{{Short description|Shinto worship space}} {{italics title}} [[File:Tsurugaoka hachimangu himorogi.jpg|thumb|A ''himorogi'' at Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū]] [[File:Himorogi rokkou.jpg|thumb|''Himorogi'' of Amenohohi-no-mikoto at Rokkosan Country House.]] {{Nihongo|'''''Himorogi'''''|神籬||{{lit.}} "spirit fence"}} in Shinto terminology are sacred spaces or altars used to worship.<ref name="sugi">Sugiyama, "Himorogi"</ref> In their simplest form, they are square areas with green bamboo or ''sakaki'' at the corners without architecture. These in turn support sacred ropes (''shimenawa'') decorated with streamers called ''shide''.<ref name="sugi"/> A branch of ''sakaki'' or some other evergreen at the center acts as a ''yorishiro'', a physical representation of the presence of the ''kami'', a being which is in itself incorporeal.<ref name="sugi"/><ref>Kōjien, 神籬</ref>
thumb|left|A ''himorogi'' built for a ''jichinsai''During the Aoi Festival in Kyoto the ''himorogi'' is a square space surrounded by green branches with an evergreen tree at the center as a ''yorishiro''.<ref name="sugi"/> A more elaborate ''himorogi'' can also be made with a straw mat on the ground with on it a ceremonial 8-legged stand called an ''{{nihongo|hassoku-an|八足案|extra=eight leg an}}'' decorated with ''shimenawa'' and sacred emblems.<ref name="sugi"/>
The etymology of the word is unclear, but it appears already in the ''Nihon Shoki'' and in the ''Man'yōshū''.<ref name="sugi"/> The term "himorogi" refers equally to the focal point "tree" and to the sacred space, both of which are deemed to be purified or "unpolluted".<ref>Bocking, Brian. (1997). ''A Popular Dictionary of Shinto.'' p. 41.</ref>
''Himorogi'' in Japan are most commonly seen at construction sites, where after use they stand for a while before actual work begins. They are built for a Shinto priest, who comes to bless the site during a ground-breaking ceremony called {{nihongo|''jichinsai''|地鎮祭}} {{Wiktionary|神籬}}
== See also == * The Glossary of Shinto for an explanation of terms concerning Japanese Shinto, Shinto art, and Shinto shrine architecture. *Hiis (sacred site) * Koshintō * Shintai
== Notes == {{Reflist}}
== References== * Bocking, Brian. (1997). ''A Popular Dictionary of Shinto.'' Lincolnwood, Illinois: NTC Publishing. {{ISBN|9780844204253}}; [https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/36977290 OCLC 36977290] *Iwanami Kōjien (広辞苑) Japanese dictionary, 6th Edition (2008), DVD version * {{cite web |url=http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/xwords/entry.php?entryID=247 |title=Himorogi |last=Sugiyama |first=Shigetsugu |publisher=Encyclopedia of Shinto |access-date=2008-07-18 }} {{Commons category|Himorogi}} {{Shinto shrine}}
Category:Shinto Category:Shinto religious objects
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