Omizutori
omizutori お水取り annual sacred waterdrawing festival japanese buddhist festival take place nigatsudō tōdaiji nara japan festival final rite observance twoweeklong shunie ceremony ceremony cleanse people sin well usher spring new year omizutori completed cherry blossom started blooming spring arrived rite occurs last night shunie ceremony monk bearing torch come wakasa well underneath nigatsudō hall according legend spring forth water year ceremony occurred nigatsudo imperial temple nara todaiji since first founded annual festival dated back earliest known record use incense seal religious rite japan actually used one omizutori eleven priest called renhyoshu appointed december previous year participate omizutori festival much preparation go yearly festival priest tasked cleaning site ritual making circuit pilgrimage surrounding shrine temple preparing various good used ritual time leading omizutori priest forbidden speak leave lodging priest firm practice duty specific strict order preparing ceremony come torch lit start omizutori ittokuka held early morning first march evening ceremony called otaimatsu young ascetic brandish large torch burning waving torch air draw large circle fire emits believed person viewing ceremony showered spark fire person protected evil thing omizutori largest ceremony night march next day rite drawing water held accompaniment ancient japanese music monk draw water spring well front temple building specific day offer first buddhist deity bodhisattva kannon offer public believed water blessed cure ailment omizutori ceremony acceptance water well well said connected tunnel town obama coast sea japan water sent obama annually priest syncretic jinguji temple obama ceremony called sending water water actually drawn two pot one pot containing water previous year another contains water previous ceremony pot water hold water current year small amount water poured pot hold mixture water previous ceremony resulting water mixture preserved year process taken place year different legend origin omizutori one legend suggests founder shunie jitchu invited god ceremony one god onyumyojin late ceremony fishing onyu river make fact late offered scented water onyu river water suddenly sprung spot god stood story shunie came continues portray original founder shunie jitchu central character told priest jitchu made journey deep mountain kasagi witnessed celestial being performing ceremony meant cleanse ask repentance jitchu overwhelmed ceremony decided bring rite human world warned would daunting task desire strong believed could overcome task transferring rite heaven world man decided could perform religious ceremony time day running speed could bring god ceremony world festival held march march bedini trail time new york cambridge university press classic japanese inn country getaway japan kodansha international ltd frommers japan hoboken new jersey wiley publishing inc