In the year 710 a.c. Nara became the first capital of the just unified Japan, starting the so-called Nara period that lasted till 784 when the capital was moved to Nagaoka-kyō. The Nara period was a flourishing time in Japan and it left a strong footprint in the city with many wonderful temples, shrines and pagodas declared UNESCO World Heritage in 1998. It is one of the most beautiful cities in the country and a must see for people travelling around Japan.
The most popular and visited part of the city is Nara Park (Nara-Kōen) where most of the architectural gems are, like Tōdai-ji (biggest wooden building in the world) or Kasuga, the shrine of the thousand stone lanterns. But the oldest and maybe more important temples and shrines in Nara area are located outside the city, in the former ancient village of Fujiwara-kyo. This group of buildings are considered the cradle of japanese buddhism and Yakushi-ji might well be my favourite. There, for over 1200 years now, a yearly ceremony called onioishiki (鬼追式) takes place in April. The purpose of it is to scare away the devil and other bad spirits, in fact the literal translation is “driving out the devil”. My wife’s family lives in Koriyama, just minutes away from the temple and they got invitations to go to the ceremony in 2010.
We arrived at the temple in the evening when it was already dark. The main hall and the pagodas were beautifully illuminated looking even more splendid if possible. The second thing that caught my attention was the big group of firemen and a few firetrucks parked on one of the sides. All the buildings in the temple are made of wood and I imagine the very last thing they wanted was everything burnt to the ground (I remember reading once that in the middle ages japanese were so aware of the fatal destruction fire could cause to their all-made-in-wood villages that even battles stopped if a fire broke out, with both armies helping to put it out before resuming the fight, not sure if it is true though).
- Yakushi-ji illuminated
In the wide yard in front of the main hall there was a platform covering the entrance steps with a ramp on the side to allow access. Along the perimeter of the platform there were a few long poles made out of bamboo with baskets full of small pieces of wood and dried foliage hanging from the top.
As the ceremony starting time was approaching more and more people were arriving. One of the monks was giving a speech through the speakers telling the crowd how expensive all the ongoing refurbishment was and reminding them that donations were very welcome. After a few minutes of silence followed by a crescendo of taiko drums, the ceremony commenced. The baskets on top of the bamboo poles were set on fire producing big flames and tall clouds of smoke, making the atmosphere ghostly and special and casting irregular shadows everywhere.
Bit by bit and one by one five figures representing the devil (oni) appeared at the side entrance of the temple. Each of them had a magistrate slightly behind them and to their side, wearing a kimono. The oni looked pretty scary: they had elaborated masks of fierce features, long hair, dashing coloured kimonos and they were carrying thick and long torches with big flames raising in the air.
Once the five demons were aligned on top of the stairs, the taikos played faster and stronger and they started to walk down the steps, one by one and helped by the magistrates. They walked toward the temple in zigzag with awkward and clumsy steps in the beginning. Every few steps they stopped and stomped in the ground with their torches, throwing sparks in all directions and leaving a fire trail like a giant firefly. In their way towards the main hall entrance they turned to the people several times, looking at them defiantly and making gestures, challenging anyone to stop them.
Once they reached the platform there were some spectacular moments: some the oni climbed up the bamboo poles and started to shake them violently, filling the air with small fireworks full of energy. At this stage the devils behaved more and more nervous, moving their torches in the air, almost like in a trance, with the taikos also going crazy.
The ending of the ceremony was really curious: once the devils had been playing around with the fire for some time and they were all back in the platform, they looked calmer and soothed. Then some monks dressed in white came out of the main hall door and invited them to go into the temple with them, guiding them grabbing their elbows. The oni followed them peacefully, almost like children. After this the devils and other bad spirits would rest till the following year.
PS: I found a good website related to Onioishiki ceremony with great pics, click here
