By: Mika Matsumura, GVJCI Marketing and Social Media Intern
Osouji is a Japanese custom that is typically done at the end of December. The word Osouji translates to "big cleaning/cleanup." Osouji is done before New Year's Day and is done to purify the home, work place, schools, and neighborhood. This custom was first seen as a purification ritual to symbolize cleaning not only one's house, but also the mind and soul.
Osouji originated from another Japanese custom, known as Susuharai which translates to "Soot Sweeping." Susuharai is an annual ritual also performed in December that is symbolic when greeting the Shinto deities of the New Year. As seen in the images below, a team of people are cleaning the Matsumoto Castle. They use long bamboo sticks with brooms on the bottom to sweep the walls and clean the roof tiles. To tie it all together they hang a Shimenawa which a huge straw rope that are located on gates and the castle tower. The shimenawa acts and represents a barrier between our world and the world of the gods. The rope also prevents evil spirits from entering. These ropes are hung all year around at Shinto shrines, but specifically hung during this time by many businesses and homes.
These historical custom of susuharai in Imperial Palaces traces back all the way from the Heian era. Later this custom spread to temples in the Kamakura period. By the Edo period, common people also took part in this annual cleaning of osouji. Another reason Japanese participate in the deep cleaning of osouji is to welcome the Shinto deity of the New Year, Toshigami-sama. Osouji must be completed before they can visit the shrine. It is also seen as a purification ritual. Toshigami-sama is said to bring good luck and good health for the New Year.
Another Japanese word associated to osouji is "seiri" which translates to sorting items. For example to organize your closet. Osouji is more than the home or shrines, but also the workplace and schools. In the workplace, everyone contributes dusting, scrubbing, and tidying up the area. The same is done in schools, students learn at a young age, the importance of cleaning. There are many benefits to practicing osouji. Practicing osouji can help focus/clear your mind and even help develop a new/healthy habits. Of course it is difficult to clean and it is not a likable task, but it is one that must be done. It is easier to focus if you have a clean environment to work on. Cleaning your workspace will promote concentration and success.
Although this Konmari Method Workshop is past the typical time of osouji, it is never too late to tidy up your home. Just was the saying goes, "New Year, New Me!" Join us in the New Year as we all learn a better way to declutter our homes by using the KonMari Method. To learn more and register for this workshop, please click the button below.
https://jpninfo.com/36791
https://livejapan.com/en/article-a0000817/
https://www.smartparenting.com.ph/life/home/osoji-japanese-cleaning-ritual-a00285-20190104
https://visitmatsumoto.com/en/culture/susuharai-soot-sweeping-ritual-and-hanging-of-the-shimenawa-at-matsumoto-castle/
https://jpninfo.com/36791
https://livejapan.com/en/article-a0000817/
https://www.smartparenting.com.ph/life/home/osoji-japanese-cleaning-ritual-a00285-20190104
https://visitmatsumoto.com/en/culture/susuharai-soot-sweeping-ritual-and-hanging-of-the-shimenawa-at-matsumoto-castle/
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