Misogi - purification

Bathing in the clean water of a river or the sea to wash and purify the body and rid oneself of evil spirits and impurities. It is a type of "harae". It is also called "misogiharae". There are theories on the origin of the word, including that it means "mizusosogi" (cleansing water) or "misususugi" (purification of the body), and that it means "misogi" (purifying the body) to remove evil spirits and impurities from the body. It is said to have begun in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki myths when, after Izanagi-no-Mikoto visited his wife Izanami-no-Mikoto, who had fled from the gods, in the underworld, he went to Awagihara in Odo, Tachibana, Himuka in Tsukushi to perform a purification ritual to cleanse her body of the impurities.It is believed that the power of the Sun God Naobi-no-Kami and the Purification Door God that were born at that time eliminated the evils of Tsumi, Kegare, Toga, and Wazawai that were the work of Magatsuhi-no-Kami. There are many poems about misogi in the Man'yoshu and in waka anthologies from the Heian period onwards, such as "The evening twilight of the oak stream with the wind blowing is a sign of summer" (Shinchokusen Wakashu) and "It is said that those who perform the purification at Nagoshi in June will live a thousand years longer" (Shuuishu). As exemplified by these poems, misogi was widely performed as the Nagoshi purification ritual in the June Great Purification. From the Middle Ages onwards, it was also called mizugori, and an element of asceticism was added, and spiritual purification was also emphasized. In particular, it is strictly performed as an important event of purification during Shinto rituals, and "temizu" can be said to be a simplified form of this. In the early modern period, it also became a training method for Shinto, and the Meiji Shinto priest Kawazura Bonji advocated its practice. This improved form of misogi is still performed today as a training event for Shinto priests.

[Kazushi Sano]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

川や海の清い水につかり身体を洗い滌(そそ)ぎ、ツミやケガレを祓(はら)い清めること。「祓(はらえ)」の一種。「禊祓(みそぎはらえ)」ともいう。語源説としては、水滌(みずそそ)ぎあるいは身清(みすす)ぎの意であるとするほか、ツミ・ケガレを身体から取り去る身削(みそ)ぎの意と解する説もある。記紀神話に、伊弉諾尊(いざなぎのみこと)が神避(さか)りました妻の伊弉冉(いざなみ)尊を黄泉(よみ)国に訪ねたのち、その身体についた汚穢(おえ)を祓い清めるために、筑紫(つくし)の日向(ひむか)の橘(たちばな)の小戸(おど)の檍原(あわぎはら)に出(い)でまして禊祓をされたとあるのに始まるとされ、そのおりに生成した日神(なおびのかみ)、また祓戸(はらえど)神の神威により、禍津日(まがつひ)神の所為であるツミ、ケガレ、トガ、ワザワイが消除されると信じられる。『万葉集』はもとより平安以降の和歌集にも多く禊を詠んだ和歌があり、「風そよぐ楢(なら)の小川の夕暮はみそぎぞ夏のしるしなりける」（新勅撰(ちょくせん)和歌集）、「六月(みなつき)の名越(なごし)の祓へする人は千年(ちとせ)の命延ぶといふなり」（拾遺(しゅうい)集）といった和歌に代表されるように六月大祓の名越祓としての禊が広く行われた。また中世以降は水垢離(みずごり)などとも称し、修行的な要素も加わり、精神的な清浄も重視された。とくに神祇祭祀(じんぎさいし)に関しては潔斎(けっさい)の重要な行事として厳修されるが、「手水(てみず)」はその簡略化された形式といえる。近世以後、神道(しんとう)の修錬行法ともなり、明治の神道家川面凡児(かわづらぼんじ)はこれを実践提唱した。この改良形式の禊が今日も神職の錬成行事として行われる。

［佐野和史］

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