Shinto priest doing car blessing purification ritual. Hikawa Jinja, Omiya, Saitama, Japan

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A shrine priest waving Shide over the head of a Shintoist in a typical purification ritual. The wand or harai gushi that the priest is holding is a wooden pole to which is attached a great many of the zigzag strips mentioned above. The waving of this wand is one of the most common ritual actions in Shinto rites. The priest often bows slightly at about 15 degrees. He waves the stick it in a, not frantic, but brisk enough moment for there to be a rustling sound from the zigzags of paper. He stops momentarily at each end of the wave - swing left, stop, right, stop left.

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Size: 4608px × 3456px
Location: Hikawa Jinja, Omiya, Saitama, Japan
Photo credit: © John Steele / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: god, haraigushi, hikawa, japan, japan*, jinja, kami, omiya, pray, prayer, purification, religion, ritual, sacred, saitama, shinto, tree, wand, worship, worshipers