Ōharae no Kotoba (大祓のことば; lit. "Words of Great Purification") is a Shinto incantation used in certain Shinto rituals.^[1] It is also known as Nakatomi Saimon (中臣祭文; lit. "Nakatomi Ritual Text"), or Nakatomi no Harae Kotoba (中臣祓詞; lit. "Nakatomi Purification Words"), because it was traditionally recited by a priest of the Nakatomi clan during the Ōharae-shiki ritual.^[2] It appears in the Engishiki, in Volume 8, where it is called Minazuki no Tsugomori no Ōharae (六月晦大祓; lit. "Great Purification of the Last Day of the Sixth Month").^[3] Generally, when the name Ōharae no Kotoba is used, it refers to the form of recitation which addresses the participants of the ceremony; when referring to it as the Nakatomi no Harae Kotoba, the form addressing the kami is used.^[4]

There are a few theories as to when Ōharae no Kotoba came into use. Kamo no Mabuchi supported the theory that it was during the reigns of Emperors Tenji or Tenmu.^[5] Motoori Norinaga supported the theory that it was during the reign of Emperor Monmu, though both theories agree that there had been original writings of the incantation that existed prior to those periods.

Ōharae no Kotoba was originally an incantation recited at the purification rituals held at the end of the sixth and twelfth months of the Chinese calendar in order to purify the tsumi and kegare accumulated over the year. It was also called the Nakatomi no Harae Kotoba because the Nakatomi clan recited it at the Suzakumon in the imperial capital. The words differed between the sixth and twelfth months, with only the words for the sixth-month version remaining today. They are recorded in the Engishiki as the Minazuki no Tsugomori no Ōharae, which became the base of version of the Ōharae no Kotoba used today.^[3]

Originally, the Ōharae no Kotoba was recited addressing the participants of the ceremony but later changed so that it was addressing the kami. The incantation became associated with Onmyōdo and esoteric Buddhism in the Middle Ages where it was believed one could gain merit by reciting the incantation similarly to how one might when reciting Onmyōdo incantations or Buddhist sutras. It was also believed that one gained even more merit the more they recited it, resulting in the creation of the Saiyō Nakatomi no Harae (最要中臣祓; lit. "Essential Nakatomi Purification") and Saijō Nakatomi no Harae (最上中臣祓; lit. "Supreme Nakatomi Purification") which condensed the prayer to its most important points as some were reciting it thousands or tens of thousands of times. It was particularly important in Buddhist and Confucian Shinto, which led to annotated books of the incantation such as Nakatomi no Harae Kunge (中臣祓訓解; An Explanation of the Nakatomi Purification) and Nakatomi no Harae Fūsuisō (中臣祓風水草; Nakatomi Purification Wind, Water, and Grass).^{[citation needed]}

Today, the Ōharae no Kotoba is recited by the worshippers themselves at the ceremony, as well as recited every day before the kami at shrines belonging to the Association of Shinto Shrines. Outside of the Association, the incantation is also used by all varieties of Sect Shinto as well as some Shinto-based new religions, though it has been altered from the version recorded in the Engishiki, and there are slight differences in the versions used in the different sects.^{[citation needed]}

There are several theories about the formation of the exorcism text. Some say that its author was Ametane-no-mikoto, the grandson of Ame-no-Koyane, while others say that it was Tokiwa-otairen.^[spelling?] It is also claimed that Nakatomi Kanoren^[spelling?] presented the exorcism text to Tenji and used it for the semi-annual exorcisms.^[6]

Exorcism is used in the purification ceremony that is held at Suzakumon Gate in Kyoto on the last day of June and December every year; this removes various sins and impurities that have been unintentionally committed by all people under heaven.^[5] According to the Ritsuryo system, the Teikan ritual, and the Engishiki, the central vassal of the imperial court offers masa, which is a type of Japanese paper.^{[clarification needed]} The eastern and western vassals offer exorcism knives and recite exorcism words in kanji. After the exorcism is completed,^[4] it is listed as "June New Year's Eve Exorcism" in the Enki Shiki, Vol. 8, "Congratulatory Words," with the note, "December Junkono."^{[7][full citation needed]}

