The Materiality of the Landscape: Wild Nature in the Experience of the Ōharae

Purification (harae) is a fundamental concept in Japanese religious tradition, particularly evident in the Ōharae, a Shinto ritual performed biannually to cleanse spiritual pollution and restore harmony. While the Nakatomi no harae, the ritual formula, has been extensively studied, the role of the natural landscape in the ritual remains overlooked. This study explores how natural elements—rivers, mountains, trees, air, and the ocean—function as ritual tools, enabling the kami’s purifying intervention. Drawing from ritual materiality and landscape studies, I argue that in the Ōharae, the natural landscape is not merely a backdrop but an ontological potency that actively constructs the sacred space to the point of merging with it. This sacred landscape encompasses a large geographical area which includes also the territories outside of Japan therefore reaffirming the qualitative difference between “center” and “remote”.