Purity can be restored through specific Shinto rituals and personal practices that cleanse both body and mind. Water and salt are commonly used as purifying agents, and a haraigushi (see below ...

In Shinto, the importance of the ritual is simply the ritual itself. It's wrong to think that Shinto ritual is important because of the beliefs that lie behind the ceremonies.

ISE, Japan The steady crowds cross an arched bridge and follow a pebbled path into a forest of towering cypress trees, bowing before a simple gate that stands between ...

Purification is key to Shinto rituals to keep away evil spirits. Worshipers can also wish for other things, such as traffic safety, success in business or exams and safe childbirth.

Japan's Emperor Akihito is retiring, so he performed a ritual to report his abdication to the Shinto gods The 85-year-old emperor will retire on April 30 in the first abdication in 200 years and a ...