I wasn't very familiar with it in Inawashiro, where I was born and raised, but previously, during a relative's funeral, my cousin spoke 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. It would be nice if a loved one came to greet you when you're returning on an unfamiliar road, right?'
Hachiyouji, located in the northeast of Aizuwakamatsu City, 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 reflect quietly 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 Hachiyouji (Fuyukizawa)?
The roots trace back over 1000 years to Kuuya Shonin, the founder of Japanese Pure Land Buddhism, who spread the nembutsu "Namu Amida Butsu."
The "Land of Prayer" opened up by Kuuya Shonin
In the Heian period, when there was no concept of graves for common people and corpses were simply left in the 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 "our ancestors are resting at this Fuyukizawa, which is the boundary between this world and the other world." That is why, between August 1st and 7th, 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 Gorintou"
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 Gorintou" containing the ashes, hair, or some belongings of the deceased.
Currently, there are over 14,000 Gorintou stored on the temple grounds, and Hachiyouji also provides a "handmade Gorintou set" that allows you to carve and paint it yourself. The time spent carving wood with your own hands will surely become an exquisite grief care process to 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 5th.
In fact, this dance had once ceased to exist in Aizu.
The Great Kanto Earthquake and the Relay of Fate
In the Taisho era, it was once again passed down at Hachiyouji by volunteers from the "Kuya Koushoukai" who visited from Tokyo. However, shortly after, in Taisho 12, the Great Kanto Earthquake caused catastrophic damage to the Tokyo group, and the light of the law was extinguished.
However, the "Kuya Kouryoukai" from Fuyukizawa, who had inherited the dance just before, miraculously preserved that tradition, which has been passed down for over a dozen generations to this 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 precinct, features a heavy thatched roof yet possesses a light and lively curve that resembles fluttering wings, making it a masterpiece of architecture from the Muromachi to Momoyama periods. There are records of a nobleman (Count Kunihide Higashifushimi) who visited here in the early Showa period praising it as "the most beautiful building during his 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 whose face comes to 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 join us on a cleansing adult fieldwork experience?
