tsumi, in the Shintō religion of Japan, a state of defilement or impurity resulting from the commission of unnatural or criminal acts. Incest, contact with the pollution of blood or death, and agricultural vandalism are prominent examples of tsumi. The term also covered sickness, disaster, and error, all beyond the control of man. Tsumi were thought to hinder the proper growth of the life force and result in a state of ritual impurity. Both ancient and modern Shintō are in agreement that defilement can be erased by some form of purification, through which man returns to his normal state of purity. It is man’s responsibility, however, to make himself aware of the god’s displeasures and to rid himself of the pollution of tsumi.