An ōnusa (大幣) or simply nusa ()[1] or Taima (大幣)[2] is a wooden wand traditionally used in Shinto purification rituals.[2]

A wooden pole stood on a square base. It is covered in shaggy paper streamers tied at the top of the pole.
An ōnusa

Ōnusa are decorated with a number of shide (paper streamers).[3] When the shide are attached to a hexagonal or octagonal staff, the wand is also known as a haraegushi (祓串).

The word Taima also refers to cannabis in the Japanese language.[4] Nusa is an old word for cannabis.[5]

The Jingū Taima (神宮大麻) is a type of ōnusa.[6] although they are often used in different ways than normal Onusa, usually kept in envelopes.

The most common type of Nusa today consists of a sakaki branch or a white wooden stick with a shide or Nusa ramie attached to the end.[7] In Board of Ceremonies' "Jinja Matsuri Shiki" (1875), a branch of sakaki is used for the Nusa, and in Yatsuka Seinan's "Jinja Yushoku Kijitsu" (1951), Nusa is described as a sakaki branch with only ramie or, in addition, shidare attached, while konusa is made of wooden sticks, thin wood or bamboo.[8] At Ise Jingu Shrine, mikisakaki, a sakaki branch with its leaves and branches still attached, is also used with Nusa attached to it,[9] and a sakaki branch is attached to a cord of hemp as a yu (cotton).[10] In some cases, such as at Kamogoso Shrine (Shimogamo Shrine), a branch of a peach tree is used, following the myth in the Kojiki.[11]

Nusa is also used in different ways. In the present day, it is shaken noisily as if to purify dust, but in ancient ceremonies such as at Kasuga Taisha, it is stroked.[12] The same is true at Ise Shrine, where noisy purification is forbidden.[10] Today, Nusa is used by waving it left, right, and left toward the person or object to be purified, which is believed to transfer impurities to the Nusa.[13] In the past, it was left, right, and center.[13]

A Gohei is an onusa with only two Shide.

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Shinto jiten. Motohiko Anzu, Yoshihiko Umeda, 素彦 安津, 義彦 梅田 (6th ed.). Jinja Shinposha. July 1999. ISBN 4-915265-61-7. OCLC 675736710. Archived from the original on 2022-07-29. Retrieved 2022-07-29.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  2. ^ a b Soga, Tetsuo (1988–1989). "大麻". Nihon dai hyakka zensho = Encyclopedia Nipponica 2001. Tōkyō: Shōgakukan. ISBN 4-09-526001-7. OCLC 491325063. Archived from the original on 2022-07-29. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
  3. ^ Takatoshi Ishizuka (1987). "大麻". 日本大百科全書14. 小学館. ISBN 4095260149.
  4. ^ 第2版, 知恵蔵,精選版 日本国語大辞典,百科事典マイペディア,ブリタニカ国際大百科事典 小項目事典,デジタル大辞泉,動植物名よみかた辞典 普及版,世界大百科事典 第2版,化学辞典. "大麻とは". コトバンク (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2022-05-06. Retrieved 2022-07-29.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ 神社新報『神道事典』 2000, §幣帛 pp549-550.
  6. ^ 日本国語大辞典,デジタル大辞泉, 精選版. "祓串とは". コトバンク (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2022-01-01. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
  7. ^ 石塚尊俊 (1987). "大麻". 日本大百科全書14. 小学館. ISBN 4095260149.
  8. ^ 吉永博彰 (March 2017). "祓具の諸相 : 大麻(おおぬさ)を中心に (特集 日本文化研究の諸系譜)". 國學院大學研究開発推進機構紀要 (9): 25–54.
  9. ^ "なつそひく―麻 せんぐう館 平成28年度企画展示" (PDF). せんぐう館. Retrieved 2017-09-07.
  10. ^ a b 三好和義; 岡野弘彦 (2003). 伊勢神宮. 日本の古社. 淡交社. p. 87. ISBN 447303108X.
  11. ^ 新木直人 (2007). 神游の庭―世界文化遺産・京都賀茂御祖神社「下鴨神社」. 経済界. p. 133. ISBN 978-4766783964.
  12. ^ 星野輝興 (1926). "現代に於ける祭祀の缺陥". 神社協会雑誌. 25年 (11): 2-14.
  13. ^ a b 星野輝興 (1937). 祭祀の展開. 日本文化協会.

Bibliography

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  • Kokugakuin University Institute of Japanese Culture (1999), Shinto Encyclopedia, Kobundo, ISBN 978-4335160332
  • Motohiko Anzu (2000), Shinto Dictionary, Shinposha Shrine, ISBN 978-4915265617
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