also: ぬさ
noun
Shinto ritual staff with paper streamers
A wooden staff used in Shinto purification rituals, with zigzag paper streamers (shide) attached. Often seen in ceremonies such as harai (purification).
神主が幣を振ってお祓いをした。
The Shinto priest waved the ritual staff to perform the purification.
Archaic reading; rarely used in modern Japanese. Included for recognition in historical or ritual contexts.
The kanji 幣 originally referred to offerings or gifts to the gods. The reading へい is the Sino-Japanese on'yomi, while ぬさ is an ancient native Japanese word for offerings, later applied to the ritual staff.