There’s nothing like a good, old-fashioned fire ceremony to get your year off to a blazing start! Flaming prayer sticks, drums being pounded by ultra-buff young priests, the chance to get your wallet blessed – what’s not to like? The fire ceremony at the Fukugawa Fudo temple in Monzen Nakacho did not disappoint!
If your experience with Buddhism is confined to the contemplative practices of Zen, get ready for the holy roller version! The ceremonies at this branch of the Narita Fudo sect are anything but silent and serene – giant taiko drums are beat throughout the ceremony with athletic prowess, and prayer sticks are burned in a giant bonfire right in front of the altar.
Goma prayer sticks feed the flames in the special hearth near the altar…
When the fire is good and hot, attendees are sometimes invited to bring their purses and wallets and other belongings up to the priest to be passed through the smoke for extra good luck.
But the totally interesting stuff didn’t end there – after seeing the impressive pyrotechnics, we went inside the giant modern cube of an annex, entirely covered by the Fudo sutra written out in giant black and gold Sanskrit characters.
We wended our way through the Hall of 10,000 Crystal Fudo Figures (a twisting corridor lined floor to ceiling with miniatures of the Fire God)
ventured up the stairs to a black-light-bathed room filled with 108 glow-in-the-dark paintings of various other gods
then went outside to a fountain surrounded by Shenzen dragons, where you can float special wish amulets, and if they dissolve completely, the dragons will grant your wish.
Sadly, since I first wrote this, disrespectful tourist behavior made the temple ban foreign visitors except for those with a reservation held by an approved guide. You can still get in to see the ceremony if you have a guide, but even if you don’t, the rest of the temple is still open to all.
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And if you know someone who’s planning a Japan trip, here are all the places I take my friends when they come to town…
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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly e-magazine Japanagram, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had
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