Ooharaenokotoba - 2 times bow, 4 times handclaps.

   Takaamaharanikamuzumasu  Sumeragajitsukamurogigamurominomikotomochite  Yaoyozunokamitachio  kamutsudoenitsudoetamahi  Kamuhakarinihakaritamahite  Wagasumemimanomikotowa  Toyoashiharanomizuhonokunio  Yasukunitotairakekushiroshimesetokotoyosashimatsuriki.

   Kakuyosashimatsurishikunuchini  Araburukamitachiwoba  Kamutohashinitohashitamahi  Kamiharahiniharahitamahite  Kototohishiiwanekinetachi  Kusanokakihaomokotoyamete  Amanoiwakurahanachi  Amenoyaegumooitsunochiwakinichiwakite  Amakudashiyosashimatsuriki.

   Kakuyosashimatsurishiyomonokuninakato  Ooyamatohitakaminokunioyasukunitosadamematsurite  Shitatsuiwabanimiyabashirafutoshikitate  Takaamaharanichigitakashite  Sumemimanomikotonomizunomiarakatsukahematsurite  Amenomikagehinomikagetokakurimashite  Yasukunitotairakekushiroshimesamukunichininariidemuamenomasuhitoraga  Ayamachiokashikemukusagusanotsumigotowa  Amatsutsumikunitsutsumi  Kokodakunotsumiidemu.

   Kakuideba Amatsumiyagotomochite Amatsukanagiomotouchigiri Sueuchitachite Chikuranookikuraniokitarahashite Amatsusugasoomotokaritachi Suekarikirite Yaharinitorisakite Amatsunoritonofutonorigotoonore.

   Kakunoraba Amatsukamiwaamanoiwatoooshibirakite Amenoyaegumooitsunochiwakinichiwakitekikoshimesamu Kunitsukamiwatakayamanosue Hikiyamanosueninoborimashite Takayamanoihori Hikiyamanoihoriokakiwaketekikoshimesamu.

   Kakukikoshimeshiteba Tsumitoiutsumiwaarajito Shinatonokazenoamenoyaegumoofukihanatsukotonogotoku Ashitanomigiri Yuubenomigiri Asakazeyuukazenofukiharofukotonogotoku Ootsubenioruoofuneo Hetokihanachi Tomotokihanachite Oounabaranioshihanatsukotonogotoku Ochikatanoshigekigamotoo Yakigamanotogamamochite Uchiharofukotonogotoku Nokorutsumiwaarajitoharaetamahikiyometamofukotoo Takayamanosue Hikiyamanosueyori

   Sakunadariniochitagitsu Hayakawanosenimasuseoritsuhimetoiukami Oounabaranimochiidenamu.

   Kakumochiideinaba Arashionoshionoyaojino Yashiojinoshionoyaoainimasu Hayaakitsuhimetoiukami Mochikakanomitemu.

   Kakukakanomiteba Ibukidonimasu Ibukidonushitoiukami Nenokunisokonokuniniibukihanachitemu.

   Kakuibukihanachiteba Nenokunisokonokuninimasu Hayasasurahimetoiukami Mochisasurahiushinatemu.

   Kakusasurahiushinahiteba Kyouyorihajimetetsumitoiutsumiwaarajito Harahetamahikiyometamahetomaosukotookikoshimeseto Kashikomikashikomimaosu.

4 times handclaps. 2 times bow.

When we visited Abe Sensei’s dojo, Norito was recited after Mizunogyou in the morning while seated in seiza in the main dojo. It was recited (chanted) very quickly using and average of 7 or 8 breaths for the entire passage (as performed by Kinoshita Sensei).  The breathing method was most interesting as this Norito passage is rather long and took about 3 to 4 minutes to recite.  Quick deep breaths in and long slow exhalations with the vocalization of this Norito. Slow Aikido/Kokyu practice followed this exercise for about 20 minutes.

