Cleaning Rituals

Before entering a shrine, one comes across a large communal water pavilion known as a temizuya. They are used to cleanse the body and the mind. To be cleansed, one has to pick up a hishaku ladle resting on the temizuya with the right hand and fill it with water. Pour some of the water over the l

Ceremonial year-end cleaning of the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo. Susuharai literally means brushing off the soot. Still nowadays, many shrines and temples maintain the custom to brush away dust. Long bamboo sticks are used for this ceremony acted by monks. #cleaningritual #cleaning #bamboo #tokyo #meij

Setsubun marks the beginning of spring in Japan according to the old lunar calendar. The name literally means "seasonal division" and is celebrated yearly on third of February. It was previously thought of as a sort of New Year's Eve and so was accompanied by a special rituals to cleanse away all

Tenrikyo is a Japanese new religion believing in “God” - Tenri-O-no-Mikoto - which has its headquarter in Terni, Nara. Their practices are characterised by cleaning. “Evil” is like dust on our mind which has to be swept away. Every individual is supposed to work towards a polished mind, thus aga

Shintō religion has been in Japan since ancient times. During the Meiji area it became instituted as state religion. At its roots are a diffuse systems of beliefs which developed over time with multiple goods (kami). The power of these gods resided in waterfalls, rocks, lakes, large trees and other

For western people, Japanese tea ceremonies are foreign, appealing and partly frightening attractions. Embedded in tradition and rules, they seem to unfold and simultaneously express the unintelligibility of the Japanese spirit. Being able to enjoy the atmosphere may take a few sessions ; being a