Chinkon kishin

Chinkon kishin (鎮魂帰神) is a Japanese religious practice that consists of two components, chinkon (鎮魂) (lit. 'calming the soul', i.e. meditation) and kishin (帰神) (lit. 'returning to the divine', i.e. spirit possession). It originated in Japan during the 19th century and was first taught and practiced by Chikaatsu Honda. In 1898, Onisaburo Deguchi, the founder of the Oomoto religion, learned chinkon kishin from Honda's disciple Katsutate Nagasawa (長澤雄楯) and popularized it during the early 20th century. Chinkon kishin was widely practiced in Oomoto from 1916 to 1921, during which the phrase began to be widely used. The basic practices of several Shinto-based Japanese new religions are derived from chinkon kishin. Chinkon kishin is still practiced in more or less its original form in Shintō Tenkōkyo and Ananaikyo, whereas it is highly modified in present-day Oomoto.

During kishin, or spirit possession, a mediator known as the saniwa (審神者) questions the deity in the possessed person (spirit medium), known as the kannushi (神主) (note that the term kannushi is instead used to refer to a shrine caretaker and priest in mainstream Shinto). Currently, the Japanese new religions Makoto no Michi and Shirakawa Gakkan (白川学館) also have similar practices.