Read, reflect, pray
Tsuki-machi purification
月待之祓
A text in the 1911 Shintō Ōharai Zenshū anthology. It is presented as a historical reading, not the current ritual of every shrine or temple.
English meaning and source text
English meaning
About this English rendering
This site’s English rendering of the Japanese meaning guide, aligned with this edition. It is separate from the source words for recitation and is not an official liturgy. Sacred sounds are explained where possible, not given speculative literal translations. Historical beliefs, royal authority, illness and protection claims belong to the text; they are not present-day judgments, medical advice or guarantees of results.
Tsukuyumi no Mikoto, whose name we speak with awe, presides over the sky of the waxing half-moon; Tsukuyomi no Mikoto, written 月夜見尊, shines through mid-heaven as the full moon; Tsukuyomi no Mikoto, written 月読尊, presides over the sky of the waning half-moon: so this edition describes them.
Hear these words proclaiming that three kami govern three lunar skies. May our prayer be received and our wish accomplished. Protect us through the divine way, the supremely precious spiritual treasure.
Source text and reading aid
Roman letters are provided for every line of this source text.
How to use the Roman letters
Roman letters follow the kana displayed in this site’s Japanese reader; some readings are editorial additions documented on the Japanese page. These are a reading aid, not restored Sanskrit or a recording of a temple’s chanting. Historical spellings (such as wo, wi, we and ha used as a particle) are kept. Double vowels and repeated vowels mark the written kana; rhythm and pronunciation can differ by tradition.
You can simply read the meaning or sit quietly. No recitation is required. For a temple or shrine’s own recitation, follow that tradition’s published guidance.
掛卷も畏き月弓尊は上弦の大虛を主給ふ月夜見尊は圓滿の中天を照給ふ月讀尊は下弦の虛空を知食す
kakemakumo kashikoki tsukiyuminomikotoha jiyaugenno ohozorawo tsukasadoritamafu tsukiyominomikotoha wenmanno chiutenwo terashitamafu tsukiyominomikotoha gegenno sorawo shiroshimesu
三神三天を知食と申事の由を聞食て祈願圓滿應感成就无上靈寶神道加持
sanjin santenwo shiroshimeseto mausukotono yoshiwo kikoshimeshite kiguwanwenman oukanjiyaujiyu mujiyaureihaushindaukaji
Connected kami and buddhas
These connections include figures addressed, mentioned, or associated by tradition. They do not assign a universal recitation practice.
Sources and edition (1)
English explanations on this page were prepared by Inori no Mori from the cited text and its Japanese explanations. They are not an official translation or a prescribed liturgy.