Remembering the Dead 京都化野念仏寺供養
These images come from the Adashino Nenbutsuji temple 化野念仏寺 in the Arashiyama district of Kyoto. For hundreds of years, people placed their dead here for disposal by the elements. Later, those with funds erected small tombstones. Advancing urban development necessitated moving many of these markers, and the Nenbutsuji temple agreed to take them. It now holds candle light memorial services in August.
The people in the local community also display lights in front of their businesses and homes. This adds a festive ambiance to the area that moderates the more sombre memorial at Nenbutsuji.
The Adashino Nembutsuji temple is in the far northwest corner of the Arashiyama district in Kyoto. Every year round August 23rd, the temple sponsors a memorial event centered on the hundreds of graves within its precincts. The area was once a charnel field where the residents of old Heiankyo disposed of their dead. (The disposal of bodies through exposure to the elements is called "fuusou" 風葬 in Japanese.) Eventually survivors began to erect grave markers and memorial tablets, but over the centuries, the burial grounds were forgotten and overgrown. Then, around the start of the 20th century, the locals began to shift the markers to Nembutsuji so the spirits said to live within them would receive spiritual care from that temple's priests.
The candle lighting starts around dusk and continues into the evening. The grave site is surrounded by a stone wall. Photographers with tripods are not allowed inside for safety reasons. So, the shutter bugs stand around the perimeter while every lights their candle. The scene reminded me of the phrase, "shooting fish in a barrel."
Temple priest reciting sutras and prayers for the dead.
Daruma doll
The eyebrows and mustache are a unique touch, as they are usually painted on.
The Toriimoto area of Arashiyama in Kyoto has a summer light-up event on the same day as the Adashino Nebutsuji memorial service. This is the display at one of the nearby homes.
