Omizutori is an annual Buddhist festival held from March 1 -14.
Each night of the festival large torches are lit outside Nigatsudo Hall at Todaiji Temple in a specular fire show. It's a brave thing to do, Nigatsudo hall is made completely of wood. More than half of Nara's temples have burned down and been rebuilt at some point in history.
Todaiji itself has burned down many times. For example, the temple's Great Buddha Hall has burned down and been rebuilt twice. The Great Buddha Hall was the largest wooden building in the world until the 1990s.
Omizutori has been held annually since 752. It's one of Japan's oldest festivals.
March 1 - 11th
Each night from March 1st - 11th (19:00 start) giant torches are lit at Nigatsudo hall. They're held up so that embers rain down. Viewing this fire display is thought to bring luck and safety to the audience. It lasts about 20 minutes.
March 12th
On March 12th (19:45 start) the fire show gets bigger. Large 8 meter (26 foot) torches are lit that burn for 40 minutes. A large crowd attends. The crowd is put into a queue that shuffles past the fire display. This way each person can see the display for 5 minutes or so.
The peak of the festival is after midnight when 11 special priests called the Renhyoshu draw water from the temple well between 1:30 and 2:30 AM. It's said that the well is dry the rest of the year.
The well was a gift from a god. The founder of the temple invited 13,700 gods to a ceremony. Onyu-myojin (one of the gods) was late for the ceremony. He had been out fishing. To make up for being late, he made water spring from the ground in front of the temple once a year.
The water from the well is said to have the power to heal and absolve people of their sins.
The water is used in the Dattan — a mysterious ceremony inside Nigatsudo hall. The ceremony is closed to the public and ends around 3:30 AM. Many spectators remain outside Nigatsudo for the ceremony . The priests use torches inside the hall for the ceremony and the building glows. The sound of horns and bells can be heard.
March 13th
There's a fire display on March 13th (19:00 start). It's much the same as the March 1st - 11th ceremonies.
March 14th
The fire display is shorter but more spectacular on the 14th (19:00 start). It only lasts around 5 minutes.
The end of the ceremony is timed to coincide with the beginning of hanami season. Often the sakura are just starting to bloom around this time in Nara.
Access
Omizutori takes place at the Nigatsudo Hall of Todaiji Temple located in Nara Park in central Nara. Buses run to the area from Kintetsu Nara Station. It's also possible to walk from the station.
This event goes back 1,000 years. Buddhist priests draw up healing waters and run about with huge pine torches.
Priests at Todai-ji Temple, famous for its enormous statue of Buddha, confess their sins before the Eleven-faced Kannon enshrined in Nigatsu-do Hall, and also pray for world peace and a rich harvest for 14 consecutive days. This ritual, called Shuni-e, has continued since 752.
During this period, an event known as Otaimatsu is really worth seeing. Priests run to and fro along the corridors of Nigatsu-do waving huge pine torches. It is believed that if you are showered with these fire sparks, you will be protected from evil things.
The Omizutori, the highlight of this event, is performed early on the morning of the 13th. Water which only springs forth in front of the temple building on this very day is drawn up and offered to the Buddhist deities. This water is said to have special powers for curing all disease.
This spring water is believed to reach Todai-ji after passing underground for more than 10 days from Obama City, Fukui Prefecture. Even today, the Omizuokuri ceremony is performed on March 2nd at Jingu-ji Temple in Fukui Prefecture to see off the departure of the divine water.
Water that has been drawn up is poured into a pot the following day, and to this pot they add water taken from a different pot which has been continuously replenished for over 1,200 years - the resulting mixture being preserved anew.
No comments:
Post a Comment