TOKYO – Men wearing traditional loincloths and women dressed in white robes clapped and sang before taking an ice water bath on Sunday during a shinto ritual at a Tokyo shrine to purify the soul and pray for the end of COVID-19- pandemic.
Only a dozen people took part in the annual event at the Teppou-zu Inari Shrine, downsized this year due to the health crisis, compared to more than a hundred in early 2020. Spectators were not allowed at the event.
After doing warm-up exercises and chanting under clear skies with outside temperatures of 41.18 Fahrenheit, the nine male and three female participants took a bath filled with cold water and large blocks of ice. “I prayed for the coronavirus to end as soon as possible,” 65-year-old participant Shinji Ooi, who heads the shrine’s ‘Yayoikai’ parish group, said after the ritual.
Japan is struggling to contain a recent wave of coronavirus infections, with Tokyo reporting 1,494 new cases on Sunday. The government on Thursday declared a limited state of emergency for Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures, covering about 30% of the country’s population, in an effort to stop the spread.
Fewer participants in the Shinto ritual made the water extra cold, participant Naoaki Yamaguchi told Reuters.
“Normally we have more participants and the water temperature gets a bit warmer. But this year there were only twelve people, so it (the cold) was crazy, ”said the 47-year-old.
The sanctuary added the theme of “warding off epidemics” to its annual event, which is held on the second Sunday of each year and is now in its 66th year.