Chōzuya

Chōzu-ya at Make-jinja
A sign (read right-to-left) explains how to do chōzu
Inside a Chozuya

Chōzu-ya or temizu-ya (手水舎) are purification buildings in Shinto shrines. They provide water for a purification ceremony called temizu or chōzu (手水; lit. 'hand-water'). They contain a water filled object called chōzubachi (手水鉢; lit. 'hand water basin').

The water sometimes comes from wells and sometimes from tap water.

References

  1. ↑ K Yokoi, R Nawata, S Furui, T Nagasawa, S Yanase, M Kimura, Y Itokawa (December 1991). 神社の手水の水質検査成績 [A Report on the Hygienic Status of Sacred "Temizu" Water in Shrines]. Nihon Eiseigaku Zasshi (in Japanese). 46 (5): 1009–13. doi:10.1265/jjh.46.1009. PMID 1779475.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

 

Further reading