Knowra Norito Norito Norito are formal Japanese prayers recited by Shinto priests during rituals. They address kami and express petitions, gratitude, praise, or purification.
Kami : Kami are sacred beings or powers in Shinto, associated with natural phenomena, places, ancestors, and myths. Norito address kami, naming them and presenting requests or offerings.
Ōharae : Ōharae is a Shinto great purification rite performed to remove accumulated pollution and misfortune. Its norito gives a prominent example of prayer articulating purification.
Engishiki : The Engishiki is a tenth-century Japanese administrative and ritual code containing regulations and liturgical texts. Its norito section preserves influential prayers and prescriptions for court rites.
Toshigoi no Matsuri : Toshigoi no Matsuri is a Shinto festival praying for an abundant harvest, traditionally held in the second lunar month. Its formal prayer asks kami to grant agricultural prosperity.
Kotodama : Kotodama is the Japanese belief that words possess spiritual power or influence. The idea helps explain why precise ritual speech can be treated as efficacious.
Shinto : Shinto is a Japanese religious tradition centered on kami, ritual practice, and sacred places. Norito are a formal verbal practice within Shinto ritual.
Harae : Harae is the Shinto practice of purification from ritual pollution, often performed with words, gestures, or objects. Many norito accompany or explain acts of purification.
Kojiki : The Kojiki is an eighth-century chronicle of Japanese myths, genealogies, and early rulers. Its creation narratives supply kami and mythic references found in ritual tradition.
Niiname-sai : Niiname-sai is an annual Shinto harvest festival in which the emperor offers newly harvested rice to kami. Norito belong to the ceremonial language surrounding the harvest offering.
Matsuri : Matsuri are Japanese festivals and rites honoring kami, often organized by shrines and local communities. Norito give spoken form to requests and thanks within matsuri.
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