Misogi

[1] Every year, many people take pilgrimages to sacred waterfalls, lakes and rivers, either alone or in small groups, to perform misogi.

In Kyoto, people douse themselves under Kiyomizu Temple's Otowa no taki (Sound-of-Wings) waterfall, although the majority of visitors drink from the waters rather than plunging into them.

[2] In the United States, misogi was performed at the Tsubaki Grand Shrine of America at the Konryu Myojin no Taki waterfall each morning in the years prior to its closure in 2023.

[4] Misogi is also used in some forms of martial arts, especially aikido, to prepare the mind for training and to learn how to develop one's Dantian, or centre.

The founder of aikido, Morihei Ueshiba, regularly used this form of meditation to complement his training and search for perfection.