Hundred New Priests Ordained at Kyoto Temple, Nearly Half Are Children

The Higashi Honganji temple, the principal site of the Shinshu Otani Buddhist sect in Kyoto, held its annual tokudo ceremony on Tuesday, formally admitting one hundred lay participants into the priesthood. The rite featured the ceremonial placement of a razor on each candidate’s head, the bestowal of traditional black priestly robes, and the granting of new Buddhist names. In keeping with Jodo Shinshu tradition, the razor symbolizes renunciation rather than a literal shaving of hair.

Of the new priests, 48 were nine-year-old children, matching the age at which the sect’s founder Shinran entered monastic life. Among them was Ryuei Washiyama, whose father Risei Washiyama serves as chief priest of Zentsuji temple in Misato, Kumamoto Prefecture, a temple whose structure was damaged by a magnitude 7.1 quake on July 28. Ryuei said he hopes to become a priest who can aid others and confirmed that no family members were hurt in the earthquake.