Many consider the text significant and its ideas are thought to be reflective of the national spirit. For this reason, it has been revered as a scripture of Shintoism since the Middle Ages, and it is believed that one’s prayers will be answered by performing it before the gods. Tens of thousands of exorcisms were actively performed, and the Goshi distributed them among believers in imitation of Buddhist prayer scrolls (kanjus).^{[citation needed]} Since ancient times, there have been many commentaries on these texts.^[5]

In addition to being held regularly as a semi-annual state ritual, exorcisms were also held on an ad hoc basis prior to the First Fruits Festival, and in times of disaster or epidemic.^{[citation needed]} Nakatomi-no-harae was a form of Shinto ritual, in which the words of the exorcism were changed from being proclaimed to people, to being played to the gods in order to convert them to private prayers. It is thought to have been established in the 12th century.^[3] The name "Nakatomi Exorcism" comes from the fact that it was read by the Nakatomi clan.^[8]

Nakatomi exorcism was used by the Department of Divinities to purify the emperor, and Onmyōjis used it for private prayers in the early 11th century with the concluding phrase of the Nakatomi Exorcism, "The eight million gods will not pretend to hear."^[8]

The earliest known text of the Nakatomi Exorcism is entitled "Nakatomi Ritual Text" in the Asano-Gunzai, which was established in the early 12th century.^[8] While the exorcism words of the Engishiki are meant to be proclaimed to everyone, the Chushingomin Saibun of Asano Gunbai was changed to a form to be proclaimed to the gods, and can be read out by anyone, anywhere, at any time. According to the claim of Okada Yoneo, a researcher affiliated with the Agency for Divine Worship, the Asano-Gunbun's Chutomi-Saihumi is the oldest form of exorcism that is read before the gods as a prayer in modern times. What is noteworthy about Asano Gunnai's Chushingin ritual text is the description of the eight million gods of Harato. The four gods of Harato appear in the exorcism, but in Asano-Gunbun's Chushingura, they are not limited to just these four. The current version of the exorcism text, distributed by the Jinja Main Office, which is the oldest form of the exorcism text refers to the exorcism deities as "Amatsukami, Kunitsukami, and the eight million deities."^{[9][full citation needed]}

Eventually, Nakatomi exorcism spread to other countries. Among them, Kasuga-sha was performing exorcism in the 12th century. In addition, Buddhist monks also began to perform rituals using Chushingin exorcism, and it is presumed that a commentary by Buddhist monks, Chushingin exorcism commentary, was established in the late Heian period.^[8]

The name "Chushinguraibun" seems to have been somewhat widely used from the end of the Heian period. After that, onmyoji and others began to perform the ritual of exorcism privately, and the exorcism poem came to be widely used in society as a congratulatory poem for regular rituals and prayers. Suzuki Shigetane's "Lectures on Celebration Words", vol. 10, explains the name of the exorcism as follows:

It is also old-fashioned to refer to exorcisms as "Nakatomi exorcisms. However, since exorcism refers to an event, the correct term should be "Nakatomi exorcism. In the Kokugo Shiki, there is a verse that says, "I will have Amatsu-no-Mikoto and Kunitsu-no-Mikoto release you from your sins. It is correct to say that "Amatsu-sin"^[spelling?] refers to the sins committed by the people of the country, and "Kokitsu-sin"^[spelling?] refers to the sins committed by the people of the country.^[10]

In Ise Shinto, a unique method of exorcism was established by the beginning of the Kamakura period (1185–1333), but became a secret in the late Kamakura period. In the Yoshida Shinto, the Nakatomi exorcism was also emphasised, and unique rituals and notes were performed.^[8]

In the Middle Ages, along with the study of the Nihon Shoki Shinto scrolls, the study of Nakatomi no Harae progressed, and the belief in it deepened. The Ise Shinto and its five Shinto books, Ryobe Shinto and Sanno Shinto were influential to the performance of the exorcism. The theory of Nakatomi's exorcism was cited in the analogous Shinto sources of the Doge's book, and though known as the work of Kūkai, it was made public in the late Kamakura period. The Nakatomi Exoteric Text in the Jingu Bunko collection is a transcription of an ancient manuscript from the early Kamakura period, dated June Kenpo 3 (1215). The same period was also used for the study of the same commentary on the exorcism by Fujiwara no Asomi Mikodayu. During the Muromachi period and Sengoku period, the Yoshida family of Kaguraoka, Kyoto, devoted the most attention to the study of Nakatomi's exorcisms, most notably by Yoshida Kanetomo. Kanetomo wrote the book "Nakatomi exorcism", and his son Kiyohara Nobuken wrote "Nakatomi exorcism". Kanetomo's descendants, Yoshida Kanenaga and Yoshida Kaneru, lectured on, promoted, copied, and disseminated both books.^[11]

