HOZO SHRINE URABON MEMORIAL FESTIVAL
MEMORIALIZATION OF 2.59 MILLION SOULS
The 53rd Hozo Shrine Urabon Memorial Festival was solemnly held from August 17 to 19 at the Seicho-No-Ie Uji Temple in Uji City, Kyoto Prefecture.
On August 19, the Hozo Shrine Main Festival, the Seirei Shokon Shrine Festival, the Memorial Tower for Neglected Souls of Aborted Children Throughout Japan Festival and Suekazu Inari Shrine Festival were held. Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi, Vice President of Seicho-No-Ie, served as the Chief Priest. Mrs. Junko Taniguchi, Vice President of the White Dove Association, was also present at these ceremonies.
A total of 5,984 people attended the three-day Festival. The weather was very hot with a higher than 30-degree temperatures and an occasional breeze felt comfortable.
On August 18, there was a ceremony to summon spirits, while the attendees read the Holy Sutra, Nectarean Shower of Holy Doctrines. One thousand two hundred and twelve volunteers from across Japan read the names from 2,590,427 soul registers (down by 102,994 from last year), which were subsequently installed in the Hozo Shrine for memorialization for one year by the reading of the Holy Sutra, Nectarean Shower of Holy Doctrines.
The Main Festival was held at the worship hall from 9:00 a.m. on August 19 and lasted for one hour and forty-five minutes.
At 9:00 a.m., Rev. and Mrs. Masanobu Taniguchi entered the worship hall. After the purification rite, opening of the shrine doors, Invocation and offerings, Rev. Taniguchi read the supplication.
Rev. Taniguchi then offered a sacred branch and worshiped the Deities enshrined in Hozo Shrine, the Spiritual Holy Missioners (Holy Mission Fellowship Members in the spirit world and souls being perpetually memorialized), and the newly memorialized souls this year.
Rev. Kamino Kusumoto, Head Priest of Uji Temple, recited the prayer for the Main Festival. It was followed by Mrs. Junko Taniguchi’s offering of a sacred branch and worship.
Rev. Kusumoto and Rev. Kazuo Isobe, Chairman and CEO of Religious Juridical Person, “Seicho-No-Ie”, also offered sacred branches and worshiped.
Next, Rev. Toshio Seno, a director of Uji Temple, read the ceremonial statement and eulogized the contribution of 32 souls to the Humanity Enlightenment Movement, including the late Rev. Matsuo Kiyoto, who served in such positions as Vice Chairman of Seicho-No-Ie (Senior Minister). During the reading of the Holy Sutra, Nectarean Shower of Holy Doctrines, the attendees proceeded to the front of the worship hall and made offerings of incense.
This was followed by the offering of the sacred dance, “Urayasu no Mai,” the removal of the offerings, the Affirmation of Perfect Peace and Harmony, and the closing of the doors. The Main Festival ended at 10:41 a.m.
On August 17, the spirit extraction ceremony of the Sending Off Festival was held to extract the souls from the sprit registers that had been memorialized over the past year at Hozo Shrine. On August 18, the purifying flame ceremony of the same Festival was held for the old spirit registers. There was also a ceremony to call out spirits.
Also, on the evening of the same day, a Bon Dance was held near the Shrine, where 16 groups participated.