Home of the fire ceremony
If you’d like to see a fire ceremony, make a wish at the dragon fountain, and say a prayer in the hall of the glow-in-the-dark saints, this is the place for you! This temple is stuffed with must-see experiences and sights, even if you don’t get in to see a fire ceremony. Between the three-dragon wishing fountain, the hall of 10,000 crystal saints and the room full of glow-in-the-dark gods, there’s something for everyone.
See the giant sandal to the right of the stairs? This temple has been a pilgrimage destination for centuries, and those tiny sandals tied to the big one are offerings made by those who have traveled from afar to pay homage to Fudō-san (the big scary-looking figure with the flames).
Fire ceremonies are held in the traditional copper-roofed temple building to the right; and the hall of 10,000 Fudo figures is in the modern building to the left. If you think Buddhist ceremonies are all about serenity and Zen, it’s time to meet the holy roller taiko drumming version!
Patrons pay to have the priest send their prayers to Fudo-san by tossing them on the bonfire in front of the altar.
Fire ceremonies are held five times daily (at 9:00, 11:00, 13:00, 15:00 and 17:00). The ceremony takes 30-60 minutes, and is filled with taiko drumming, chanting, the blowing of conch shells and the tossing of wooden prayer sticks into a bonfire that blazes up quite spectacularly in front of the altar.
Worshippers who have paid handsomely sit in the middle seats and get special benefits from the service, but after their prayers have been offered, ordinary people can get in line with their purses and wallets, to wave them through the smoke from the flames.
Unfortunately, because of disrespectful behavior by tourists, now they only allow foreign visitors to attend the ceremony with a reservation. If you’re not a Japanese speaker who feels confident of being able to reserve a spot yourself, do an online search for guide services that offer access. And please remember these are sacred rites—the rest of the people in the chapel are there to worship—so even with a guide, it’s strictly forbidden to take photos and videos during the ceremonies. (That’s why the photos I’ve included here are so lo-res fuzzy—I got them from the temple’s website.)
Even if we don’t go to a fire ceremony, there’s plenty to enjoy at the rest of the temple!
Let’s go into the big modern cube next door to the main temple building, the one with the Fudo sutra written all over the outside in giant Sanskrit characters. Inside is a fantastic winding corridor lined floor to ceiling with 10,000 crystal figures of Fudo-san. See the 108 giant round beads on the wall? It’s a huge Buddhist rosary, and the devout can pray as they walk along, beneath the gaze of the many Fudo-sans.
The ten thousand tiny statues are carved from the same 700-year-old cedar as the giant Fudo figure at the entrance. Each of these crystal figures can be sponsored as a memorial for a departed loved one.
Now let’s detour upstairs and see the room with the glow-in-the-dark gods.
Every one is different (that fiery guy is a representation of Fudo-san himself). Beneath each painting is an offering box and a prayer wheel you can spin.
The temple is filled with other truly gorgeous traditional representations of Buddhist deities…
as well as many fine figures of Fudo-san, whose scary expression and fearsome weapons are aimed at the forces of evil, not you! Fudo is the saint everyone turns to when they need serious protection.
Back outside, let’s not leave before we make a wish at the dragon fountain! The three Shenzen dragons are said to grant wishes written on special paper you can buy for ¥100, if they dissolve completely in the fountain. See the ones floating on top of the water, near the end?
The table for buying paper and writing wishes is to the left of the fountain.
After you write your wish, toss it in the water. If it dissolves, your wish will be granted!
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And here are the other 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
Jonelle Patrick writes about Japan 