Welcoming the Spirits at Myoshin-ji Temple, August 10, 2026 [Photo Impression Series]
On August 9th and 10th during the Obon season, the 'Oshorai-mukae' (welcoming of the ancestral spirits) is held at Myoshin-ji's sub-temples, such as Daiho-in and Dodokaku, to welcome the spirits of ancestors into the home.
For details on Myoshin-ji, please see 'The Western Palace? 46 Sub-temples of 'Myoshin-ji', Kinugasa Mountain 'Torin-in' [Kinukake Road Series] [Randen Series] | Yanmaa'.
August 9 (Sun) - 10 (Mon), 2026, all day,Temple visits are not permitted due to the spirit welcoming ceremony.
August 16 (Sun), 2026, morning,Temple visits are not permitted due to the spirit sending-off ceremony.
Visitors write their posthumous Buddhist names on 'mizutoba' (water stupa tablets) and purify them with well water on the temple grounds as an offering. The most distinctive feature is the 'Hiki-yose no Kane' (welcoming bell), which is rung to summon the spirits. Along with the deep, quiet sound of the bell, people carry lanterns to guide the spirits to their homes. In the sweltering heat of Kyoto, this is a traditional summer moment wrapped in gratitude for ancestors and silent prayer.
Rokudo Chinno-ji Temple also has a 'welcoming bell'.
Conversely, the 'Gozan no Okuribi' (Five Mountain Send-off Fires) is when the ancestors return. For details, see '★Kyoto★ What is Kyoto's Summer 'Gozan no Okuribi'? History, Highlights, and How to Enjoy | Yanmaa'.
Change Log
2026/08/16: First edition
▼Photos
→Temple Grounds
Events to welcome ancestral spirits (Oshorai) are held all over Kyoto during Obon, and Myoshin-ji is one of them. About 1,000 illustrated lanterns dedicated to ancestral memorial services are lit around the Buddha Hall and Lecture Hall, and the welcoming bell is rung amidst the unique atmosphere filled with the chanting of monks. The temple gate is also illuminated, rising beautifully into the night sky.
→A silent prayer that echoes to the afterlife. The 'welcoming bell' that announces summer in Kyoto
The 'welcoming bell' is a bell rung during the Obon season (mainly around August 7th to 10th) to guide ancestral spirits from the afterlife to one's home without getting lost.
Representative locations include 'Rokudo-san', known as Rokudo Chinno-ji Temple ( My NOTE), Myoshin-ji, and Senbon Shakado ( My NOTE). The bell at Rokudo Chinno-ji, in particular, is of a rare style where you pull a rope hanging inside the hall to ring it, and it has been believed that its tone reaches the afterlife. Visitors offer water stupa tablets and ring the bell with all their hearts, praying for their once-a-year reunion with their ancestors.
→To the Main Hall
Photography is not allowed inside the hall. Local residents are gathered here.
▼My Main Shrine NOTE
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