Within the Ryōbu Shintō synthesis, Shinto rites are re‑patterned through the lens of esoteric Buddhist practice, especially that of Shingon and related mikkyō lineages. Central to this are mantras and dhāraṇī: Sanskrit formulae associated with buddhas and bodhisattvas such as Dainichi Nyorai or Kannon are recited in the midst of shrine liturgies, sometimes framing or running parallel to traditional norito. These vocal practices are not merely ornamental; they function as vehicles of invocation, purification, and blessing, so that the kami are approached as manifestations of the same enlightened powers called forth in Buddhist ritual. In this way, the audible texture of a ceremony comes to bear the double resonance of kami‑worship and esoteric mantra recitation.

Hand seals (mudrā) and visualization practices further deepen this interior transformation of Shinto ceremony. Priests employ specific mudrā associated with deities such as Dainichi or Fudō Myōō while standing before the shrine altar or mirror, ritually “activating” the presence of the kami as a local expression of those cosmic figures. At the same time, contemplative techniques are used to visualize light from these buddhas filling the ritual space, the sacred implements, and the bodies of officiants and participants. Through such practices, the shrine is experienced as a living mandala, and the kami are contemplated as concrete, localized forms of the universal Buddha.

The mandalic dimension is reinforced by explicit reference to the Two Realms Mandala (Ryōkai Mandala), in which the Womb and Diamond Realms provide a symbolic map for understanding both shrine layout and ritual movement. Kami are correlated with particular figures in these mandalas, and the spatial choreography of the rite mirrors the structure of the esoteric cosmos. Fire and purification rites also take on a distinctly mikkyō character: homa or goma‑style ceremonies, in which offerings are consigned to fire while mantras are chanted, are adapted to the shrine context so that both buddhas and kami are invoked in the burning away of defilements and obstacles.

A key esoteric notion running through these practices is kaji, the idea of empowerment or consecration. Offerings such as rice, saké, salt, and evergreen branches are ritually empowered through the combined use of mantra, mudrā, and visualization, so that they become bearers of the spiritual force of buddhas and protective deities. When such empowered offerings are presented to the kami, the act expresses a layered understanding: the kami receive gifts already permeated by the very powers with which they are being identified. In this way, the outer form of Shinto worship is preserved, yet its inner logic is reinterpreted through esoteric Buddhist ritual, yielding a vision in which local deities and cosmic buddhas are two faces of a single sacred reality.