Ridding one of bad luck at a temple

Today I got a phone call from NHK, World Interactive. And they offered me to take to the airwaves. However, I don't have enough time to appear on it. They said "Please appear on now". I've decline it and I regret it a little. However, I had no choice because I had to visit Kitain temple. I can go there only today. And I have to speak in English on the Radio program, I guessed I would put them to trouble.



Any way, I visited to Kitain temple for a purification ceremony, for ridding bad lucks. There were so many people in the main hall of the temple and I found a little girl was dancing to the rhythm of drums monks were playing. :)



I couldn't feel my legs because I sit down on the floor for long stretches. A Monk burned small pieces of wood on the altar to invoke divine help, and I looked them and prayed, hoping the ceremony finish soon. After the ceremony, I tried to stand up but I didn't sense where my legs were. A little bit of impulses annoyed me so much. I came not to move anymore. Wring my face, I did one technique to relieve the palsy. I became to be able to stand up and walk soon. I stepped forth and picked up smoke of the woods and I anointed the smoke to my body, praying for several things. As foot note, we need to sit down Japanese style, with the buttocks on top of the ankles. It is a bit hard posture for me, adapting myself to modern life style.



And I did Omikuji (paper fortune). The result was not good. I casted it again. But the result was also not good. I bound the papers onto a branch and left the temple, drinking Ama-zake. Ama-zake is a kind of alcohol free Sake. It is made from Sakekasu. According to my dictionary, Sakekasu means sake cake, sake lees or wine less. Ama means sweet. As for foot note, as to Omikuji, Dai-kichi(excellent luck) is best, Kyou(badness) is worst. I casted Han-kichi(Hmm, how should I explain this? Maybe, half fortune of best fortune.) and Kichi(good fortune). Contents of them were not good. Both predicted "You will suffer from a protracted illness.". Therefore I bound the papers onto a branch. I've heard the behavior means confide bad fortune to god. In this case, confide bad fortune to Buddha. It is said Daikichi(excellent luck) goes into Kyou(badness).



You have any traditions like ours? I've seen "The Exorcist". I've heard Jews perform incantations too. I guess you have any other traditions.



It seems the temple was a kind of castle. In preparation for military and political turmoil, the temple seems to had been fortified. It can be diverted to military use. As other many big temples, It has trenches and a hilly area. The fortress including several shinto shrines, one of them is Toushouguu, which enshrined 1st Shogun called Tokugawa Ieyasu. Perhap, just I guess, the Shrine's main hall is the main hall of the fortress.



There were monks war in Kyoto and Nara. The monks called Souhei, 僧兵. Sou means monk, Hei means soldier. For example, Tendai-sect's monk-soldiers often shook up politics in Kyoto. They actually fought against Samurais. Jyodo-shin-shu-sect (Pure land buddhism) is also too. Its believers fought and ruled several regions in civil war period. President of the sect said "You can go to pure land if you die for Buddhism.". Although this is other kind of story, Zen Buddhism, Soto-sect and Rinzai sect, supported WWII. Buddhism has tendency to become unified with war. Nowadays Japanese buddhism has no tendency but its reason is that society has no its tendency. Buddhism is impressionable. One of reason is that constituent members are from common society which Buddhism depends on.



I took the photo of Matsuzaka-Gyu at Yakiniku-restaurant. It is the most famous brand of meat in Japan. I heard many MLB's players also like it. Unfortunately, the meat I ate was not good one.