Hi everyone. As always, when I read new books and come across words that make me dig into their link with the plot, I can only “give in” and go looking for the meaning of whatever is stopping me from reading on. So I thought it would be interesting to share this curious little piece of research with the few who have not yet had the chance to “meet” the word in question, and what it stands for.
Right now I have decided to step, with quiet respect, into “Tsubaki Stationery Store”, a novel by Ito Ogawa, which looks promising. At a time when I am rather weighed down by other, not always pleasant, reading, I thought it would help me unplug and find some calm in settings that suit me especially well, full of stationery and everything that has to do with writing tools.
But let’s get to the point: the term, or rather the word, that caught my attention was “chinowa”, which universally symbolises purification and protection. It is a traditional Japanese seasonal ritual that wishes good health.
Passing through the ring of fresh, clean grass, it is said that once the ritual is done you can free yourself from illness and get through the summer heat. But that is not all.
The chinowa is a circular structure, a ring of cogon grass (typically chigaya or straw) used in Shinto purification rites. It is placed at the entrance of shrines twice a year, for two important ceremonies known as Nagoshi no Harae and Toshikoshi no Harae.
The first (Nagoshi no Harae) is celebrated on 30 June: it is a rite meant to purify people of the sins (tsumi), impurities (kegare) and bad deeds accumulated in the first half of the year.
The second (Toshikoshi no Harae) takes place on 31 December, at the end of the year, and is meant to wash away completely the impurities and sins accumulated over the whole year.
It is also meant as a rite of passage, chinowa-kuguri: here the faithful pass through the ring three times, following a specific path in the shape of an “eight”, or of the infinity sign. This symbolises getting rid of negative energy and a spiritual renewal.
Its historical and legendary origin should not be underestimated either. The rite seems to have very old roots: it is linked to a thousand-year-old story about a poor family who took in the god Susanoo-no-Mikoto (a Shinto deity known for his violent, impulsive nature, god of storms, seas and hurricanes, also famous for slaying the eight-headed dragon Yamata no Orochi) and, as thanks for their hospitality, received a ring of magic grass to protect their descendants from illness and misfortune.
But today there also seems to be a more modern version of the rite: besides physically passing through, you can write your name and wishes on a hitogata (a paper figure), blow on it to pass your bad luck onto it, and offer it to the shrine as part of the purification rite. Amulets, other votive objects and prayers can be offered too.
A small extra curiosity: the largest chinowa seems to have measured about 11 m (36 feet 1 inch) across, and it was made in Nagoya, Aichi, on 28 June 2009.
In the end, the chinowa is an act of personal and collective renewal, an invitation to get rid of the old to make room for the new, to purify ourselves not only in body but also in spirit. This practice is still deeply felt in Japanese communities, bringing together faith, culture and nature in a rite that helps people overcome trials and find balance and inner strength again.
