出雲大社参拝と三日間の肉断ちSacred Purity Through Three-Day Meat Abstinence

Did you know that visiting a Shinto shrine isn’t something you casually do on a whim but rather something requiring proper preparation? While many contemporary Japanese people have largely forgotten these ancient traditions, during my recent journey to Izumo Taisha in Shimane Prefecture, I undertook a specific kind of preparation before visiting the shrine this morning. That preparation was the practice known as the “three-day abstention from meat”. Upon hearing this, readers might immediately associate it with Buddhist practices; however, Shinto also includes similar customs. In this article, I’ll delve into this practice based on my own firsthand experience.

Around Izumo Taisha Shrine, one of Japan’s oldest shrines, several traditional customs for purifying oneself before a shrine visit are preserved. One of these teachings explicitly instructs that “one should abstain from consuming meat for three days before visiting the shrine.” Specifically, this entails refraining from meat and following a simple, modest, and vegetarian diet during the three days preceding the shrine visit. Here, “meat” particularly refers to the flesh of “four-legged animals”, a restriction carefully observed by local people in Izumo since ancient times.

Within Shinto belief, eating meat is inherently linked to taking the lives of animals and thus indirectly coming into contact with blood and death, which are considered sources of impurity, or kegare (穢れ), inappropriate for presenting oneself before the divine. In Japanese Shinto, the concepts of kegare and imi (忌, abstinence or taboo) play critical roles, and understanding these alone can greatly enhance the spiritual efficacy of a shrine visit.

To begin with, kegare refers to conditions of impurity or contamination affecting the mind and body, signifying a state where spiritual energy or life force has been weakened. A typical example of kegare is associated with death. For instance, when grieving the loss of a family member, the surviving relatives were believed to experience a depletion of spiritual energy due to deep sorrow. In Japan, this condition is known as kegare, a word that carries the sense of ki ga kareru (気が枯れる), “the withering of one’s spirit.”

Furthermore, this impurity was historically believed to be contagious, an invisible force capable of being transmitted from person to person. Consequently, Shinto developed a custom known as kichu (忌中), wherein bereaved families were required to withdraw from society for a certain period, quietly observing restraint to restore their spiritual vitality. During this period, families avoided visiting shrines or participating in festivals, dedicating themselves solely to purification. This custom was important for preventing the impurity associated with death from spreading to others and contaminating the divine, thus maintaining community cohesion.

On the other hand, imi denotes abstaining from certain behaviors or actions during specific periods or situations to avoid impurity. Imi functions as a voluntary taboo set by individuals or communities to preserve cleanliness and spiritual purity through behavioral restrictions. In modern times, with the loss of traditional communal structures, imi predominantly manifests as individual voluntary taboos. The aforementioned mourning period (kichu) is itself a broad form of imi, but there are also examples from daily life, such as festival organizers who deliberately avoid impure activities before events. In fact, traditional beliefs held that if participants neglected saikai (斎戒, ritual purification), divine punishment or misfortune would result. According to the Shinto worldview, impurity is seen as a temporary negative state of spiritual energy, and thus a proper process of imi and purification rituals has historically been deemed necessary to remove it.

This brings us to another essential concept: shojin kessai (精進潔斎, strict purification and abstention). This involves refraining from meat, alcohol, and sexual activity, while cleansing oneself through bathing and purification rituals as prescribed by Shinto tradition. Originally, shojin (diligent abstinence) and kessai (ritual cleansing) were separate concepts; however, by the end of the Heian period, their similar meanings caused them to be combined and used together. The historical backdrop to this concept encompasses both the ancient Shinto ritual purification known as saikai, and the influence of Buddhist kairitsu (戒律, precepts). In other words, these customs represent a unique concept that arose from the syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism, known as shinbutsu konko (神仏混淆), preserved and passed down to the present day.

