Page:Occult Japan - Lovell.djvu/144

128 As with the gyō, purification is of its essence. For not only must a general purification antecede the act, but a special purification must immediately precede it. And first the spot must be holy. Now only one spot is holy by nature: the sacred mountain Ontaké or its affiliated peaks. All others must be purified. These may be of two kinds: temples, public or private,—for most houses have what is called a gods'-shelf, (kamidana), which does them for family shrine,—and ordinary rooms. The first are kept perpetually purified; the second are specially purified for the occasion.

If there be no permanent shrine, a temporary one is constructed. Its central motif is a gohei upon a wand, stood upright on a pedestal. By the side of the gohei are lighted candles, and flanking these, sprigs of sakaki, the sacred tree of Shintō. In front of the gohei is set out a feast for the god. The feast varies in elaborateness according to the occasion, its principal dishes being a bowl of rice, a saucer of salt, and a cup of saké the national wine. In addition to these indispensables, any form of uncooked human food may be offered to the god, according to