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Title |
Text |
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| 1 |
Kotodama |
Kotodama refers to the spiritual power that is contained within words, but also refers to the conception that spiritual power can be manifested through the intonation of words. This is explained as an aspect of animism, or alternatively is explained from the perspective of its func... |
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| 2 |
Kunitama |
The spirit of the land. Kunitama refers to the sanctification or spiritualization of the land itself. In ancient times it was considered that the rule of each province was not only a task of human beings alone; it could only be accomplished through the power of the unseen kami enshrine... |
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| 3 |
Kuniumi |
The birth of the land. The creation of the land by Izanagi and Izanami following the command of the heavenly deities ( amatsukamigami ) to compose and solidify ( shurikosei , also read tsukurikatame ) the floating land. The two deities chose ( mitate ) a heavenly pillar ( ama no mihashir... |
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| 4 |
Kuniyuzuri |
The "transfer of the land." The term indicates a series of episodes in Kojiki and Nihongi related to the transfer of the land of Japan to the descendants of the heavenly kami ( amatsukami ) by Ōkuninushi, a terrestial kami ( kunitsukami ). After Susanoo, the brother of Amate... |
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| 5 |
Kushimitama |
The wondrous soul. Within conceptions of the soul, the kushimitama is a type of soul that brings about mysterious manifestations in human beings through supernatural power. It appears in conjunction with the sakimitama , the providing soul, which is the power behind the harvest. I... |
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| 6 |
Magakoto (also Magagoto) |
Maga is the opposite of naho (straight, correct) and thus means bent or evil. It is used to describe misfortunes, wicked deeds, and calamities. Shinto does not assume evil to be absolute but rather conceives it as a distorted or abnormal condition. The mythical explanation of the ide... |
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| 7 |
Makoto |
Makoto can mean "sincerity," "earnestness" or "a heart free of falsehood." It is one of the cardinal virtues of Shinto. Great emphasis has been placed on it since ancient times, as is reflected in the words of an edict issued by Emperor Kōtoku in the s... |
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| 8 |
Marebito |
Rare person. A term originally referring to a visitor. Orikuchi Shinobu defined marebito as spiritual entities that periodically visit village communities from the other world — the "everlasting world" (Tokoyo) across the sea — to bring their residents happiness and ... |
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| 9 |
Marōdogami |
Guest kami . A non-indigenous kami that visits or is invited by the local community and later resides permanently within that community. The term may also refer to a kami that, although indigenous, has yielded its site of enshrinement within the shrine to a new, more powerful kami and ... |
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| 10 |
Miitsu |
Miitsu can also written 威霊.The term refers to the powerful authority of a kami or an emperor, or to a divine spirit that possesses such power. As recorded in Bizen no kuni fudoki , Takeokumi was sent by Emperor Sujin on a punitive expedition against the Tsuchigumo of Bizen province, but ... |
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| 11 |
Mikotomochi |
Literally, "bearer of the honorable word." A mikotomochi was a court official dispatched to a provincial post by imperial order. Book XI of Shaku nihongi states: "According to my personal records, my mentor explained that a mikotomochi is a person who receives and ... |
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| 12 |
Misogi |
Ablutions. The practice of washing one's entire body and, in doing so, purifying oneself from the misfortunes, sins ( tsumi ) and pollutions ( kegare ) that have become attached to the body. According to Kojiki and Nihon shoki , the mythical origins of this practice can be found in the s... |
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| 13 |
Mitamanofuyu |
"Spiritual blessing." This is a term used to express the ancient belief that a person continuously receives the blessings which emanate from the spiritual power of the kami and the emperors. The term mitama refers to a spirit and the term fuyu means to touch, shake or multi... |
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| 14 |
Mitate |
To choose and erect something (like a pillar). Alternatively, this can be used to refer specifically to the thing which has been erected. Examples of the use of mitate are found in both Kojiki and Nihon shoki during the wedding scene of Izanagi and Izanami on the island of Onogoro. It is ... |
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| 15 |
Mitogaku |
The term Mitogaku signfies the scholarship and academic traditions that arose in the Mito Domain, one of the Go-Sanke (the three highest ranking branches of the Tokugawa clan) of the Edo period. This academic school was also called "Suifu no gaku," and "Tenpōgaku,... |
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| 16 |
Mogari |
All-night vigil for a deceased person; wake. The Chinese character for mogari can also be read as agari or araki . This is the rite of placing the corpse of a deceased person in a reception room, temple, or some other place that has been specifically constructed for this purpose (i.e., a ... |
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| 17 |
Mono, Chi |
Mono and chi are ancient terms that express the idea of "spirit." These terms refer primarily to the spirit of "things." In fact, the modern Japanese word mono (often translated as "thing") is thought to have originally been used as an abstracted ex... |
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| 18 |
Monoimi |
Abstaining from contact with pollution. In order to welcome the sacred essence of the kami , those participating in Shinto rituals make a special effort to purify their bodies and minds by avoiding contact with polluting substances and behaviors (this avoidance is known as kinki ) f... |
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| 19 |
Monozane |
Generally, this term refers to the origin of a thing, or its material substance. In Shinto, however, monozane carries an additional significance as a term related to the process of the creation of kami . In this context, monozane is the essence from which kami are born. In Book I ( kamit... |
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| 20 |
Musuhi |
Also written as 産巣日, 鬼, 産日, and 産鬼. Musuhi refers to the ethereal workings that cause heaven, earth, and all things to come into being. Etymologically, musu carries the meaning of creation and development, while hi implies incorporeal or mysterious workings. A quick look at the vari... |
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