Hiwatari Shinji is a Buddhist fire walking ritual performed throughout Japan and is held in the Akibasan Entsu-Ji shrine on the second Sunday of every December.
The history of Akibasan Temple
The temple itself was founded by the great Buddhist teacher Kūkai (posthumously known as Kōbō-Daishi) who preached a Mikkyō esoteric tantric form of Buddhism and enshrines the fire kami (or god) Sanjakubo Daigongen.
Born in Shinano in modern-day Nagano prefecture, Sanjakubo left home to become a wandering priest, begging as a way of subsisting.
While studying the religious rites of Acala (or Fudō-myōō in Japanese), a wrathful sword-wielding deity engulfed in flame, Sanjakubo felt a sword in his hands which enabled him to fly.
Mounted on the back of a white fox he flew southwards where he landed on Mt Akiha or Akihasan, thus becoming Akiha/Akiba kami, a protector against fire.
Akiba kami gained great popularity in the mid-Edo period, which is perhaps when the right-hand temple at Entsu-ji became dedicated to him.
At this time both Shintoism and Buddhism were worshiped together, with Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples coexisting side by side.
However, the Meiji government outlawed this system, forcing followers to choose one or the other, destroying one place of worship.
Fortunately, the shrine at Entsu-Ji was left untouched and the traditional style can still be seen to this day.
The Hiwatari Ritual
There are various forms of worship of Akibasan throughout the country. At Akibasan Entsu-jiin Atsuta the first ritual performed is Shichijuugozen-jinku in which mochi rice cakes are offered up to 75 mountain gods.
Following this, 20 to 30 shugenja dressed in white kimono (ascetic mountaineering priests who practice severe self-discipline and abstention and equate enlightenment with attaining oneness with kami) pray for better fortune, improved business, and the growth of family prosperity.
Sutras are recited, conch shells are blown and the shugenja hold question and answer sessions with followers. After this, it is time for the Hiwatari-Shinji, which is the firewalk.
The Homa (Goma) ritual of consecrated fire is unique to Vajrayana and Esoteric Buddhism. The daily burning of wood offerings is performed by qualified priests and is believed to have a powerful cleansing effect spiritually and psychologically.
During the Hiwatari Shinji, this ritual is taken to another level, with a burning pathway placed before the shugenja priests.
To elevate to a higher level of concentration they chant kuji-in, nine syllable mantras common in Mikkyō Buddhism, before striding out across the heat.
The ritual’s purpose is to pray for protection from fire and other tragedies that can come from the elements, as well as against theft, traffic accidents, poverty, and early mortality.
Once the shugenja have finished, it’s the turn of the followers to take part in the cleansing ritual. Followers take turn to walk in the fire. This is usually done around 7p in the evening until 9 am.
