are liturgical texts or ritual incantations in Shinto, usually addressed to a given kami.
History
The first written documentation of norito dates to 712 CE in the Kojiki and 720 CE in the Nihongi.
Etymology
There is no single universally accepted theory to explain the meaning of the term. One theory derives norito from noru (宣る, 'to declare'; cf. the verbs inoru 'to pray' and norou 'to curse'
Form and content
The Shinto religion did not produce any writings, particularly those that inferred from myths and legends, that would have constituted a religious theology except for the norito. (One should, however, note that the Kojiki and the Nihongi, while written primarily as historical works rather than sacred scriptures, do contain mythical narratives of the Shinto tradition.) These few prayers were primarily used in purification rituals and articulated gratitude towards the gods for the blessings of kami or to ask for climate change such as rain.
Norito is a form of a rhythmic poem recited to facilitate the transmission of posterity.
Reading
Norito were (and still are) traditionally written in a variety of man'yōgana where particles and suffixes are written in a smaller script than the main body of the text. This style of writing, used in imperial edicts (宣命 senmyō) preserved in the Shoku Nihongi and other texts dating from the 8th century (Nara period), is known as senmyōgaki.
See also
- Kotodama