çăă, ăăă«ăĄăŻ! Minasan, konnichiwa! Hello everyone! đž
Every year from 08.01 until 12.01. a festival takes place at the Kyoto Ebisu Shrine, which is the first big event of the year. What kind of festival it is and what is happening there can you find out now! đ
The Ebisu shrine in Kyoto is one of the three most important in the whole country and, as the name suggests, it is dedicated to the god Ebisu. Ebisu is one of the seven gods of luck. đ
Although the festival runs for five days, the 10.01. is the highlight of the festival because "Toka" means "the tenth day". That day I went there with my boss, Jo Ishida, and my colleague, Tomoko Matsubara. However, as expected, we were not alone there. The street leading to the shrine was full of people and it took us a long time to get to the shrine.
Fortunately, countless food stalls were set up on the roadside, so that you could get a little snack in between. My favorite: Tamago-Taiyaki! đ
Taiyaki is a dough bun in the form of a fish, which is typically filled with anko, a red bean paste. Here, however, it was filled with tamago, which means egg, and ham. Really Delicious!
Once at the shrine there is a lot to see. First, you encounter two torii. â©
As I was told, in the middle of the second Torii is the face of Ebisu, in the form of a statue. A rake is said to be underneath, with a wire net stretched in between. It is a tradition to try to throw coins into the net because it is said that a wish will come true if you make it.
That day, however, the face was covered with a cloth, presumably due to the many people that came, so I couldn't give it a try. đ
At the main altar, the visitors make a prayer, which is used, for example, for success in the job, happiness or health.
I will soon explain in an article how exactly such a prayer ritual works, in which I will also explain more about temples and shrines in general. So if you are interested, you shouldn't miss it. đ
On the left side of the shrine, shrine maids perform a ritual dance called "Kagura", which is accompanied by pipes and drums.
This is used to clean and bless bamboo branches. These are then given to the visitors of the shrine by Maiko, geishas in training, as Fukuzasa, so-called lucky bamboo.
You can then buy lucky charms, for example, a red bream for future success, in the form of talisman and tie them to the Fukuzasa.
Before the visitors leave the shrine, many end up knocking on a wooden plate, which can be found on the right-hand side in front of the exit.
Since it is believed that Ebisu cannot hear so well, many repeat their prayer after knocking to attract Ebisu's attention and to ensure that their prayer is answered by him. đ
However, the Toka Ebisu is not the only way to get the Fukuzasa. đ
In Japan, it is said that one should pray for luck and success at the beginning of January to the Shichifukujin, the seven gods of luck (which I will list below đ).
That's why I went to Sennyu-Ji Temple this morning. There are some sub-temples where you can visit the seven gods. At the beginning, you get the lucky bamboo and at the seven temples, you can buy the corresponding lucky charm.
The tour takes about 1 1/2 hours and there is a lot of uphill walking, so you should wear sturdy shoes. In between, however, you can get a little snack in the form of a rice soup and tea for a little donation. đ”
Even if you can choose the amount for that yourself, you should take enough money with you, because although you get the Fukuzasa for free, the prices of the talismans vary between 300 and 1000 yen. In the end, the Fukuzasa looks like this:
Afterward, the Fukuzasa is set up at home or in the shop, which is the purpose of success.
So now nothing should stand in the way of my successful year. I am excited to see what will come to me. đ
Here you will definitely find out what happends!
æŹĄćăŸă§! Jikai made! See you next time. đ
Daikoku (earth, prosperity, agriculture, flood protection, kitchen)
Ebisu (fishing, luck and successful trade)
Benten (music, high arts, speech, literature, water)
Bishamon (treasure, war, warrior; Buddhist guardian god of the north)
Fukurokuju (wisdom and long life)
JurĆjin (Long Life)
Hotei (satisfaction and bliss)
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