1.
ritual hand-clapping (at a Shinto shrine)
The ceremonial clapping performed when worshipping at a Shinto shrine, typically two claps with the palms slightly offset to produce a clear, resonant sound that calls the attention of the 神.
神社で柏手を打った。
I clapped my hands ritually at the shrine.
二礼二拍手一礼と言って、柏手を二回打つ。
It's called "two bows, two claps, one bow," and you clap your hands twice.
出雲大社では、他の神社と違って柏手を四回打つのが習わしだ。
At Izumo Taisha, unlike other shrines, the custom is to clap four times.
The kanji 柏 (oak) is used here for historical phonetic reasons rather than meaning. Sometimes written in hiragana as かしわで.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 柏手を打つ: to clap ritually (the standard verb is 打つ, not the everyday 叩く)
- 柏手の音: the sound of ritual clapping
- 二拍手: two claps (modern term for the same act)
CULTURAL CONTEXT:
The standard pattern at most Shinto shrines is 二礼二拍手一礼: bow twice, clap twice, bow once. The right hand is positioned slightly lower than the left to produce a clearer sound. 出雲大社 and 宇佐神宮 use four claps instead of two.
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 拍手: applause; also used in the formal expression 二拍手 for ritual clapping
- 手を合わせる: to put one's hands together — the gesture used at Buddhist temples instead of clapping