Nishi Hongan-ji serves as the head temple of the Jōdo Shinshū complex in Kyoto and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. Mikage Hall, where the wooden statue of Jōdo Shinshū founder Shinran is enshrined, and Amida Hall, where Amida Nyorai is enshrined, are both National Treasures.
At Higashi Hongan-ji, the tatami mats are beaten simultaneously by worshippers arriving from all over the country and the staff of the temple. The ceremony ends with the head of the temple writing the character kotobuki - a token for a long life - using a large bamboo stalk.
Higashi Hongan-ji is the mother temple to Ōtani-ha, a Japanese Buddhist movement belonging to the Jōdo Shin sect. It rose on the grounds of the mausoleum containing the ashes of Shinran.
Author: The Slowear Journal