Encyclopedia of Shinto

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カテゴリー1： 7. Concepts and Doctrines
カテゴリー2： Basic Terms
Title
Itsuku
Text
To serve, and perform rites for, the kami, having purified the body and mind and exorcised all polluting influences (kegare). According to Motoori Norinaga, itsu means the bright and pure, all dirt and pollution having been washed away. Though itsuku came to be used later as a term of respect for the kami, originally it alluded to creating a condition of purity where all that is negative and polluting has been eliminated. Synonyms include iwau and imu. Morinaga also said that itsu represents the phonemic reduction of akizu, so that it was not the same as the word mi'itsu (the authority of a kami) in the sense of powerful or heroic (takeki). Nevertheless, in recent times itsuku has come to be interpreted as the verb form of mi'itsu or itsu, meaning to venerate or to serve beings of great authority (itsu).

—Nishioka Kazuhiko

Pronunciation in Japanese/用語音声

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