A tradition of the New Year in Japan is to visit the 神社 (じんじゃ) - Shinto Shrine
The 神社 is a beautiful spiritual place often designated with a 鳥居⛩(とりい) - Shrine Gate, and two statues of either 狛犬 (こまいぬ) - lions or 狐 (キツネ) - foxes on each side, one with the mouth open representing the "a", the first letter of the Sanskrit alphabet, and the other with the mouth closed representing the "un", the last letter of the Sanskrit alphabet that represents the beginning and end of all things known as the "aum".
At the 神社, there is a specific way to pray to the deities or spirits of the world that is taught to us in this sign:
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二 (に) - Two
拝 (ハイ) - Worship, Pray, Bow
拍手 (はくしゅ) - Clapping hands
一 (いち) - One
Translation: Two bows, Two hand claps, One bow
神前 (しんぜん) - Before God, Before an alter
に - Location particle
進ん(すす) - Proceed
- だら - Conditional verb conjugation for Before/After, When or If
姿勢(しせい) - Posture, pose, stance, attitude, approach
を - direct object particle (thing acted upon)
正し(ただ) - Correct, straighten (posture), adjust
二拝二拍手一拝
の - Possessive particle marker
作法(さほう) - Manners, etiquette, way of making
で - Particle for by, with; で can also be for location or cause, purpose
お参りします(おまいり) - Visit (a shrine, grave), pray, worship
Translation: Straighten yourself when you proceed before the alter, pray on your visit with the etiquette of two bows, two hand claps, and one bow.
Let's break down each step individually,
1:
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まず - First, to start
二回(にかい) - 2 times
深く(ふか) - Deep, strong, intense, profound
頭(あたま)
を
下げます(さ) - Lower, bring down, bend
その - That
深さ
は(wa) - Topic
腰(こし) - Hips, waist
九十(きゅうじゅう) - Ninety, 90
度(ど) - Degrees
に - Target to which motion progresses
曲げる(まげる) - Bend, curve, lean, slant
程度(ていど) - Degree, amount, approximately
が - Subject (doer or undergoes of action, state)
美しい(うつく) - Beautiful
と - Quotation marker before verb 言う or いわれています
いわれています - It is said
Translation: First, start with 2 deep head bends. The deep motion is a 90 degree bend of your waist. That is said to be the most beautiful pose.
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二拝した
あと - After
胸(むね) - Chest, breast, heart
の
前(まえ) - In front
で
両手(りょうて) - Both hands
を
合わせ(あ) - Matching
右手(みぎて) - Right hand
を
少し(すこ) - A litte
下(した) - Down
に
ずらして - Shift, slide (something away from something else), move (something out of the way)
二回手
を
打ちます(う) - Strike, hit, knock
二拍手
のあと - After
両手
の
指先(ゆびさき) - Finger, fingertip, toe, toe tip
揃えて(そろ) - Align, match, collect
祈り(いのり) -
を
こめます - To put into (emotion, effort)
Translation: After two bows, put both hands matching in front of your chest. Shift your right hand down a little and clap two times. After two hand claps, align your fingers on both hands and give a heart felt prayer.
3:
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最後(さいご) - Last
に
もう - Another
一回
深く
頭
を
下げます
Translation: Last, another one deep head bend.
Many 神社 or 寺 temples will also have a wooden box in front of the shrine. This is an offering box that you toss a coin into as a gift. Typically, you will toss the money in and then do the 二拝に拍手一拝.
Another tradition is purifying yourself at the 手水舎(ちょうずや). This is a water basin or tub, typically wooden or concrete, where you dip a wooden ladle to draw water to cleanse or purify your hands and mouth, NOT by putting it to your lips as it is used by thousands of people. You pour the water at an angle over your mouth so you do not pour water on your clothes and do not let the water fall back into the 手水舎.
There is a delicate technique of pouring the water over your 左手(ひだりて) - Left Hand; then angling the ladle to pour over your 右手 without using your 左手 as it has just been purified when 右利き(みぎきき) - Right-handed (or opposite if you are 左利き (ひだりきき) - Left-handed).
Many people do not know this technique or find it difficult to not get their clothes wet so they may just switch hands or assist their friends, family or partner with the purification.
If you are living in Japan or live near a 神社 in your town, now you know how to pray to the shrine in authentic Shinto style.
And coming up, the New Year is the most popular time to visit the 神社 and make your New Year's wish, much like a New Year's resolution in the west.
Please leave a comment if you would like to let us know your New Year's wish. Also, if you enjoy Death By Kanji, please consider buying me a coffee using the link in the sidebar. It would be appreciated.
じゃあ、明けましておめでとうございます！
ジョシュア
