Yorishiro

A yorishiro (依り代/依代/憑り代/憑代) in Shinto terminology is an object capable of attracting spirits called kami, thus giving them a physical space to occupy^[1] during religious ceremonies. Yorishiro are used during ceremonies to call the kami for worship.^[2] The word itself literally means "approach substitute".^[1] Once a yorishiro actually houses a kami, it is called a shintai. Ropes called shimenawa decorated with paper streamers called shide often surround yorishiro to make their sacredness manifest. Persons can play the same role as a yorishiro, and in that case are called yorimashi (憑坐, lit. 'possessed person') or kamigakari (神懸り/神憑, lit. 'kami possession').^[3]

^ ^a ^b Cite error: The named reference Tamura20 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference EoS was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Iwanami Kōjien (広辞苑) Japanese dictionary, 6th Edition (2008), DVD version

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[3] Iwanami Kōjien (広辞苑) Japanese dictionary, 6th Edition (2008), DVD version

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