The "Omi Nugui" ritual at Todaiji Temple, Nara.
Every year, the Great Buddha of Todaiji Temple in Nara receives a thorough cleaning. On August 7, about 170 monks and other participants took part in the annual Omi Nugui ceremony.
They carefully removed every speck of dust from the temple's principal object of worship. This summer tradition sweeps away a year's worth of buildup and restores the statue's deep black luster.
Getting Ready
Preparations began early in the morning. Participants purified themselves in the bathhouse and dressed in white garments. After the hakken ritual, which symbolically releases the Buddha's spirit, and a round of sutra chanting, they boarded gondolas suspended from the ceiling.
From there, they dusted the Buddha's face and shoulders, which rise some 15 meters (around 50 ft) high. The temple floor and the central gate were also cleaned.
A Rare Sight
Hiroyuki Onagi, a self-employed visitor from Osaka City, gazed up at the statue. "It's such a rare sight — seeing monks clean a Buddha statue from gondolas hanging from the ceiling," he said.
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(Read the article in Japanese.)
Author: The Sankei Shimbun
