The Initiation of the new head priest

This morning we headed for the myoshinji temple complex to witness the initiation of the new head priest of the complex.

Since we stay in the complex it was obvious to us that this particular ceremony was very important to the culture. To be exact it was the ceremony of the zen buddhism belief.

The ceremony took place early in the morning, people from all over Japan came to the ceremony.

Young and old people were present, they were all dressed formally and traditionally. The older women wore kimonos that were designed beautifully due to the specific season.

The initiation lasted about two hours, the previous priest was also present.The designs around the temple were very interesting to look at, they had many colorful flags around the temples.Journalists and camera crew people were gathered at this special ceremony.

what got my attention the most was the young man holding the umbrella that was made specifically told hold over the new head priest.

The umbrella to me resembled more than a shield from the sun, but a culture. The umbrella had a colorful, jeweled holding area. It also had a unique design when opened. The top part, once opened, appeared to be supported by a cage looking piece. The top of the umbrella was the colored or designed to match the Japanese flag, a small red circle with in an area of white space.

The umbrella to me also showed respect and honor to the new priest, it meant that we will shield you from whatever may harm you, whether its the sun or anything else.

The ceremony was exciting to watch and interesting to take in, here are some pictures to give you a feeling of what I witnessed on this beautiful ceremony.