{"id":1908,"date":"2014-11-27T09:10:20","date_gmt":"2014-11-27T00:10:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/hiwatari-shinji-a-buddhist-fire-walking-ritual\/"},"modified":"2025-08-28T11:35:32","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T02:35:32","slug":"hiwatari-shinji-a-buddhist-fire-walking-ritual","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/ja\/hiwatari-shinji-a-buddhist-fire-walking-ritual\/","title":{"rendered":"Hiwatari Shinji – A Buddhist Fire Walking Ritual"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"fire<\/a>Winter in Japan can get a touch on the chilly side, can\u2019t it. So, what\u2019s the best way of warming up? Sitting under a kotatsu? Attaching hot kairo heat pads to your\u00a0body? How about walking through fire? Okay, maybe the latter one is a bit extreme, but that\u00a0doesn\u2019t stop the priests and followers at Akibasan Entsu-ji doing just that.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The history of Akibasan Temple<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The temple\u00a0itself was founded by the great Buddhist teacher K\u016bkai<\/a> (posthumously known as K\u014db\u014d-Daishi) who preached a Mikky\u014d<\/a> esoteric tantric form of Buddhism, and enshrines the fire kami<\/em> (or god) Sanjakubo Daigongen.<\/p>\n

Born in Shinano in modern day Nagano prefecture, Sanjakubo left home to become a wandering priest, begging as a way of subsisting. When studying the religious rites of Acala<\/a> (or Fud\u014d-my\u014d\u014d<\/em> 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<\/a>,\u00a0thus becoming Akiha\/Akiba kami, a protector against fire.<\/p>\n

Akiba kami gained great popularity in the mid-Edo period, which is perhaps when the right hand temple\u00a0at Entsu-ji became dedicated to him. At this time both Shintoism and Buddhism were worshiped together, with Shinto shrines\u00a0and Buddhist temples\u00a0coexisting side by side. However the Meiji government outlawed this system, forcing followers\u00a0to choose one or the other, destroying one place of worship. Fortunately the the shrine at Entsu-ji was left untouched and the traditional style can still be seen\u00a0to this day.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s happening?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

There are various forms of worship of Akibasan throughout the country. At Akibasan Entsu-jiin Atsuta the first ritual performed is\u00a0Shichijuugozen-jinku in which mochi rice cakes are offered up to 75 mountain gods. Following this 20 to 30 shugenja<\/a>\u00a0dressed 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,\u00a0and the growth of family\u00a0prosperity. 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, the fire walk.<\/p>\n

The Homa (goma<\/em>) ritual of consecrated fire<\/a> is unique to Vajrayana and Esoteric Buddhism. The daily burning of wood offerings is performed by qualified priests\u00a0and 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.<\/p>\n

To elevate to a higher level of concentration they chant kuji-in<\/a>, nine syllable mantras common in Mikky\u014d Buddhism, before striding out across the heat. The ritual\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n