The head temple of the Shinshu Otani school of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism, Higashi Hongan-ji, held an ordination ceremony in Kyoto on Tuesday for 100 laypeople, including 48 children aged nine. The ceremony, known in Japanese as tokudo, formally marks a person’s entry into the Buddhist priesthood. Higashi Hongan-ji conducts the rite throughout the year, although the summer holiday period traditionally attracts a larger number of children and families.
The Shinshu Otani school allows children to undergo the ceremony from the age of nine. The minimum age reflects the life of Shinran (1173–1262), the founder of the Jodo Shinshu tradition, who entered monastic life at that age.
During the event on Tuesday, a razor was placed ceremonially against each participant’s head, symbolizing the renunciation of worldly attachments. Participants also received the black robes worn by priests and were given Buddhist names.
Unlike ordination in some Buddhist traditions, the Jodo Shinshu ceremony does not require participants to shave their heads. The symbolic placement of the razor nevertheless preserves the traditional meaning associated with leaving behind ordinary attachments and undertaking a religious vocation.
Jodo Shinshu, commonly translated as the True Pure Land school, is one of Japan’s largest and most influential Buddhist traditions. Established through the teachings of Shinran during the Kamakura period, it emphasizes reliance on the compassion of Amitabha Buddha and the recitation of the nembutsu: “Namu Amida Butsu,” or “I take refuge in Amitabha Buddha.”
Higashi Hongan-ji is one of the principal institutional centers of Jodo Shinshu. Located in central Kyoto, it serves as the head temple of the Shinshu Otani school, one of the tradition’s major branches.
Among the youngest participants in Tuesday’s ceremony was nine-year-old Ryuei Washiyama. Ryuei is the son of Risei Washiyama, the chief priest of Zentsu-ji, a Buddhist temple in Misato, Kumamoto Prefecture.
Zentsu-ji was damaged when a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck the region on 28 July. The earthquake cracked walls at the temple and caused Buddhist ritual objects and furnishings to fall. Ryuei said that no members of his family had been injured.
“I want to become a priest who can help people,” Ryuei said following the ceremony. (Kyodo News)
His participation connected the traditional ordination ceremony with the immediate needs of communities recovering from the earthquake. Buddhist temples in Japan frequently serve not only as places of worship but also as centers of family, cultural, and community life.
The presence of so many young participants also illustrated the continuing role of hereditary and family-based priesthood in Japanese Buddhism. Many temples are administered across generations by resident priests and their families, with children sometimes entering the priesthood before later deciding whether to assume formal temple responsibilities.
Although the tokudo ceremony confers priestly status within the sect, ordination at a young age does not necessarily mean that participants will immediately begin serving as full-time temple priests. Further religious study and training may be required before they assume pastoral or administrative duties.
See more
Kyoto’s major Buddhist temple welcomes 100 new priests, including children (Kyodo News)
Ordination Ceremony Held at Kyoto’s Higashi Honganji (News on Japan)
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