Shinto - The Way of the Gods: Introduction to the Traditional Religion of Japan by Vincent Miller

Author:Vincent Miller [Miller, Vincent]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Published: 2018-09-04T16:00:00+00:00

Haraigushi or Onusa

The priest waves the haraigushi, or the wand (also referred to as onusa), which is a purification rite per Shinto customs. The priest waves the onusa over the object that requires to be purified which could be a person, a place or location, or objects such as cars, bikes, etc. Haraigushi, or onusa, are made with sticks of bamboo or any other wood. Tied to one end of the stick are some shide, which could be either a bunch of unprocessed hemp fiber or zigzagged sacred white paper. The haraigushi purification ritual is typically carried out before an offering is made to the kami, so the negative energies of the people making the offerings and the offering itself are cleansed and eliminated.

The priest bends at a 15-degree angle and gently but briskly waves the haraigushi so the rustling sound from the shide is heard. The waving movement is neither frantic nor very slow, but just enough to create the rustling sound. Also, at the end of each wave, the priest stops momentarily. So he waves the onusa to the left, pauses for a bit, and then waves it to the right, stops momentarily, and so forth.

The Japanese commonly use the Haraigushi purification process for the following situations:

To purify a new car

To purify a new plot of land before starting the construction of a home or building; haraigushi process is supposed to help pacify the spirit of the land.

The haraigushi is also kept in the kamidana to be used in daily prayers.

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