Calligraphy Artwork "Harae"In Japan, the act of cleansing oneself of sin, impurity, and misfortune through prayer to the gods is called " (harau) (to purify). Japanese belief embraces the existence of eight million deities (Yaoyorozu no Kami), among which the sun deity holds a particularly high status. This piece expresses the purifying power of the sun deity using soft, diluted ink tones.