On November 23, 2024, the annual "Mino-Kise" ceremony took place at Heichisan Jizo-in Temple in Kamitsuneyoshi, Omiya-cho, Kyotango City, where the "Heiji Jizo," one of the largest Jizo Bodhisattva statues in Kyoto Prefecture, is located. In preparation for the snowfall, temple parishioners prepared for winter by covering the giant Jizo with straw hoods and straw raincoats.
The Heiji Jizo is about 5 meters tall, including its base. It is said that the villagers pooled their money to build it to mourn local Yoshida Shinbei and others who were executed as the masterminds of the "Bunsei Tango Ikki" (1822), an uprising of farmers who could no longer bear the oppression of the Miyazu domain in the late Edo period. The statue is also worshiped as the "Aza-tori Jizo," as it has a bruise-like pattern on its face.
The Mino-Kise is a traditional event that is said to have continued for over 100 years. In the midst of a light rain, four parishioners, with the help of local residents, used ladders and bamboo poles to carefully place the new straw raincoats over the temple. A man (40 years old) who is the representative of the temple parishioners and caretakers, said, "When we put the raincoats on, we really felt that winter had finally arrived. We want to buy new straw raincoats next year and continue the tradition."
