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HOME > Japan’s Local Treasures > Misogi purification ritual in cold water
Cleanse your mind and connect with nature at Shirayama-Hime Shrine
Hakusan City Tourism League
Misogi is a traditional Shinto purification ritual conducted in the natural and historic setting of Shirayama-Hime Shrine, near Kanazawa, capital of Ishikawa Prefecture. Long a place of nature worship, the shrine was established at the foot of Mt. Hakusan in 91 BCE and today serves as the head shrine for around 3,000 Hakusan and Shirayama shrines across Japan, all dedicated to this sacred mountain.
Experience the misogi purification ceremony, cleansing your mind and body in a pond filled with cold water that has trickled down through the rocks of sacred Mt. Hakusan over centuries. The priests of Shirayama-Hime Shrine will guide you through the ancient words and actions of this Shinto ceremony. Unlike other purification rituals you may have heard of, this one does not involve waterfall training.
During the misogi ritual at Shirayama-Hime Shrine, you are cleansed and reconnect with the natural world. Just like the water that flows down from the summit of Mt. Hakusan, nourishing the land on its way to the sea and then evaporating to once again fall on the mountain as rain or snow, we too are part of the cycles of nature. The misogi rite allows us to connect with water and nature, and to feel grateful for these blessings
How to get there
From Tokyo Station, take the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Kanazawa Station (about 2 hours and 30 minutes), then take the Hokuriku Main Line to Nishikanazawa Station (about 5 minutes). Next, take the Hokutetsu Ishikawa Line from Shin-Nishikanazawa Station to Tsurugi Station, and then take the Hokuriku Railway Ishikawa Line. The shrine is about 30 minutes on foot or 5 minutes by bus from the station. Rental bicycles are available at Hakusan City Tourism League office near the station.
Ni-105-1, Sannomiya-machi, Hakusan-shi, Ishikawa-ken
