Tag: hitogata

New Year ritual live

YouTube Live Stream of Once a Year Shinto Service
 年越の大祓Toshikoshi-no-Ōharae & 除夜祭Joya-sai for 2020
Dec 31st, 2020 at 7:00 pm
(PST)
Saitan-sai on Jan 1, 2021, at 2.00pm (PST)

The following information is put out by the Shinto Shrine of Shusse Inari in America. On Dec 31 it will hold its once a year Shinto Service Toshikoshi-no-Ōharae and Joya-sai. (See the ShintoInari youtube channel here.) There will also be Saitan-sai on Jan 1st at 2.00 pm (PST) (This is the first opportunity to pray to the nature spirits/Kami-sama for happiness, good fortune, prosperity, and good health throughout the New Year.)

In the Toshikoshi-no-Ōharae, we pray to the nature spirits / Kami-sama for purification and ask to recharge our spirits, and bless us with health and protection from misfortune and illness. In this service, Shinto Shrine of Shusse Inari in America provides traditional services with mystic rituals that have been passed down through generations of the priest’s family. 

One such ritual is the use of katashiro, or hitogata (when used for people) on which are written the mystic words, “Tokusa-no-kamdakara.”  Hitogata are slips of paper that are cut into the shape of a person in order to represent the person it is being used for. The hitogata is thought to carry all of that person’s kegare (impurity). We also offer this service for pets and vehicles. We have received hitogata and katashiro from those who are interested in participating in this service, so we will hold the special ritual service for them.

For Joya-sai, which is the New Year’s Eve matsuri, we tell our gratitude to the nature spirits, Kami-sama, with regards to this whole year’s blessings, and ask for their blessings for happiness, good fortune as well as prosperity for the coming new year. 

The Closing Talk is about details of “Tokusa-no-kamdakara” which we use for the Toshikoshi-no-Ōharae ritual.
 
We plan to live-stream the service on YouTube starting at 7:00 pm (PST) on the channel “ShintoInari.” We hope that you can join us wherever you are at the time. 

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In order to begin raising funds to open a community center (Shinto Shrine) and hold various events, we have decided that, from July’s Tsukinami-sai, the priest’s Closing Talk will be open only to members/patrons. If you are interested in hearing the talk, please join our membership through our website ShintoInari.org or Patreon.com/ShintoInari. The Closing Talks will explain the prayers that were read, discuss traditional Japanese customs, and include other information and background.

Also only members will have full access to view recorded streams in our video archives.  Please reference the following list.Omatsuri Service Live Stream:

  • From the beginning to before the Closing Talk —- Available to the public/non-members
  • Closing Talk —- Available to Silver Patrons, Gold Patrons, and Shrine Sūkeikairegular and VIP members

Omatsuri video archive:

  • First half of the service —-  Available to the public/non-members
  • From the beginning to before the Closing Talk —- Bronze Patrons
  • From the beginning through the end of the Closing Talk —- Silver Patrons, Gold Patrons, Shrine’s Shinto Inari Kai members

We welcome osaisen (donations) to participate in the live stream service like when you visit Shinto Shrine.

                Please contribute your support:    

Our Osaisen PayPal account is PayPal@ShintoInari.org

Arigato gozaimasu! Your contributions make us keep holding the service
 

May the Nature Spirits/Kami-sama be with you!Shinto Shrine of Shusse Inari in America

New Year celebration

A special chance for English-language speakers to participate in celebrating New Year Japanese style with a licensed Shinto Priest based in Los Angeles. Rev. Izumi Hasegawa, of the Shinto Shrine of Shusse Inari in America, is offering this rare opportunity to all who apply. (For a report of the summer purification ceremony, see here.)

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Let’s recharge our spirit and invite good fortune in the new year!
 
We are preparing for the upcoming, once-a-year Toshikoshi-no-Ōharae, the Great New Year’s Eve Purification ceremony, on Dec. 31st! We will mail hitogata to our shrine members this week. For non-members, please download the form from our website ShintoInari.org. Please be sure to mail your hitogata and katashiro so that it will arrive by Dec. 28th!
 
The Great New Year’s Eve Purification ceremony is one of the two major purification rituals conducted throughout the year. You may remember our  Mid-Year Purification (Nagoshi-no-Harae) from this past June! During this time, we cleanse all the impurities, misfortunes, stress, and fatigue from over the past year and refresh ourselves, and recharge our energy to invite good fortune in the new year.

This is a great opportunity to cleanse your spirit of the entire year’s accumulated misfortunes (yakunan), and kegare (impurities and/or tiredness). It is said that Toshikoshi-no-Ōharae brings good fortune in the new year. As we have experienced the COVID-19 pandemic this year, we really need Toshikoshi-no-Ōharae to say goodbye to 2020 and hello to 2021 Toshigami-sama. So please join us for this once-a-year ritual service!

Summer Purification

Nagoshi no Harae is a mid-summer purification ritual to rid oneself of ‘impurities’ accumulated during the first six months of the year. There are various means to accomplish this. One is passing through the symbolic wreath known as chinowa pictured above. This is done traditionally in a figure of eight form, so that one passes through the circle three times.

Another form of purification is a paper effigy known as hitogata. Thanks to Shinto Shrine of Shusse Inari in America, based in Los Angeles, people outside Japan are able to participate in this through mailing in their hitogata. It’s thought to be particularly important this year because of the heightened anxiety caused by the worldwide Corona crisis.

Applications to obtain the hitogata can be made through the shrine website, and a contribution is asked for. The actual service will take place on June 30th. Once you receive the hitogata, write your name and age on the front, wipe it on the body part one wishes to cleanse or improve, breathe upon it, and send it in. (Deadine for arrival is June 27.)

See www.ShintoInari.org for full details
Shusse Inari hitogata

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