Hanes

[Morning activity at Tsukiji] The temple and heart are beautiful with Temple Morning


Hello. I'm Hanes, an active correspondent.
On December 6, I participated in the morning activity in Chuo-ku for the first time in a long time.

The stage this time is Tsukiji. As is associated with the auction of the market on the day, I think Tsukiji has an early image in the first place, but this time I visited Tsukiji Honganji instead of the off-site market!
Just the night before, in principle, from 7:00 am on the first Monday of every month, I got information that morning activities called "Temple Morning" can be performed.
I think that this is the turn of an active correspondent because I can participate without advance reservation, so I have been working hard!

During normal Temple Morning, participants participate in the Brilliance dynasty (free participation), clean the pillars of the hall, etc., and then receive the "Morning Vitality Word" from Buddhist monk.
I was able to clean places where I could not normally enter.

[Morning activity at Tsukiji] The temple and heart are beautiful with Temple Morning


The place I worrisome is the tatami mat where people from Buddhist monk sit in Buddhist memorial service in main hall!
We will complete the reception near the entrance of main hall, receive a wet sheet for tatami mats, and start cleaning the tatami mats.

[Morning activity at Tsukiji] The temple and heart are beautiful with Temple Morning


Because I live in a flooring room, cleaning the tatami mats is very fresh, and I wiped them carefully with the heart of each tatami!
However, it was not just a wiping, but there were some interesting discoveries.
That is the crest edge of the tatami mat that you rarely see.

[Morning activity at Tsukiji] The temple and heart are beautiful with Temple Morning


Upon examination, the one used at Tsukiji Honganji Temple was called Komon Komon Koryo-en (commonly known as Kujo-mon), and it seems that the Lord was allowed to use it.
Today, it is very rare that is used in temples and other places.
The fact that there was a formal style on the edge of the tatami mats made me feel that it was not in the flooring room.

And I found the story from Buddhist monk that I heard during cleaning!
It is said that Tsukiji Honganji has a sect different from the Jodo Shinshu Honganji school.
It is a candlestick placed near the statue of Prince Shotoku, enshrined on the right side toward the main hall.

[Morning activity at Tsukiji] The temple and heart are beautiful with Temple Morning


If you look closely at the decoration of this candlestick, you can see that there is a crane on the turtle.
This is due to the Otani school among the Jodo Shinshu sect, and in the case of the Honganji school, it is said that it is a candlestick of a different shape, even though it is decorated with birds and birds.
Until now, even when I visited various temples, I never looked at candlesticks with care, but in the future it was an opportunity to pay attention to candlesticks!

In addition, we were able to ask about the morning routine in the New Buddhist monk and the situation in main hall when the Great East Japan Earthquake outbreak occurred.
Please take part in Temple Morning and listen to the details of such valuable stories.

After about 15 minutes of cleaning, Mr. Buddhist monk spoke about “Morning Vitality Word” about volunteers.
If you replace the basic principle of volunteers, "Do not seek rewards," with Buddhism, it seems to be "Obuse."
This is the second volunteer activity at Tsukiji Honganji since the "Tsukiji Honganji Noryo Bon Dance Festival" eco-volunteer, which participated in the summer of 2019.
This time was a short time before work started, but it was a valuable experience that could not be replaced by money!
It's still 8 o'clock at the end of the morning. It is also true that I felt like I got it from the morning, and at the same time I felt like my heart was clean by cleaning.

The Temple Morning for January 2022 will be held on Tuesday, January 11 instead of the first Monday.
If you want to start something new in 2022, how about the morning activity at Tsukiji Honganji?
Once a month, you can continue without difficulty, and you may be able to enjoy shopping in the out-of-office market before going to work.♪

※This article is the information as of the time of the interview (December 6, 2021). We have obtained confirmation and permission from the public relations officer of Tsukiji Honganji Temple.