Shower Misogi of Tsubaki America Grand Shrine

By: Rev. Koichi Barrish

From: “SHINTO/ Tsubaki America Grand Shrine” Facebook Group
Source: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TsubakiShintoShrine
*Note: This style is from Tsubaki Grand Shrine and other shrines may have differing Misogi practices
Compiled Date: July 6th, 2021

Often people feel the desire to purify themselves, but they do not have daily access to a river, waterfall
or sea. In such a case please consider to do the Misogi Shuho in the shower.

Before Misogi

Please pray Misogi no Ooharae* (*Located at the end of this document) facing your Kamidana, or
Ofuda if you have no Kamidana or facing the morning sun.

Misogi Jumbi Taiso (preparatory exercises)

Exercise I: Furitama-no-gyo ( Soul Shaking)

1. Stand with your legs apart about shoulder width .

2. Place your hands together with the right hand over the left. Leave space between them big enough
for an imaginary ping pong ball.

3. Place your hands in that position in front of your stomach and shake them vigorously up and down.

4. While shaking them concentrate and repeat the words: Harae-dou-no-Okami はらえどうのおおか
み- an invocation to the Kami of the place of Harae.

The meaning of Exercise I

The purpose of shaking the soul is to generate awareness of it within yourself. Kon, (the soul), in
Shinto, is one of the four important elements along with Mei (life), Rei (spirit) and Ki (which means
Spirit in its causal aspect - Ki is a kind of energy source). Kon is the most important of the four since
human beings can also be described as Waketama (separated individual souls), which is another way of
saying "children of the Kami".

Exercise II: Ame-no-Torifune-no-gyo (Bird Rowing)

1. Stand straight and put your left leg forward

2. Clench both fists with your thumbs inside

3. Lean forward and move your arms as though rowing a boat starting from your left knee and ending
near your *armpits. As you "row," shout "E-i".えい
4. Perform this 20 times and then repeat Furitama

5. Changing to a right leg stance, repeat the Torifune shouting "Ei" and "Ho" alternately. Do this 20
times and then repeat Furitama

6. Return to the left foot forward stance and remake the clenched fists as before and bring the hands up
to the chest to a shout of "Ei" and thrust them down and forward with hands opened and fingers
extended to a shout of "Sei" せい After this, once again repeat the Furitama

The meaning of Exercise II

The basic purpose is to introduce a dimension of physical calisthenics along with the spiritual.

Exercise III: Otakebi (おたけび）Shouting

1. Stand up straight leaving a space between your feet.

2. Place your hands on your hips

3. Please shout the following three invocations: Iku-tama! Taru-tama! Tama-tamaru-tama!　いくたま

！たるたま！たまたまるたま！

IKU TAMA (shouted out horizontally) comes from the verb Ikeru (to live- exist) Tama is from tamashii
(soul) IKIRU TAMASHII means Life-soul

TARU TAMA (shouted towards the Earth) Taru can be read ashi (leg) implying to stand on the Earth in
the current moment Taru also comes from tairu (enough/sufficient) implying fulfillment/support and
relating to the circle shape: life

TAMA TAMARU TAMA (shouted in ascending manner) comes from Tama (jewel), Taru (pool), and
Tama (soul) implies deep nourishment, setting-sealing and relating to the square shape which implies
continuous echoing

4. Then shout 3 times: Okami! Okami! Kunitsu-Okami! Sarutahiko Okami To-toshi-ya*

The meaning of Exercise III

Shouting Iku-tama activates the soul which is just coming to awareness. Taru-tama affirms the
awareness that you can realize the infinite in your soul. Tama-tamaru-tama confirms both and keeps the
soul activated at its quantum level. The closing invocation addresses Sarutahiko Okami, head of the
Earthly Kami and acknowledges him to be of great power.
Exercise IV: Okorobi (Yielding)

1. Stand as in Exercise III

2. Place the left hand on your hip and make a sword with your right hand by extending your index and
middle finger. (like boy scout salute).

3. Three Kami are invoked here and with each invocation, you cut the air in a sweeping gesture with
the right hand as follows: Kunitoko-tachi-no-Mikoto! "Yie!" " Sarutahiko-no-Okami! "Yie!" Kokuryu-
no-Okami! "Yie!" At each time of cutting the air, you should take a step forward with your left foot and
then back again.

