At Enpukuji Temple in Yawata, Yawata City, Kyoto Prefecture, the annual ''Dried Daikon Radish'' is being held. In the cold wind, many daikon radish dangle from ginkgo branches as if they were growing, attracting the attention of visitors.
Enpukuji is a training hall of the Myoshinji sect of the Rinzai sect. Radishes donated by almsgiving are dried in the sun for about three weeks, then pickled in salt and rice bran for three years to make pickled radish. This event has been going on for more than 50 years, and this year about 900 bottles were collected from Yawata City, Hirakata City, Osaka Prefecture, and other areas.
From mid-December to late December, monks used ladders to climb a 15-meter-tall ginkgo tree in the temple grounds and hung bundles of daikon radish of various sizes and shapes from the branches.
Enpukuji Temple said, ''We are only able to do this because of the memorial services we receive from the local community.We want to treasure each and every one of them.'' Takuan is used in ''senpatsu,'' when monks in training cleanse their dishes before meals, and in shojin ryori, which is served at ''Manninko,'' held in April and October.
