Ceremony of Fire and Water

This is the most exciting and  mysterious ceremony full of legends !

Real spring comes to  Nara  after "The Second Month Ceremony" is over.  In February Hall of Todai-ji Temple, this ceremony has been held  for 1260 years without interruption since 752 when the temple was built. The ceremony is  held from March 1st through 14th.

This is February Hall. On the left there is a roofed stone staircase

 leads to February Hall with a balcony. 

the stone staircase viewed from the balcony

People are waiting for the start of the ceremony under the balcony.

 Every evening, ten of  the eleven priests climb up the stone steps to February Hall
 one by one,  each of them guided by an attendant. 

Each attendant carries a huge flaming torch made of a big  bamboo

 with cedar branches attached at its top. The biggest torch is 8 meters in length

 and 70 kilograms in weight.

 From the balcony of the hall, each attendant  swings and spins the flaming torch. 

Then  he runs across the balcony.

The torch is huge!

At the other corner of the balcony, he swings and spins the torch again.

              The breathtaking shower of flying sparkles from the torch
 fall down on people like a cascade!

 How exciting they are - the smell of scorched cedar leaves, the sound of sparkling wood and flowing down  sparks over people!  Now they are involved in  a huge ripple of excitement.  According to one theory, this ceremony was influenced by Zoroastrianism which was introduced to Japan along Silk Road.

If they get sparkles or embers, they are promised to be healthy throughout the year. 

They bring the embers or cinders home so that their prayers and wishes will be answered.

Torch Ceremony" is so famous that people are apt to think it is "Second Month Ceremony". But
 " Second Month Ceremony"  consists  of many  rituals  precisely scheduled.  "Torch Ceremony" is one of them.  The ceremony is  also known as  "Water Drawing Ceremony" based on the  mysterious legends.  However, the true essence of " Second Month Ceremony" is repentance.  Six times a day, the eleven priests perform repentance rite in front of the eleven- faced Kannon Bodhisattva. They pray to the Kannon for happiness, peace, good weather and abundant harvest on behalf of people all over the world. These pious prayers  reflect the current affairs.  On Great Hanshin earthquake in 1995 or 9/11 in 2001,  eleven priests prayed for the souls of the dead and for that it would never happen again. Behind the white curtain, eleven priests are holding the rituals in front of eleven-faced Kannon.

Even though Todai-ji Temple is a Buddhist temple, this ceremony is said to be the assimilation of Buddhism and Shinto- indigenous religion of Japan. Every night, the priests call a numerous number of Shinto deities' names and  invite  them to guard the ceremony. Shinto deities come to gather around  February Hall from all directions. Now this place becomes the most sacred place in Japan.

 February Hall is protected by boundaries too. The boundaries are stretched
 here and  there to drive away evil and protect  the hall.
White paper is for Shinto and green  leaves are for Buddhism.

At the entrance of the stone staircase, the torches are placed on the walls.

Before Torch Ceremony on Marchy 2nd .

AfterTorch Ceremony on March 2nd .

An elderly man standing next to me said ," This ceremony is so addictive that it makes me feel like coming here everyday!" I felt deeply that the fusion of Buddhism and Shinto can not express the nature of this ceremony well. It transcends Buddhism or Shinto, and it  is something  like the hometown of people's heart.

On the way to February Hall, I saw a stall vending baked sweet potatoes. 

It is difficult to resist the tempting smell.

                                                         In front of Great South Gate, Main Gate to Todai-ji Temple



                                                                             

                                                    

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Joy of Spring

This  may be the first rite of the year to pray for good harvest of rice, called  "Rice Plating Ritual". 

It' s the rite of Shinto which is indigenous religion based on nature worship.

This rite  is held all over Japan. Some are rustic and others are refined.  Here the rite I saw is the one

which evokes a sense of nostalgia. It was held on February 25th
 in Sugawara Tenmangu Shrine in Nara.
There are many stone bulls. They are the messengers of the deity.

There are many stages in rice cultivation. In olden days,  farmers performed religious rites almost in each stage.  Nowadays the  number of the rites has decreased  and human labour has been rapidly replaced with machines. But  the farmers' prayers for a bountiful rice harvest  never change. 

These are offerings to the deity.

This is one of four boundaries which are made of twisted rice straw ropes with white zigzag paper.
They are stretched from corner to corner to enclose the square area where the rite is held.

They drive away evil and  protect the sacred area  .

An elderly farmer prays to the deity for the good harvest and plants bundles of pine leaves

which represent rice seedlings.

Then many stages of rice cultivation are shown comically.

He is cultivating  soil with his cattle pulling ploughs. He trys to tame the cattle,
 but it becomes out of control many times. People laugh and enjoy it.

He is working the field.

                                                  He is fertilizing the field with  human waste.

 He uses even the last drop of organic fertilizer, never wastes anything.

He is seeding.

He is pulling weeds.

Bundles of pine leaves, representing seedlings,  are being  thrown to people.

The rite is over.  This is the moment of sincere prayer as well as joy of spring.

This shrine is dedicated to Michizane Sugawara, the deity of wisdom. 

As he loved Ume, Japanese apricot very much, beautifully blooming Ume are here and there.

Outside of the shrine, there is a stand selling Japanese sweets for the visitors.

                   

                                     
                                                 

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