Purification rituals, or harae, in Shinto are directed toward removing kegare, the ritual impurity or defilement that accumulates through the ordinary course of life. This impurity may arise from contact with death, illness, misfortune, or other polluting circumstances, and is understood as a kind of spiritual clouding rather than a moral stain. By cleansing this kegare, harae restores a state of purity that allows people, places, and objects to stand once more in proper relation to the kami. In this way, purification is less about punishment and more about returning to an original clarity of being.

A central purpose of harae is to make genuine approach to the kami possible. Impurity is seen as a barrier that can obstruct the beneficial presence and blessings of the kami, so purification is required before entering shrines, participating in festivals, or engaging in other sacred activities. When this barrier is removed, the relationship between humans and the kami can be renewed, and religious practices can be carried out with appropriate reverence. The ritual thus prepares the worshipper both outwardly and inwardly for contact with the sacred.

Harae also serves a broader function of re-establishing harmony between humans, nature, and the spiritual world. By cleansing disruptive influences, it helps restore balance in the web of relationships that Shinto understands as fundamental to life. This renewal is not only individual but communal, as shared acts of purification contribute to the well-being and order of the wider community. In addressing both visible and invisible forms of defilement, harae aims at a holistic restoration of spiritual and, by extension, physical well-being.

Ultimately, purification in Shinto can be seen as a continual process of resetting and renewal. Life inevitably brings contact with forces that disturb equilibrium, yet harae offers a way to clear these accumulations and begin again from a place of spiritual freshness. Through this rhythm of defilement and cleansing, the bond with the kami is maintained, and the flow of harmony between humans, nature, and the divine is kept open and vibrant.