Final answer:
The Shinto ritual of harae focuses on purification and the cleansing of pollution or sins. It involves practices such as washing, offerings, prayers, and is central to maintaining harmony in Shintoism.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Shinto ritual of harae focuses on purification and the cleaning of pollution or sins to bring about spiritual cleansing. In Shintoism, these rituals are important for maintaining harmony between humans, nature, and the kami (spirits). The practice involves various methods such as washing, offerings, prayers, and sometimes the waving of a special purification wand. Harae is a way to restore purity, which is an essential aspect in Shinto for a person to be in tune with the natural and spiritual world.
During these rituals, participants may visit a Shinto shrine, where they pass through a torii gate, which symbolizes the transition from the mundane to the sacred. Shinto shrines, such as the Itsukushima Shrine, are central to the practice of Shintoism, and torii gates are iconic markers of these spiritual spaces. The act of harae is an integral component of the Shinto belief system, which is the indigenous religion of Japan venerating ancestors and divine forces of nature without a single written scripture.