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is a
is a Shinto
Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shintoist ...
water ablution pavilion for a ceremonial purification rite known as ''temizu'' or . The pavilion contains a large water-filled basin called a .
At shrines, these '' chōzubachi'', are used by worshippers for washing their left hands, right hands, mouth and finally the handle of the water ladle to purify themselves before approaching the main Shinto shrine
A is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more '' kami'', the deities of the Shinto religion.
Overview
Structurally, a Shinto shrine typically comprises several buildings.
The '' honden''Also called (本殿, mean ...
or . This symbolic purification is normal before worship and all manned shrines have this facility, as well as many Buddhist temples and some new religious houses of worship. The ''temizu-ya'' ("temizu-area") is usually an open area where clear water fills one or various stone basins. Dippers or are usually placed in the area, and are available to worshippers. In the 1990s, water for ''temizu'' at shrines was sometimes from domestic wells, and sometimes from the municipal supply.
Originally, this purification was done at a spring, stream or seashore and this is still considered the ideal. Worshippers at the Inner Shrine at Ise still use this traditional way of ablution.
See also
* '' Chōzubachi'' *Glossary of Shinto
This is the glossary of Shinto, including major terms on the subject. Words followed by an asterisk (*) are illustrated by an image in one of the photo galleries.
__NOTOC__
A
* – A red papier-mâché cow bobblehead toy; a kind of ''engim ...
* ''Harae
or ( or ) is the general term for ritual purification in Shinto. is one of four essential elements involved in a Shinto ceremony. The purpose is the purification of pollution or sins () and uncleanness ().(Norbeck, 1952) These concepts include ...
'', a term for all Shinto purification rituals, including ''temizu''
** ''Misogi
is a Japanese Shinto practice of ritual purification by washing the entire body. Misogi is related to another Shinto purification ritual called ''Harae'' – thus both being collectively referred to as .
Background
Every year, many people ...
'', a Shinto ritual of full-body purification
* Ritual purification
Ritual purification is the ritual prescribed by a religion by which a person is considered to be free of ''uncleanliness'', especially prior to the worship of a deity, and ritual purity is a state of ritual cleanliness. Ritual purification ma ...
* '' Tsukubai'', a wash basin for visitors in Japanese Buddhist temples or ''roji
, lit. 'dewy ground', is the Japanese term used for the garden through which one passes to the ''chashitsu'' for the tea ceremony. The roji generally cultivates an air of simplicity.
Development
Sen no Rikyū is said to have been important in ...
''
* Ablution in Christianity
In Christianity, ablution is a prescribed washing of part or all of the body or possessions, such as clothing or ceremonial objects, with the intent of purification or dedication. In Christianity, both baptism and footwashing are forms of ablut ...
* Wudhu
References
* *Further reading
*, and links therein {{DEFAULTSORT:Chozuya Shinto architecture Water and religion Ritual purification Shinto in Japan