Once Again Into The Sea

On February 27th, I participated in the Shinto purification ritual of Misogi for the second time.

For anyone who doesn't remember this from the first go-round, this involves wearing nothing but a thin diaper, walking into the ocean (in February) and praying chest deep for 7 or 8 minutes.

Photographers were once again on hand, both friends and from the area newspaper (I got my picture in the paper like last year, but it was a really bad shot and you only see me partially obscured from the back/side--not nearly as cool as the "naked Marines making a beach landing" picture from last year).

I never posted more pictures from the process last year, so here's a much better step by step progression.

First we get dressed in our finery, then run about half a kilometer from the onsen/bath house/community center to the ocean, chanting all the way.

I'm the tallest headband in the back.

In a pre-marked area, we pray and row and shear away our worries with imaginary katanas.  During breaks in the action, we hold our hands together at our midsections, clasped but leaving a space inside, and chant "harai dono o kami", which is, as far as I understand, an invitation for the god to enter the space in between our hands and purify us.  Great way to warm up, too.

Then it's into the water.  The ocean felt colder than I remember it from last year, though I suppose last year I had no measuring stick to judge by.

Even though the water felt colder, it felt like we spent less time praying.

I'm over on the right, sixth person over (and furthest in the water, you might observe...)

This year there was a father who did the ceremony with his young son and daughter.  At the post-ritual dinner, they sat near me and were really wonderful kids.  She was the only Japanese woman to participate in the ritual.  It's traditionally only for men, and the foreign women were the exception last year.  Pretty great to see some of the gender bias bending.

The whole group together (pre-ritual, in fact--that's why everyone's standing still so calmly)

A few of the foreigners, post-ritual.  No, I don't know what that expression is on my face.

Misogi was one of the most memorable experiences I had last year, and this year didn't disappoint in the slightest.  I will miss not being able to do it next year, though perhaps I can find some equivalently freezing body of water to jump into to somewhat replicate the experience.

Who wants to join me?