May we purify the center of this auditorium of the university in Oxford, in the United Kingdom where we have prepared seats to welcome the spirits of various kami who include Moto-No-Kami, the kami who teaches us the ways of protecting and guiding humanity, and Sarudahiko, the kami from Tsubaki Grand Shrine. Also present are the spirits that protect this country and her people, the spirits of all the kami that protect the members all over the world, and the spirits that protect this world and the other worlds. In presence of all these spirits, I , Yukitaka Yamamoto the 96th Priest of Tsubaki Grand Shrine, Ise-no-Ichinomiya, humbly offer these words.

On the occasion of the 23rd annual meeting of the IARF in Oxford, we have chosen The Limit of Generosity as its theme. We the members of IARF from all over the world are here to discuss how we should contribute towards permanent world peace, and co-existence and the co-prosperity of mankind through religious activities. We are looking for correct ways adaptable to the various circumstances of different countries. For this purpose, we have declared July 31st, 1978 the Asian Day because it is the most suitable day for this purpose.

In order to realize our wish of coexistence and co-prosperity we hold a prayer festival. May the various protective kami hear and see the prayers of the delegates here in front of you.

Misogiharai in Shinto is the act of purifying the three temporal worlds; the past, the present, and the future. Its purpose is to ask whether we are faithfully executing our mission and whether we are in harmony with Nature in our daily lives, and to make us realize that we are children of kami.

Sumemioya Izanagi no Mikoto ( the ancestral kami of the human race in Shinto) performs harai ( purification) through misogi ( the purification of the body and soul by bathing in water) and then oharai the great purification ceremony) on all the kami of heaven and earth. Because mankind is the superior being among all creation, man purifies himself so that he may be able to live up to his fullest potential and fulfil his duties.

In Shinto, it is misogi-harai that takes place in the divine services at the commencement of all new activities or events. Hence, it is to purify all egos which hinder the grace of the kami. Ego is evil, sin, impurity, and karma. Therefore, one can obtain a great and clean spirit only through purification. The Mahayana spirit, tile spirit of the Great Way in Buddhism is the spirit of co-existence and mutual prosperity.

The meaning of misogi-harai in Shinto is to purify the past and present world. The word misogi " derives its meaning from a story in the Kojiki , a Japanese classic, which tells us that the ancestral kami, Izanagi-no-Mikoto purified himself by bathing in divine water and that thus he rid himself of all impurities of the temporal world. The word harai , the verb form of which is harau , etymologically shares a common root with the word harau ", which means literally "to brush off dust", or "to pay off one's debts". The word came into Shinto terminology through the Kojiki. According to this classic literature, Izanagi no-Mikoto who had purified himself by misogi , purified all other earthly kami by kami ": he "dusted" them, so to speak. As you may have noticed at yesterday morning's prayer ceremony, a Shinto priest conducts harai on behalf of the kami to purify a person, a place, an object, or an occasion. When we say misogi-harai in Shinto, we mean the act of purification, and although this compound word is made up of misogi , the purification of oneself by bathing in divine water, and "Harai", the participants in misogi-harai do not necessarily bathe in water. More often, the purification is done solely by a Shinto priest conducting- harai , following the style of the Kojiki.

In Japan, this ceremony of purification precedes all important events and functions, and is alternatively called shubatsu. For instance, if a new building is to be constructed, a ceremony called jichinsai is conducted. The purpose of this ceremony of harai is to pacify the kami of earth who might be disturbed and to purify the spot where the construction is to take place. Likewise. a new airplane is purified by harai before it takes off' for its maiden flight or its first service flight. There is also a vast demand for the harai ceremony from automobile drivers who wish road safety. Whichever the case, and I assure you there are many more, the body, the soul, the place, the occasion are purified, and unconsciously committed sins and other impurities are removed. Anew, fresh life is given. This is the rough outline of the meaning of misogi-harai.

When it comes to misogi-shuho however, one has to conduct one's own austere ascetic exercise by bathing in the sea, the river, or by placing oneself under the pounding waters of' a cascading fall. The purpose of this exercise is, following the story of Izanagi-no-Mikoto, to purify oneself by one's own effort and to try to become a child of the kami, a human being in ideal form. All that hinders the blessing of the kami is removed by this rigorous exercise of self-discipline, so that people can, as human beings receiving the infinite spirit of kami in body and soul, foster the spirit of tolerance and follow the path of righteousness. This is the way of the spirit of kanngara - kannagara meaning the way of the kami in other words, is the spirit of co-existence and prosperity of all mankind. Misogi - shuho is the shortest and quickest way to approach and assimilate the kami nature.

Back at Tsubaki Grand Shrine, many Shintoists from nearby and remote places alike, stand under the rushing waters of fall inside the shrine, on the eleventh day and on fourth Saturday of each month. This ascetic ritual is conducted between eleven and one o'clock midnight, the time when one day ends and a new one begins, and when, according to Japanese thinking it is easiest to receive the spirit of the kami. Naturally enough, misogi-shuho is one of the conditions of becoming a Shinto priest. Tens of thousands of people have visited the waterfall to conduct the asceticism of misogi-shuho. When an IARF meeting was held in Tokyo the year before last, 71 members visited Tsubaki Grand Shrine to experience the austerities under the waterfall, and I expect some of those ladies and gentlemen to be here in the audience today. ( They should he able to tell how austere indeed the exercise is!)

I hope I have clarified what misogi-harai and misogi-shuho mean. Some very faithful Shintoists conduct misogi-shuho before their daily worshipping of kami. But without exception, Japanese Shintoists say their prayers of misogi-harai at their morning devotions, and request Shinto priests to conduct the ceremony of misogi-harai whenever necessary.

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