(Note:  While the eight Misogi are presented here in a specific order, when we were in Japan recently, the order in which we practiced Misogi was slightly different. Also, each Misogi can be performed as a stand alone practice.  For example, in our dojo we practice Torifune and Furitama at each lesson as part of our warm ups.  Genshoku (reduced diet) can be practiced on a rotation, daily or only three days per week basis.  Each individual can determine for themselves what level and what exercises they would like to incorporate into their practice.)

The place for Mizunogyou is seashore, lake, pond, waterfall, river, practice place at school/dojo, and bathroom at home.

Pouring water on yourself, starting with your left leg and in order of right leg, knee, body, and head.

3 – 4 times a day before each meal and going to bed.

This exercise is a ritual purification and breath training using cold water. Used in conjunction with (3) Furitama, (5) Torifune and (6) Otakebi/Okorobi.  Special protocols and etiquette accompany this practice including bowing, handclaps, entering and exiting the Misogi area.

(Rapid Movement, Response and Motion are Identical, Method of Weakness)

Both of your hands rest with the palms together (left over right) in front of your stomach and shaking the hands up and down with your entire body as one, but relaxed at the shoulders. You do this Gyou when your body becomes (feels) stiff because of training or when you felt cold because of practicing Mizunogyou.

“You do this rapidly. You practice this several hundreds times in a minute. You can do this practice by itself. You can reach into spiritual state of nothingness by this movement. This is one of the important matters. If you do this before you do Mizunogyou, it helps to keep warming your body.”

Continuation of this one movement, there is extreme silence, only breathing. Next Chinkon is the deed for that.

This exercise passively trains the breath while standing in meditation.  It is to keep warm, loosen stiff shoulders or muscles of the upper body, or relieve stress.  It also, represents another way to focus and train in opposition to the larger movements and vocalizations done in (5) Torifune.

Here is a photo of Abe Sensei demonstrating the hand position for and posture for Furitama.

4) Chinkonnogyou (Good Sprit, Origin of All Existents is Same, Even Though the Way of Appearing and Vanishing of Existents is Different, the Root is Same)

“First, turn palm of your hands up in front of you and touch your left index finger with right index finger, and then touch your left thumb with right thumb, the rest of the fingers link together (note: think making a church steeple). You then turn the palms down and the elbows go up and out with your index fingers pointing towards the sky and the thumbs pointing towards your chest. This is for entering into the stage of extreme silence. Breathing starts with inhaling from nose and you hold your breath, and then you exhale from nose. You repeat it. You do not move at all when you hold your breath. You search such ultimate silence by this form.

To be more specific, breathing should be inhaled from nose quietly like pushing air into bottom of your stomach (under the navel). And, the air should be held there for a while. Then, you exhale spending a lot of time very quietly and slowly. When you exhale, you need to feel like exhaling from pores of all your body. When you complete exhaling, you also need to hold your breath for a moment.”

“At this point, your eyes stay opened only one third, which is called Hangan. Your spirit should be concentrated. You can be focused on fingertips or somewhere in your hand that is invisible.”

Self is so-called human being. Human being is so-called self. Self → (Visible body and invisible heart). Center of self ⇔ Unification. Universe → (Visible Earth and invisible air). Self and universe are unified.

After this extreme and ultimate silence, now you search for absolute motion. Next Amenotorifunenogyou is for that. This stimulates the metabolism of every cell of your body.

This Misogi represents a distinct method of visualizations and breathing.  Deep silence is the goal with the possibility of a momentary stillness of mind and body. Chinkonkishi lasts only one or two minutes and is done with the attitude that sometimes you may get “it” and sometimes you may not – the point is to try sincerely.

Here are two photos showing Abe Sensei in Chinkonkishi. The first shows the full seated posture and the second is the detail of the hand position.

In practice we use Torifune as a warm up exercise.  Practitioners of Aikido will be familiar with this as the “rowing exercise”.  It is generally made up of three components that represent yin/yang, tenkan/irimi, circle/triangle, etc…  Unification of breath, mind, movement and vocalization is the goal.