On December 13, 2025, the annual "Kuya Yuyaku Nembutsu" ceremony began at Rokuharamitsu-ji Temple in Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto City. Monks chanted the Nembutsu in a unique manner, swaying their upper bodies while walking, praying for good health and safety.
Nationally designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property. It is said to have originated when Kuya, who founded the temple during the Heian period, began the practice in hopes of warding off epidemics. Since the suppression of Nembutsu in the Kamakura period, the phrases and mannerisms have been passed down secretly through generations without being recorded in writing.
A little after 3:30 p.m., head priest Junsei Kawasaki (70 years old) and four other monks swayed their upper bodies back and forth and side to side as if dancing, repeatedly chanting "Mo-da-nan-mai-to," a paraphrase of "Namu Amida Butsu" to conceal their chanting.
As if to evoke the repression, the monks dispersed after about 15 minutes, finishing their sutra chanting. Chief priest Kawasaki said, "We chanted the prayer in the hope that many people will be able to live in peace amid the ongoing wars around the world."
The nenbutsu will also be recited from the same time on December 14th, 15th, 20th, 21st, and 27th-30th.
