祥龍山金剛寺

A traditional Buddhist event to pray for safety in daily life.

The week of equinox is the period of merit and effort to reach the world of enlightenment. It is not only about visiting the ancestors grave, but also to reflect on ones action and to try to do good things. The week of autumn equinox is a seven-day period with the vernal equinox day as the middle day. Equinox day is the day when the length of day and night is the same. It is a period of remembrance.

It is widely believed that after the birth of Siddharta Gautama, it rained sweet rain from the sky. As a celebration hydrangea tea, which imitates the sweet rain, is poured on the statue of Buddha to celebrate his birthday.

The Osegaki ceremony is a Buddhist service performed to stop the suffering of hungry spirits. It is believed that there are spirits which are suffering from hunger and thirst due to an endless fire which is burning inside their throat. To help these spirits a ritual is held, where the fire is put out with prayers and the participants feed the spirits with rice and water.

We celebrate the ancient legend of Hikoboshi and Orihime with more than 60 bamboo trees decorating the main street leading to Kongoji Zen Temple. The bamboo branches can be decorated with paper strips, with wishes on it. At night, Food trucks are parked near the entrance and the night illumination of the bamboo starts around 7PM. A special photo booth is set up near the main hall, where couples can take pictures in front of a star.

A short ceremony held for Kannon Bodhisattva enshrined in the Kannon hall of Kongoji Zen Temple. After striking the temple bell at 11:02 and offering a silent prayer to those who died in the atomic bombing of Nagasaki on this day, prayers are made inside Kannon hall.

During this week the deceased will return to their hometown to visit their families. During the Obon festival, homes are decorated to prepare for the arrival.

Enjoy the beauty of the full moon in Mid-Autumn Moon, which is traditionally celebrated in August of the old lunar calendar. On this night it is a custom to pray for a good harvest by decorating Japanese pampas grass and moon dumplings and get together. At Kongoji Temple, we enjoy the moon viewing with a small live concert outside in the silver light of the full moon.

The week of autumn equinox is a seven-day period with the autumnal equinox day as the middle day. Equinox day is the day when the length of day and night is the same. It is a period of remembrance.

A ceremony is held for the fire god Akibasan. Akiba Sanshakubo Daigongen, which he is called by full name is the god of fire protection and is the guardian of Kongoji Zen Temple. Prayers wil be held in the early morning before sunrise, where the power of the fire god is transferred to a limited number of Buddhist amulets each year.

On New Year's Eve, the bells are rung 108 times, which is said to be the number of worldly desires(human sins). With the ringing of the temple bell one may get rid of these sins and the troubles of the old year. The new year is celebrated with a refreshing feeling of a new start.