I wasn't very familiar with it in Inawashiro, where I was born and raised, but previously, during a relative's funeral, my cousin talked about 'a beautiful custom' that resonates deeply with me now as I've aged.
'Before our ancestors return home for Obon, we go to welcome them in advance. Wouldn't it be nice if a loved one came to greet you when returning on an unfamiliar road?'
Located in the Tohoku region of Aizuwakamatsu City, "Hachiyouji" is also known as "Aizu Koyasan." This historic temple has a ritual called "Fuyukizawa Mairi," which has been practiced since the Muromachi period to welcome the spirits.
This time, we will guide you on a "journey of prayer and culture for adults" to quietly reflect on your heart while thinking of your loved ones.
[Historical Mystery] Why is Fuyukizawa considered "the entrance to the other world"?
Why is it believed that the ancestors from all over Aizu gather at this Hachiyouji (Fuyukizawa)?
The roots of this belief can be traced back over 1,000 years to Kuuya Shonin, the founder of Japanese Pure Land Buddhism, who spread the chant of "Namu Amida Butsu."
The "Land of Prayer" opened by Kuuya Shonin
In the Heian period, when there was no concept of graveyards for common people and corpses were simply left in fields in Aizu, Kuuya Shonin came and carefully performed memorial services for the abandoned remains, continuing to bury them in this Fuyukizawa area.
Eventually, a deep faith arose among the people that "all our ancestors rest in this Fuyukizawa, the boundary between this world and the other world." That is why, during the period from August 1 to 7, just before the Obon festival (August 13-16), the people of Aizu visit this place to welcome their ancestors.
(*This custom of "Fuyukizawa Mairi" itself has been designated as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Asset of the country.)
Only here in the country! Offering of small graves "Wooden Gorin Tower"
At Hachiyouji, there remains a very rare and precious form of memorial service that is not found in any other temple in the country.
This is the custom of offering a "small wooden Gorin Tower" containing the ashes, hair, or some belongings of the deceased.
Currently, there are over 14,000 Gorin Towers housed on the temple grounds, and Hachiyouji also provides a "handmade Gorin Tower set" that you can carve and paint yourself. The time spent carving wood with your own hands should become an exquisite grief care process (the process of healing sorrow) as you converse with the deceased.
The miraculously inherited "Kuuya Nembutsu Dance"
Another essential aspect of Hachiyouji is the "Kuuya Nembutsu Dance," designated as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Asset of the prefecture, which is performed every year on August 5.
In fact, this dance had once ceased to exist in Aizu for a period.
The Great Kanto Earthquake and the Relay of Fate
In the Taisho era, it was once again passed down to Hachiyouji by volunteers from the "Kuya Koushokai" who visited from Tokyo, but shortly after, in Taisho 12, the Great Kanto Earthquake caused devastating damage to the Tokyo group, and the light of the law was extinguished.
However, the "Kuya Kouryoukai" of Fuyukizawa, who had inherited the dance just before, miraculously preserved that tradition, passing it down over several generations to the present day. The fateful relay of history gives me goosebumps.
The masterpiece with a thatched roof, "Amida Hall," and a moment of tranquility.
The nationally designated important cultural property "Amida Hall," located in the center of the precincts, features a heavy thatched roof yet possesses a light, soaring curve reminiscent of a bird in flight, making it a masterpiece of architecture from the Muromachi to Momoyama periods. There is also a record of a noble (Count Kunihide Higashifushimi) who visited here in the early Showa period praising it as "the most beautiful building during my trip to Aizu."
At "Tabinoito," we offer a tour in the Academic style, where a guide gently explains the unique views on life and death in Aizu and the architectural beauty of Amida Hall.
"Because I want to see the happy face of that person I can picture in my mind"
With such warm feelings in our hearts, we invite you to Hachiyouji, enveloped in the deep history and nature of Aizu. Would you like to embark on a cleansing fieldwork experience for adults with us?
