Higan
Higan is a Japanese Buddhist observance held for seven days around each equinox, joining religious practice, temple services, grave visits, and seasonal customs.
Buddhism
Kiyomizu-dera
Kiyomizu-dera is a Kyoto Kannon temple founded in 778, known for its spring, cliff-supported main-hall stage, pilgrimage, and repeated reconstruction.
Tōdai-ji
Tōdai-ji is a Nara Buddhist temple founded within the eighth-century state monastery system and centred on the monumental Vairocana Great Buddha.
Japanese Buddhist Temple
A Japanese Buddhist temple is a religious institution and built compound whose layout, images, clergy, and community roles vary by school and period.
Buddhism in Japan
Buddhism in Japan comprises diverse schools, institutions, rituals, arts, and household practices shaped by more than fourteen centuries of transmission and change.
Obon
Obon is a summer period for welcoming, honouring, and sending off ancestral spirits through household, temple, cemetery, fire, and dance practices.
Shinto Shrines and Buddhist Temples
Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples are distinct institutions, but centuries of coexistence make simple visual rules useful rather than absolute.
Hatsumode
Hatsumode is the first shrine or temple visit of the Japanese New Year, combining worship with omikuji, amulets, ema, and seasonal customs.
Goshuin
Goshuin are calligraphed records of worship received at shrines and temples, combining inscriptions, vermilion seals, and the visit date.
Omikuji
Omikuji are paper fortunes drawn at Japanese shrines and temples, where rankings, poems, and practical advice guide reflection rather than fixing fate.