The Shinto Concept of Purity

Understanding Shinto Purification via the Religious Concepts of Sin vs. Taboo

Photo by Gio Almonte on Unsplash

Would you rather commit a sin or break a taboo?

Japan is known for being a clean country; a reputation that comes from the Shinto value of purity.

At the entrance of every shrine there is a place to wash your hands and mouth, called a chōzuya (手水舎) that visitors are expected to use before entering. Shrines regularly perform rituals in which paper or wood, representing impurities, are burned. Salt is also sprinkled in many Shinto rituals, called shubatsu (修祓). A version of this is seen at the start of every sumo match before the wrestlers enter the ring.

Sumo Salt Throw — Photo by yoppy — Used under creative commons

So what is behind all these practices?

In order to better understand such practices and their importance in Shinto, it can be helpful to compare the concept of sin and taboo. In this article, I will provide a brief overview of the concept of sin and then compare and contrast it with the concept taboo as the related to defilement in Shinto. Once I have drawn out some important differences, the reason behind many Shinto…