Norito
Practices祝詞 ・ Reading: norito
Definition
Words offered to the kami
Norito are the formal prayers of Shinto, addressed directly to the kami during ceremonies. Written in the elegant classical Japanese of the earliest chronicles, they praise the deity, recount its origins, present the offerings, and state the request, whether a good harvest, safety for a new building, or the health of a newborn. The oldest examples were codified in the tenth-century Engishiki, and priests still study their rolling, archaic cadences.
When you will hear one
Attend any formal shrine ceremony and the norito is its center: the priest, in full vestments, unrolls a paper scroll and intones the prayer in a low chant while participants bow their heads. You will hear norito at festivals, groundbreaking rites, wedding ceremonies, car blessings, and the personal prayers (gokitō) any visitor can request at a shrine office for a fee. Underlying it all is kotodama, the old belief that beautifully spoken words themselves carry spiritual power, which is why every syllable is pronounced with such care.
Common questions
- What language are norito in?
Classical Japanese of the style found in the oldest chronicles, full of honorific archaic phrases. Even native speakers follow the general meaning rather than every word.
- Can an ordinary visitor have a norito recited for them?
Yes. Request a personal prayer (gokitō) at the shrine office, state your wish (health, exams, safe travel), and a priest will recite a norito naming you before the kami, for a set offering fee.
- What is kotodama?
The traditional belief that words carry spiritual power, so beautiful and correct speech blesses while careless speech harms. It explains the exacting care with which norito are composed and pronounced.