The Spiritual Nature Of "Spirited Away"

There were several instances in the movie Spirited Away in which Shinto beliefs were portrayed. The first example of Shintoism in the movie was when Chihiro gets stuck to the ground and Haku recites a prayer, or an incantation to release her. Haku says "In the name of the wind and water within me, unbind her." In Japanese, prayers are called Norito, and they are essential to the Shinto belief. The second example of Shintoism in the movie was when the river spirit came to the bath house. When he first came, he was stinky and he was filled with trash such as bicycles, toilets, and etc. However, after Chihiro pulled all the junk out of him, he was just a kind mask. After the river spirit was all cleaned, he gave Chihiro a gift. Chihiro used the gift that the river spirit gave her to heal others around her. The gift from the river spirit was so potent because in the Shinto belief, purification or Hirai, is important. Purification comes from a natural source, so the river spirit is the natural source in this case. Purification is a recurring theme in this movie. The bath house was significant because bath houses are places for cleansing. Additionally, Haku was also a river spirit and Haku helped Chihiro through out her journey. As a result, he helped purify her.

Chihiro had to go on this spiritual journey because she had to bring her parents back to their human form. The initial reason why she stayed in the spirit realm was to save her parents. However, during her spiritual journey, she learned how to be selfless, kind, caring, and she also learned the importance of her true identity. Zeniba and Haku informed her that her true name was extremely important and they told her to never forget her real name. If she forgot her name, she would be stuck in the spiritual realm forever, without her true identity. Chihiro's beliefs were changed throughout her journey, and as a result of the change in her beliefs, her actions began to change. Initially, she only wanted to help her parents and she was scared of everybody else. However, during her journey, her beliefs changed and she began to help others more. For example, she helped No Face by being his friend. He also helped Lin and Haku, and she was kind to other characters such as Yubaba's baby.