Indeed, under Japan’s ancient Ritsuryo legal system, the regulations called Jingiryo clearly prescribed the periods of purification (saikai) required before and after sacred rituals. According to these rules, the duration of purification depended on the importance of the ritual: major festivals required one full month of purification, medium-level festivals required three days, and smaller rituals required one day. Thus, the custom described earlier in Izumo, regarding abstaining from meat for three days prior to shrine visits, corresponds precisely to the category of medium-level purification rites outlined in these ancient regulations.

But why was abstaining from meat particularly emphasized in Izumo? As previously noted, eating meat was directly associated with impurity. Consuming animal flesh inevitably involves slaughter and the presence of blood, actions seen as inherently defiling. Moreover, eating meat was believed to cause a lingering smell or taint upon the body, making it unsuitable for the purity required to stand before the kami. Among meats, those from four-legged animals—particularly cows, horses, boars, and deer—were especially significant targets of this taboo, viewed historically as akin to taking the lives of companions in daily life, thus intensifying the sense of impurity.

Personally, I believe the earliest symbolic representations of four-legged animals for the Japanese were deer and wild boars. This is based on the fact that cattle and horses were absent from Japan during the Jomon and Yayoi periods. Additionally, it’s known that the Jomon people offered wild boars, while the Yayoi people offered deer as sacred offerings in rituals. It’s likely that the subsequent Buddhist introduction led to the sacredness and taboo status of cattle, but originally, the custom stemmed from the use of boars and deer. Therefore, I do not agree with the general perspective that Shinto customs regarding meat abstention are purely Buddhist in origin. Instead, it seems more accurate to view these practices as originally existing in Japan well before Buddhism, only to be systematized and strictly formalized through Buddhist influence later.

In Izumo, the basic teaching is abstaining from meat of four-legged animals for three days before visiting the shrine, but more devout individuals might also abstain from fish (especially raw fish) and alcohol. This stricter abstention naturally leads to adopting what is known as shojin ryori (精進料理), a cuisine devoid of animal products. While this vegetarian cuisine is commonly assumed to originate from Buddhist precepts, it has been fully embraced within Shinto as a form of purifying diet. Observing offerings presented at shrines—examining their ingredients, arrangements, and significance—strongly suggests that these practices indeed have ancient roots. This underscores the importance for us today to reconsider shrine visits from a historical perspective, diligently preparing according to ancient practices as far as possible.

Ultimately, abstaining from meat before shrine visits serves as both physical purification and spiritual discipline. The act of refraining from meat consumption functions as a reminder and affirmation to oneself: “I am about to engage in a sacred act.” By consciously cutting off everyday desires, one heightens a sense of devotion and readiness to face the divine. In contemporary Japan, such preparatory customs have largely disappeared, with people freely consuming whatever they wish and visiting shrines whenever convenient. However, the spiritual significance conveyed by these ancient practices remains deeply meaningful. Failing to respect these practices may result not only in reduced spiritual benefits but could even lead to negative consequences.

Thus, to authentically observe these traditional customs, I avoided eating meat from four-legged animals for three days before visiting Izumo Taisha. Additionally, during this period, I drank sacred spring water, carefully preparing both body and mind before visiting the shrine early in the morning. Though I had visited Izumo Taisha many times before, today, having strictly followed traditional practices, I clearly felt a notably stronger divine presence. This was because I had properly prepared myself to engage with the kami. Conversely, without such preparation, one cannot expect significant spiritual benefits from shrine visits.

This realization is personally significant and provides a critical perspective for reconsidering various aspects of Shinto beliefs. In contemporary society, this concept is widely overlooked, but Shinto teaches clearly that one must first undergo purification to cleanse kegare before truly offering prayers to the divine. While similar concepts may exist in various other religions, faith itself is difficult to articulate clearly, making it hard to understand for people living in our information-driven modern society.

However, the experience of truly encountering the divine when one adjusts their attitude appropriately has profoundly convinced me that today’s visit to Izumo Taisha will greatly influence my future research.