From the end of the Heian period (794–1185) to the Edo period (1603–1868), the words read daily were called "Nakatomi-haraishibushi", and the words read at the exorcism ceremony on the last day of June and December were called "Dai-haraishibushi". Expressions differed in the ending and middle of the text in the exorcism text read at the exorcism ceremony compared with the Nakatomi exorcism text read on a daily basis. In the late Edo period (1603–1868), as Kokugaku (the study of the country) and Fuko-shinto (the ancient Shinto religion) flourished, the original name "Daihaishiki" came to be used again.^{[12][full citation needed]}

The June New Year's Eve Exorcism in the Enki-Shiki consists of the following three elements:^[13]

1. To notify the government officials about the implementation of the Great Exorcism.
2. Announce the process of exorcism, from the occurrence of sins by the people to the erasure of sins by the gods.
3. Announce the instructions to the Urabe clan.

The exorcism verse can be divided into two main sections based on its content: the first section and the second section.^{[citation needed]}

The first part begins with the phrase, "Listen carefully to the words of congratulation" to the royal family and 100 officials who have gathered for the exorcism. This is a remnant of the fact that the original exorcism lyrics were to be proclaimed to the participants, and this part is omitted in today's exorcism lyrics of the Jinja Main Office. Next, the content of Japanese mythology from the Peace of China in Reed Plains to the Descent of the Amaterasu and the reign of the Amaterasu over Japan is described. Then, the sins of the people of such a country are listed as Tensetsu-Sin, Kunitatsu-Sin, and the way to purify the sins when they occur is described. Since many sins do not fit today's concept of "sin" and some of them may be taken as discriminatory, the Daihoshiki of the Jinja Main Office omits the list of sins and simply says "Amatsu-sin, Kunitsu-sin" (which was deleted in the Daihoshiki enacted by the Ministry of the Interior in 1914 and has been followed).^{[citation needed]}

In the latter part of the chapter, it is explained how sins and impurities disappear when such purification is performed. After various metaphors are used to describe the disappearance of sins and impurities, the disappearance of the sins and impurities is described by the four purifying deities.^{[citation needed]}

Debate over the interpretation of the phrase “tai shukushi no tai shukushi jōto”^{[clarification needed]} at the end of the first sentence dates to the Edo period, when Kokugaku emerged.^{[citation needed]}

Nen'ichi Motoyi argued in his “Post‑Exorcism Commentary” that “amatsu shukushi no tai shukushi koto” refers to the exorcism itself; Kamo Shin'abuchi expressed a similar view in Shusshin Kō. The pre‑war Ministry of Home Affairs, which oversaw Shinto shrines, adopted this theory, and the Jinja Honcho subsequently followed it. According to the Jinja Main Office, nothing is chanted between the first and second steps, but one beat is left between them.^{[citation needed]}

Another view holds that “Amatsu Shusshin no Taishu Shigi Jōto” is a secret shusshin^{[clarification needed]} transmitted since the age of the gods and therefore not written in the Engishiki. Hirata Atsutane, a “posthumous student” of Motoori Norinaga, advances in his unfinished Koshi‑den that “there is a congratulatory verse called ‘Amatsu‑shukushi‑no‑taishugushi‑jōto’ that was orally transmitted from Amaterasu and handed down only to the Nakatomi family.” In Amatsu Shukushigi Kō, he states that the words were uttered by Izanagi‑no‑Mikoto when he purified himself at Abakihara in Tachibana‑no‑Kodo, Hyūga, Chikushi. This “Amatsu Shusshin no Tai Shusshin Jōto” presented by Atsutane has been adopted as the “Amatsu Shusshin” by many Shinto schools other than the Jinja Main Office; it is recited between the first and second stages of the Great Purification norito and is also used as a stand‑alone purification formula.^{[citation needed]}

• 大祓詞 - おはらいの文化史（國學院大學 伝統文化リサーチセンター資料館）