Norito - Norito

These are words offered before the gods. The content differs depending on the festival and the location. Most noritos are composed of a section such as an introduction, a reason, an offering, a prayer or thanks, and a conclusion, but some also use sections such as divine virtue, decoration, service, and celebration. Norito is an abbreviation of noritogoto (norito ritual). There are various theories about the meaning of norito, but nori means a message from a superior to a subordinate, and to acts to embody the expression of the superior. The style of norito offered to gods and spirits is called the "moshi-gata" (recitation style) because it ends with "to say..." (moshi). Most norito today are of this style, but there is also a style in which the message is proclaimed to those present, which ends with "to say..." and is called the "senka-ta" (senka style). This form was inherited by the Oharae no Kotoba (Word of Great Purification). The basis of the norito prayers recited today are the 27 norito prayers recorded in Volume 8 (Norito Shiki) of the Engishiki, known as the Engishiki norito. The period in which these norito prayers were created corresponds to the history of the rituals for which they were recited, so the 27 norito prayers were not created at the same time. There may have been changes in each of them, but the Engishiki norito were compiled in the Heian period, and they are highly regarded as works of classical Japanese literature. Many norito prayers have been created since the Engishiki norito, but most of them follow the Shiki norito in terms of style, vocabulary, etc.

[Numabe Harutomo]

The words recited during rituals. The "nori" in "norito" comes from "noru (to proclaim)" and means words for religious practice. They have been performed throughout the ages, but in literary history, they are usually limited to 27 pieces (one of which is written in classical Chinese) for rituals at the Imperial Court, which are included in the 8th volume of the Engishiki, and one piece, "Nakatomi no yogoto," which is recorded in the "bekki" section of the Taiki. The Engishiki began to be compiled in 905, but the norito contained in the 8th volume is thought to have been fixed by the beginning of the 9th century, about 100 years before that. They were fixed as words recited when holding festivals at the Jingikan (shrines office) and at shrines and other shrines. However, there is a wide range in the time when each of the words was created, and it is thought that they may have been created from the 7th century to the beginning of the 9th century.

In terms of content, they can be broadly divided into two types: one in which the priests and people gathered before the altar are proclaimed to "listen to all," and the other in which the priests are presented with the words "we will give you the full words." The structure is made up of a section that describes the origin of the ritual and a section that describes the execution of the ritual. Enumerations, repetitions, and couplets are often used in the expressions, which are noteworthy in that they reveal expressions that were formed at the stage of oral recitation before the advent of writing. As an example of an oral expression, we can see something like this: "In the morning the gate is opened and worshiped, and in the evening the gate is closed and worshiped. If those who are distant come from below, they protect the lower part, and if they come from above, they protect the upper part, and they protect the night and the day" (Kinensai).

[Kanno Shitaka]

"Takeda Yukichi and others' annotated edition of Japanese Classical Literature Series 1: Kojiki and Norito (1958, Iwanami Shoten)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

神前に奏上する詞(ことば)。その内容は、祭りにより、場所により異なる。祝詞文の構成は、起首、由縁、献供、祈願または感謝、結尾などの章句からなるものが多いが、このほかにも神徳、装飾、奉仕、祝頌(しゅくしょう)などの章句を用いたものもある。ノリトはノリトゴト（祝詞事）の略言である。ノリトの語義については諸説あるが、ノリは上位者から下位者に言い渡すことであり、トは上にある表現を体言化するように働く。神や霊に対して申し上げる祝詞の文体は、「……と白(まを)す」（申す）と結ぶことから、これを「申す型」（奏上体）という。今日の祝詞は、そのほとんどがこの型であるが、その場にいる者に対して、宣(の)り聞かせる形式もあり、これは「……と宣る」と終わることから、「宣る型」（宣下体）という。この型は大祓詞(おおはらえのことば)に継承されている。今日奏されている祝詞の基本は、『延喜式(えんぎしき)』巻第八（祝詞式）に収録されている27編の祝詞で、これを「延喜式祝詞」という。これらの祝詞がつくられた年代は、祝詞が奏された祭祀(さいし)の歴史と軌を一にするものであるから、27編の祝詞が同時につくられたのではない。また、それぞれに変遷もあったであろうが、平安時代にまとめられたのが「延喜式祝詞」であり、これらはわが国の古典文学作品としても高く評価されている。「延喜式祝詞」以降も、今日まで多くの祝詞がつくられているが、文体、語彙(ごい)など、いずれも式祝詞を踏襲したものが多い。

［沼部春友］

　祭儀のときに唱えられる詞章。「のりと」の「のり」は「のる（宣る）」から出たものであり、「のる」という宗教的実修における詞章を意味している。各時代を通じて行われてきたが、文学史においてはとくに『延喜式』巻八に収められている朝廷の祭儀の際の27編（うち一つは漢文）と『台記(たいき)』「別記」に伝える「中臣寿詞(なかとみのよごと)」一編とに限定していうのが普通である。『延喜式』は延喜5年（905）に編纂(へんさん)を開始したが、巻八に収められた祝詞は、そのおよそ100年ほど前、9世紀の初めにはほぼ固定していたとみられる。神祇(じんぎ)官において祭りを執り行い、また神宮や神社で祭りを執り行うときに唱えられる詞章として固定したものである。ただ、個々の詞章の成立には幅があり、7世紀から9世紀初めにわたる可能性があるとみられる。

　内容としては、神前に集まった人々や神職などに「諸聞(もろもろきこ)しめせと宣(の)る」と宣下する型のものと、「称辞竟(たたへごとを)へまつらくと白(まを)す」と奏上する型のものとに大別される。構成は、祭儀の由来を述べる部分と祭事の執行を述べる部分とからなる。表現には、列挙、反復、対句などを多く用いるが、そこには、文字以前の口誦(こうしょう)の段階で形づくられた表現をうかがうことができる点で注目される。口誦の表現の様式として、「朝(あした)には御門(みかど)を開きまつり、夕べには御門を閉(た)てまつりて、疎(うと)ぶる物の下より往(ゆ)かば下を守(まも)り、上より往かば上を守り、夜(よ)の守り日の守りに守りまつる」（「祈年祭」）のごときをみることができよう。

［神野志隆光］

『武田祐吉他校注『日本古典文学大系1　古事記・祝詞』（1958・岩波書店）』

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