「曝涼」
Do you know about Japanese customs? Bakuryo is the drying of insects and is one of the traditional Japanese events. At 4T-AMKY, Teachers and Students write about Japanese culture, food, history, many spots to visit, and other stuff. Enjoy reading and knowing about deeper Japanese culture!
Bakuryo
Intensive Bakuryo of Cultural Properties
Every October, the Intensive Bakuryo of Cultural Properties is held, and at the same time, it is open to the public in Hitachiota city in Ibaraki Prefecture. Bakuryo means Mushiboshi (drying of insects). In other words, it means preventing mold and insects from growing by exposing them to the sun and allowing them to air.
Mushiboshi, which used to be held at a single temple, has spread throughout the city since 2007 (Heisei 19) and is now held simultaneously at 19 locations. This is a very popular event because valuable Buddhist statues and paintings, which are not usually available to the public, are shown to the public. It is held over two days, although some venues have only one day, and in case of rain, the event is canceled.
Unfortunately, the Intensive Bakuryo was canceled in both 2020 and 2021 due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Then, on October 15 and 16, 2022, it was held for the first time in three years. Although the event was held at Chinsekiji Temple only on the 15th, it was blessed with fine weather, and many people came to see the event.
During the event, visitors can enjoy touring cultural properties while listening to explanations, asking questions, and chatting with university student volunteers. Permission to photograph cultural properties depends on the venue. At Chinsekiji Temple, it was free. You will receive extensive explanatory materials at all venues.
I was very excited to finally see the long-awaited pillow stone. Here are some photos. However, due to my poor photographic skills in terms of light and other factors, I was unable to capture the real quality of the image, even though I photographed it from a very close distance.
The stone that Shinran Shonin used as a pillow
This stone has been handed down as a temple treasure of Chinsekiji Temple. The three characters “Dai,” “Kokoro,” and “Umi” are carved on it by Shinran Shonin.
The statue of Shinran Shonin sleeping with the pillow stone in the snow
This statue shows how Shinran Shonin slept with the pillow stone in the snow. It was created by Nyusaibo Doen, just one year after the Chinseki incident.
The Buddhist scroll illustrating the legend of Chinsekiji Temple
This hanging scroll tells the legend of Chinsekiji Temple in a pictorial, easy-to-understand manner. It is meant to be read from bottom to top.
「曝涼」
文化財の集中曝涼
茨城県常陸太田市では、毎年10月に指定文化財の集中曝涼（ばくりょう）が行われ、広く一般に公開されます。曝涼とは、日にさらし風を通すことによりカビや虫が湧くのを防ぐ、「虫干し」のことです。
一つのお寺で行われていた虫干しが、2007年（平成19年）より市内全域に広がり、現在は19か所で一斉に行われています。普段見ることができない貴重な仏像や絵画などが公開されるので大変人気がある行事となっています。2日間に渡って行われますが、場所によっては1日だけのところもあり、雨天の場合は中止されます。
2020年も2021年も残念ながらコロナ禍で集中曝涼は中止でした。そして、2022年10月15日、16日に3年ぶりに開催されました。枕石寺においては15日のみの開催でしたが、好天に恵まれ大勢の人が見学に訪れ賑わいました。
集中曝涼では、大学生ボランティアによる解説を聞いたり、質問したり、談笑しながら文化財などを楽しく見学できます。文化財の撮影許可は会場によりますが、枕石寺では自由でした。どの会場でも充実した内容の解説資料をもらえます。
ついに待望の枕石を見ることができて大変感激しました。写真を紹介しますが、至近から写した割には光の加減など私の撮影技術が伴わず、本物の良さは写しきれませんでした。
親鸞聖人御枕石（しんらんしょうにんおんまくらのいし）
親鸞が枕にした石は寺宝として伝わっています。石には「大」「心」「海」の三文字が親鸞によって彫られています。
雪中枕石之御真影（せっちゅうちんせきのごしんねい）
親鸞が枕石で寝ている様子の像です。この像は枕石事件からちょうど一年後に入西が作ったそうです。
枕石寺御絵伝（ちんせきじごえでん）
伝説を分かりやすく伝えている掛軸です。下から上にかけて読むようになっています。
Ikuyo.K.
