At Enpuku-ji Temple in Yawata, Yawata City, Kyoto Prefecture, monks hung radishes collected during begging from ginkgo trees in a "radish drying" ceremony. Under the cold sky, about 700 radishes were hung with skill, creating the "radish tree," a seasonal feature of December.
Enpuku-ji Temple is a training center for the Myoshinji school of the Rinzai sect of Buddhism. The monks spent three days visiting farmers and other places where they could beg, and received radishes. This year's harvest was poor due to the extreme heat of the summer, and the radishes were smaller than usual, with about 300 fewer radishes.
The monks climbed ladders to an old tree about 15 meters high, and with spirited shouts, they pulled up bundles of radishes using ropes with pulleys, carefully hanging them on the branches.
The radishes are dried in the sun for about three weeks, then pickled for three years to make pickled daikon radishes. The daikon are served as vegetarian food to worshippers at the Manninko, a religious service held in spring and autumn. After finishing the work, a monk said, "We are grateful that so many daikon radishes have been donated even in the poor harvest. We want to pickle each one carefully."