The Object of Exercise IV

By specifying these three important Kami, Kunitokotachi-no-Mikoto (the Earthly Kami), Sarutahiko
Okami (Kami of guidance and head of the Earthly Kami) and Kokuryuon-no-Okami (Kami of water,
life and ki), you can be united with them, remove your impurities and receive their power as your own.

Exercise V: Ibuki (Breathing)

1. Stand with your feet apart

2. Lower your hands and arms towards your knees

3. Lift your arms above your head by extending them fully outwards

4. Inhale while raising them

5. Exhale slowly and deliberately while lowering your hands again

6. Place hands and arms down by knees and exhale completely

7. Repeat five times

8. Turn to face the waterfall, bow twice, clap twice and open your arms palms upwards.

9. You are now ready to enter the showers cold stream

The Object of Exercise V

The purpose is to conclude the preparation by taking deep breaths which have the effect of clearing the
heart and mind

Exercise VI: Nyusui (Entering the Water)

1. Please pray Misogi-no-O-Harae-no-Kotoba again.

2. Then face the shower and scatter sea salt 3 times into the shower area and then on yourself
3. Bow twice, clap twice and once again.

4. Cut the air from right to left with your right hand“ please kiai Yei!! As you cut and as your
return your sword to you in front of your forehead.

5. Enter the shower stream. Put your hands together with fingers interlocked and the middle
fingers extended.

6. Shout the following: Harae-tamae-Kiyome-tamae-rok-kon-sho-jo!!

7. Cut strongly from right to left with kiai Yei!!!! The exit shower, turn and face stream and bow
twice, clap twice and make one final bow.

The Meaning of the Final Prayer: The expressions Harae and Kiyome ask for the purifying of the
individual by the washing away of all tsumi from the ro-kon-sho-jo, from the six elements of human
beings that Shinto identified, the five senses and the mind.

You are now ready to do kensen at your kamidana or to pray Ooharae no Kotoba or to enter the world
with your mind, body and spirit functioning at highest level. The connections of Kami-human being
and human being-human being become more effective and person in relation to person and person in
relation to Kami can begin to understand and become what destiny decreed at birth. This is the goal and
ideal of misogi and ultimately of Shinto - to enable homo sapiens to rise to homo excellence.
 身滌大祓
Misogi No Ooharae
みそぎのおおはらえ

高天原に神留座す
TA KA MA NO HA RA NI KA MU ZU MA RI MA SU
たかまのはらにかむずまります

神魯伎神魯美の詔以て
KA MU RO GI KA MU RO MI NO MI KO TO MO CHI TE
かむろぎかむろみのみこともちて

皇御祖神伊邪那岐大神
SU ME MI O YA KA MU I ZA NA GI NO O O KA MI
すめみおやかむいざなぎのおおかみ

筑紫の日向の橘の小戸の阿波岐原に
TSU KU SHI NO HI MU KA NO TA CHI BA NA NO O DO NO A WA GI HA RA NI
つくしのひむかのたちばなのをどのあはぎはらに

御禊祓え給いし時に生座る
MI SO GI HA RA E TA MA I SHI TO KI NI A RE MA SE RU
みそぎはらえたまいしときにあれませる

祓戸の大神達
HA RA E DO NO O O KA MI TA CHI
はらえどのおおかみたち

諸々の枉事罪穢れを
MO RO MO RO NO MA GA GO TO TSU MI KE GA RE WO
もろもろのまがごとつみけがれを

拂い賜え清め賜えと
HA RA I TA MA E KI YO ME TA MA E TO
はらいたまえきよめたまえと
 申す事の由を
MO U SU KO TO NO YO SHI WO
もうすことのよしを

天津神国津神
A MA TSU KA MI KU NI TSU KA MI
あまつかみくにつかみ

八百萬の神達共に
YA O YO RO ZU NO KA MI TA CHI TO MO NI
やおよろずのかみたちともに

聞食せと
KI KO SHI ME SE TO
きこしめせと

恐み恐み申す
KA SHI KO MI KA SHI KO MI MO O SU
かしこみかしこみもおす

Recording: https://youtu.be/-9Y7ffcrM4M