A Shinto protective rope called a “Shimenawa” hangs at the Buddhist Jingu-ji Temple. When you pray at the temple, you also clap your hands four times in a Shinto act called “Kashiwade.” The reason? Jingu-ji’s fusion of Buddhist and Shinto traditions in one place. Inside the main temple, you will find the Buddha of healing, Bhaisajyaguru, as well as a traditional Shinto “Kamidana” shrine. Japan was originally a Shinto nation, and Buddhism was an import from mainland China. Nara, the old capital of Japan, subsequently adopted it, and Shinto shrines across the nation synthesized it with their own traditions. Jingu-ji Temple is a relic of that revolutionary time.

Next to the main temple is the holy water used in a sacred “Water-sending” ceremony. After a series of rituals where the holy water is drawn and red clay is licked before baking in a fire altar, the water is carried to Unose, where it will be poured into the river. They say that once the water is poured, it travels through an underground waterway and then gushes out of Wakasa Well in Todai-ji Temple. Having finished the Water-sending, a “Water-drawing” ceremony begins at Todai-ji Temple. These rites have continued for 1,300 years to protect Japan from calamities and pray for bountiful harvests.

Why is Wakasa’s water sent in the first place? The following legend explains it. After the giant Buddha statue of Todai-ji was completed, all the gods of Japan held a gathering. However, Onyu Myojin arrived late because he was fishing. It may sound like he was hip-deep in his hobbies, but given that he was the god of the Onyu River, one of Japan’s gastronomical pillars, perhaps tardiness due to overtime work can be forgiven. The summit had already begun when Onyu Myojin arrived at Todai-ji Temple, but he was so moved by the magnificence of the proceedings that he swore he would bring not only fish but also water. A sea bird known as a cormorant smashed through a boulder, and suddenly, holy water started to gush forth.

That is how the Water-sending ceremony is said to have begun in Todai-ji Temple. It was a time of great reform as the capital of the time created Todai-ji Temple and unified Japan through Buddhism. This necessitated a fusion of the elder Shinto pantheon with the new Buddhist school of thought. Jingu-ji Temple may have been the vanguard of that spiritual revolution.