By KENJI SHIMIZU/ Staff Writer
April 19, 2025 at 17:31 JST
The “Midnight Nenbutsu in Gyoki” event was held on top of the Sanmon main gate of Chion-in temple in Kyoto’s Higashiyama Ward. Worshippers joined hands and recited the “Namu Amidabutsu” sutra one after another on April 18. (Yoshiaki Arai)
Monks and worshippers spent the night of April 18 chanting sutras to honor the founder of Chion-in temple in Kyoto’s Higashiyama Ward.
Chion-in is the head temple of the Jodoshu (Pure Land) sect of Buddhism.
The chanting of “Namu Amidabutsu,” accompanied by the sounds of a wooden drum, echoed through the night at the temple’s Sanmon main gate, which is designated as a national treasure and said to be among the largest in Japan.
The “Midnight Nenbutsu in Gyoki" ceremony is an annual event held in conjunction with “Gyoki Daie,” a memorial service to honor the memory of Honen (1133-1212), the founder of the sect.
In the upper part of the gate, called “rojo,” statues of the Shakyamuni Buddha with a crown and 16 arhats are enshrined.
Normally the structure is closed to the public, but visitors were free to enter and leave during the event. Visitors entered one after another and chanted the Buddhist sutras with the monks.
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