Morijio

Shinto is the predominant religion in Japan. Its name, shintō, literally means “the way of the deities,” indicating that its foundation is rooted in the worship of the kami—deities or sacred entities that inhabit various aspects of the world, such as elements of nature, natural phenomena, and ancestors, among others. They are not gods in the Western sense, but spiritual presences that must be respected. As such, Shinto has an intrinsic reverence for nature and deference to ancestry, and its rituals involve the purification of people and places, cultivating harmony between people and nature as a central value.

In this context, salt stands out as an essential element associated with the act of purification. There are records of salt being used for this purpose dating back to the Nara (710–794 AD) and Heian (794–1185 AD) periods, and various practices still use it today for this purpose, such as morijio.

Morijio is the Japanese custom of arranging a quantity of salt in the shape of a cone or pyramid on a small plate. This arrangement is typically placed in locations such as the entrance to a house (genkan, where one must also remove their shoes) or a business establishment with the aim of purifying whatever or whoever is entering and warding off evil from outside. When placed in the rooms of a residence, such as bedrooms, its purpose is to aid in the purification not only of the environment but also of the body and spirit, as it is in a place intended for rest and the renewal of energy. Thus, the purpose of this practice is, in general, to bring good luck, ward off evil, and purify the environment.

The origin of morijio is uncertain, but it can be understood as an element representing the power of salt: Shinto weddings, funeral ceremonies, altars dedicated to ancestors, kamidana (“shelf of the god/gods,” a miniature shrine dedicated to daily worship in a home or establishment), shiomaki (the practice of a sumo wrestler throwing a handful of salt onto the ring—dohyo—before the start of the match), among others, use salt as a symbol of purification, the warding off of negative energies, and the renewal of vital energy.

Here we present a symbolic display of the morijio as an example of the importance of salt to Japanese culture and spirituality.