As you walk the approach to the Naiku, a clear riverbank opens up on your right. This is the Mitarashi of the Isuzu River. From ancient times, the custom in this place has been to cleanse one's hands not at a temizuya but in the clear current of the Isuzu River before worship.

Cleansing your hands in the flowing river

Kneel on the stone paving and dip your fingertips into the cold, clear water, and your back straightens of itself — you feel washed clean to the heart. Purifying yourself in the very river that flows through the sacred grounds is an experience unique to Ise Jingu. Listen to the murmur of the stream and spend a few quiet moments here.

The stone-paved Mitarashi

The present stone paving of the Mitarashi is said to have been donated by Keishoin, mother of the shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi. For more than three hundred years, countless worshippers have purified themselves at this spot before proceeding to the sanctuary.

When the river runs high after rain, do not take risks — use the temizuya on the approach instead. A moment spent touching the clear stream will stay with you: a time when the nature of Ise and its prayer melt into one.