The New Kōyasan Karabitsu for Shōjinku

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如傑優婆塞
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The New Kōyasan Karabitsu for Shōjinku

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phpBB [video]
phpBB [video]


Recently, Kōyasan's Kongōbuji Head Temple dedicated a new karabitsu (J: 唐櫃 / からびつ) as seen here, which is traditionally a six legged wooden Chinese styled chest and in this case a four legged one for usage on special days for the rite of meal offering which is done at Kōbō Daishi's mausoleum in Okunoin. Currently, a plain one does the work for the daily offering and now they have a second gilded one for festive occasions.

Shōjinku (J: 生身供) or the daily meal offering happens twice daily at 06:00am & 10:30am respectively. It's prepared by the Shingon clergy, especially trainees, on rota basis & has a standard 7 dishes fare that includes rice & soup based on a pure monastic vegetarian (J: 精進料理; shōjin ryōri) menu. It's ceremoniously presented before a small Jizō Bosatsu shrine as a 'food tasting' gesture before being offered at Okunoin's Gobyō.

As one can see in the sample videos above, it's done twice on a daily basis (the video captures two separate occasions during the 10:30am mid day meal interval) in all forms of weather where there are videos of them in the rain and even snow, delicately balancing themselves, the karabitsu and an umbrella or at times without it. And the video stops at the 'Mausoleum Bridge' (J: 御廟の橋; Gobyōnohashi) as all forms of media are prohibited from this point onwards to preserve and respect the peace and sanctity of the hallowed ground.
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