There's a god for that
The waters that surround and flow through Matsue (Lake Nakaumi, Lake Shinjiko, the Ohashi, and the canals) provide something more than just a romantic setting. They also provide a purifying medium. In traditional Japanese religious practice, water is the primary medium for misogi, a rite of purification. This rite is observed by visitors at every shrine, when they dip a bamboo ladle into the fountain of fresh water located just inside the shrine’s inner gate, to wash their hands and rinse their mouth before worship. For believers, this symbolic act, especially when performed with a pure heart, washes away worldly troubles, and readies their souls to receive the grace of the gods.
Originally misogi was performed as an elaborate ritual at the shoreline of flowing rivers, preferably ones that were close to the sea. There, the unclean thoughts that were released would be carried downstream, and the sea’s salt would intensify the cleansing. Matsue – with the Ohashi’s strong current and Lake Nakaumi’s saline water – is an ideal place for this type of misogi.
We do not follow that elaborate ritual of ablutions and baths today, but still I like to think that we are receiving some special grace from the waters of the canal, which course through the city, purifying everything and everyone in its path.
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