Originally an offering to the god, gohei later stood within the sanctuary and came to be viewed as a yorishiro (object representative of a divine spirit) or a shintai (object in which the spirit of a divine spirit resides), or were used as implements, like haraegushi, with which to purify worshipers at the shrine.
その由来から、元々は神に捧げるものであったが、後に、社殿の中に立てて神の依代あるいは神体として、あるいは祓串のように参拝者に対する祓具として用いるようになった。