斎戒沐浴
sai.kai.moku.yoku

Literally: purification – admonition / precept – wash – bathe

Alternately: Ritual purification in advance of an important holiday, ceremony, or time of prayer; in particular, fasting and bathing.

Notes: This is a compound of compounds. 斎戒 refers to a practice of fasting or shutting oneself away at home (to avoid inauspicious activities); 沐浴 refers to washing oneself (body and hair). In some cases the order may be reversed (沐浴斎戒), although this is less common.

From a manga adaptation of the “Hoichi the Earless” story by Mizuki Shigeru, most well-known for the yokai-centric manga GeGeGe no Kitaro. The yokai ritual bath is different from what… most humans would use.