Shinto (the Way of the Gods)Aston, W. G. (William George)
Religion
Shinto (the Way of the Gods)
Aston, W. G. (William George)
Shinto
"_Katabu and an Uneme were sent to sacrifice to the Deity of Munagata.
Katabu and the Uneme, having arrived at the altar-place, were about to
perform the rites, when Katabu debauched the Uneme. When the Emperor
heard this, he said, 'When we sacrifice to the Gods and invoke from
them blessings, should we not be watchful over our conduct?' So he sent
Naniha no Hidaka no Kishi to put him to death. But Katabu straightway
took to flight and was not to be found. The Emperor again sent Toyoho,
Yuge no Muraji, who searched the districts of that province far and
wide, and at length caught and slew him at Awi no hara in the district
of Mishima._"
Here it is primarily the offence against the Gods which is reprobated.
As in the Mosaic law, menstruation and child-birth were regarded as
sources of uncleanness.[201] The custom of providing a special hut for
parturient women has been already noted.[202] In 811 the wife of a
Kannushi was delivered of a child close to the enclosure of the Shrine
of the Goddess of Food at Ise. Both husband and wife had to perform
an Ohoharahi. After that time no pregnant woman was admitted within
the _tori-wi_ of this shrine. In 882 a Prince was sent as Envoy to Ise
because a bitch had had puppies within the precincts of the Imperial
Palace. Several days' religious abstinence had to be observed in
consequence. Until recently births and deaths were prohibited on the
sacred island of Itsukushima in the Inland Sea.
=Disease, Wounds, and Death= caused uncleanness.[203]
The death of a relation, attending a funeral, pronouncing or executing
a capital sentence, touching the dead body of a man or beast, even
eating food prepared in a house of mourning, all involved various
degrees of ritual impurity.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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