Shinto ritual "Sumer Purification" at the end of June at many shrines throughout Japan
End of June, 2023 at Yamaguchi Diajingu, Nikabe Jinja, Furukuma Jinja (Chinowa and Hitogata) in Yamaguchi City, Ootoshi Jinja in Suo Oshima
This is a part of summer purification rites called "nagoshi no harae," which are meant to cleanse any impurities from the first half of the year and pray for sound health through the second half of the year.
“Chinowa” is the name of the ring itself meaning “large grass wheel”, while “kuguri” comes from the verb kuguru in Japanese, which means to pass through. It is a ritual of walking through the ring.
The tradition of this large grass made ring comes from the legend that attaching a small ring of grass to the hip can ward off disease and evil forces. This is also believed to be the effect of passing through the chinowa. There is a special way of walking through it.
After doing that, you write your name on a "hitogata," a slip of paper shaped like a person. After blowing on it to transfer all your bad luck onto the paper, you present it as an offering to the shrine or let it float away in a river to complete the ceremonial purification.
<From a legend>
A long time ago, Susanoo no Mikoto was looking for a wife. So, they set out from the northern sea to the southern sea. On the way, when we reached a certain village, the sun had completely set. So, I decided to look for a place to stay. When you look, you will see a magnificent mansion built. That was the home of Totan Shorai. Susanoo would like to rent a lodging. Then Totan Shorai refused and kicked Susanoo out. Somin Shorai saw this and talked to Susanoo and decided to let him stay at his house despite his poverty. Although Somin Shorai was poor, he provided hospitality to the best of his ability. The next morning, when Susanoo was leaving, he gave a grass ring to Somin Shorai, and Susanoo said, "If you wear a grass ring around your waist, you will be protected from the plague." After that, an epidemic broke out, and Somin Shorai and his people were saved by wrapping around his waist the grass ring given to him by Susanoo, and all of the Kotan Shorai and his people who were unable to accommodate Susanoo died. Since then, whenever an epidemic spreads, villagers would wrap their waists in thatch to escape the plague.
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