The "JR Kyoto Station Building Grand Staircase Running Competition," in which participants climb 171 steps in one go, was held on February 23, 2024 at the Kyoto Station Building in Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto City. Groups and individuals from temples and companies ran down the grand staircase and competed for the best time.
This was the 27th time the event was sponsored by the television station KBS Kyoto. Teams of four competed for total and individual times, with a total of 288 participants in 72 teams this year.
Participating in the special category are Ninnaji Temple (Ukyo Ward, Kyoto City), Toji Temple (Minami Ward, Kyoto City), Manpukuji Temple (Uji City, Kyoto Prefecture), and Enryakuji Temple (Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture). The monks, wearing tabi socks and robes, lined up in a line and ran up the stairs at the sound of a signal gun. During the performance, there was a scene where the setta fell off, and the audience cheered enthusiastically.
Yoshimasa Yamamoto (age 54), a member of the Toji Staircase Team, who participated in the same uniform, said with a sigh, ''It was tough because there are no stairs at Toji Temple.I want to continue praying as usual from tomorrow.'' .
