The Nakatomi Purification Prayer, or Nakatomi no Harae no Kotoba, emerges from the early formation of Japan’s imperial ritual culture, where court and cosmos were felt to be intimately intertwined. Its wording is preserved in the Engishiki, a collection of laws and ritual regulations compiled in the early Heian period, yet the language and structure of the prayer clearly point back to an older oral tradition. Scholars generally situate its formative period in the Asuka to early Nara era, when Shinto rites were being formalized under imperial patronage and ritual specialists were consolidating their roles. In this sense, the prayer stands at a threshold: recorded in a relatively mature courtly system, yet bearing the cadence and imagery of earlier, less systematized practice.

Historically, the prayer is attributed to the Nakatomi clan, hereditary ritualists who served the imperial court and were entrusted with major acts of purification. Their task was not merely technical; by reciting this norito on behalf of the sovereign and the realm, they enacted a vision in which spoken words could realign the spiritual fabric of the land. The Nakatomi Purification Prayer became closely associated with the Great Purification rites held twice yearly, on the last days of the sixth and twelfth months, when accumulated impurities and transgressions were ritually cast off. Through this recurring rhythm of confession and cleansing, the prayer functioned as a kind of spiritual reset for the community, reaffirming the bond between humans, kami, and the imperial center.

Over time, this norito came to serve as a standard liturgical formula for state-sponsored purification, reflecting how Shinto, in its early court-centered form, articulated a shared moral and cosmological order. The text’s preservation in authoritative ritual compilations indicates that it was regarded not only as effective liturgy but also as a model expression of sacred language. Its historical origin, therefore, cannot be reduced to a single date or author; rather, it arises from the convergence of clan tradition, imperial authority, and evolving ritual practice. In contemplating its background, one encounters a prayer that is both a product of its age and a vessel for much older currents of purification thought.