming, giving birth, and wounding of the fetus of an animal. Even in cases of unavoidable circumstances, anything related to these impurities has been avoided as much as possible, known as "touching impurity," but when it was unavoidable, the subject of the impurity would be isolated or purification rituals such as misogiharae were performed. In particular, the gods of our country abhor uncleanness, so for those who serve the gods, the Jingi-ryo and Engishiki contain rules about contacting impurity. In the section on special festivals in the Engishiki, there is a rule about the progression of the impurity of death into three categories: A, B, C, and D. If impurity of death occurs in the family of A, when B sits in A's house, the entire family of B is contaminated, and when C sits in B's house, only C is contaminated, but the contamination does not extend to his family. However, if B sits in C's house, the entire family of C is contaminated, but if D sits in C's house, D is no longer contaminated. One could say that the concept of impurity has become weaker over time, but on the other hand, it can also be pointed out that it has developed in a variety of ways all over the country. The modern concept of impurity persists primarily in customs related to religious rites and funerals at shrines located throughout the country.

[Ishu Ochiai]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

身に接し目に触れ、器物衣食に及ぼすいっさいの不浄をいう。記紀には、穢のほかに、汚、汚穢、汚垢、穢悪などと表記され、「けがらわし」「きたなし」などとも読まれる。穢は、罪や災いと密接なかかわりをもつ、わが国古代からの不浄観念で、古代においては、穢と罪の区別が判然とせず、罪も穢のうちとして扱われている。仏教思想をはじめ、外来思想の伝来により、わが国古来の不浄概念に種々の影響がもたらされたことが推測されるが、穢として扱われてきたものに、人体に関しては死・出産・妊娠・傷胎・月事・損傷などがあり、食物については獣肉・五辛（韮(にら)、葱(ねぎ)、蒜(にんにく)、薤(らっきょう)、薑(はじかみ)）、および穢火(えか)になる飲食物、行為としては殺人・改葬・発墓・失火、家畜に関しては獣死・獣不具・獣産・獣傷胎などがあげられる。不可抗力の場合も含めて、これらの穢にかかわることを触穢(しょくえ)といって極力避けてきたが、避けえない場合は、穢の主体を隔離したり、禊祓(みそぎはらえ)などを行った。とくにわが国の神々は、不浄を忌み嫌うため、神々に奉仕する者については、『神祇令(じんぎりょう)』や『延喜式(えんぎしき)』などに触穢に関する規定が設けられた。『延喜式』の臨時祭の条には、死穢(しえ)に対して甲乙丙丁の展開の規定がみられる。甲の家族に死穢が発生した場合、乙が甲の家で着座すると乙の家族全員が汚染し、乙の家に丙が着座すると丙1人が汚染、その家族に汚染は及ばない。しかし乙が丙の家で同座すると丙の家族全部が汚染するが、丁が丙の家で着座しても丁はもう汚染されないという。穢の観念は、時代とともに希薄になってきているともいえようが、また一方、全国各地に多様な展開をしていることも指摘できる。主として、全国津々浦々に鎮座する神社の神事や葬儀に関する慣習などのなかに、現代における穢の観念が存続している。

［落合偉洲］

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