noun
representation of a sacred object; substitute effigy
General term for a paper, cloth, or wood object that stands in for a sacred item or person in Shinto rituals.
神社では、紙で作った形代を川に流す行事がある。
At the shrine, there is a ceremony where paper effigies are floated down the river.
noun
paper doll for purification; hitogata
Specifically a human-shaped paper doll used in Shinto purification rites to transfer impurities from a person to the doll, which is then discarded or floated away.
お祓いで、自分の穢れを形代に移して息を吹きかける。
During the purification, you transfer your impurities to the paper doll and blow your breath on it.
人形 is a more general term for a human-shaped figure or doll, while 形代 specifically refers to a ritual substitute object, often made of paper, used in Shinto purification.
Compound of 形 (kata, 'shape, form') and 代 (shiro, 'substitute, replacement'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term has long been used in Shinto contexts for ritual substitute objects.