The Zōshigaya Kishimojin Oeshiki (御会式) is a three-day Buddhist memorial festival held annually from October 16 to 18 at the Zōshigaya Kishimojin Temple in Tokyo’s Toshima ward.
It commemorates the death anniversary of Nichiren, the founder of the Nichiren sect, and features nightly “mantō-neryō” (lantern procession) rituals in which dozens of local lay groups carry large lanterns through the streets to the temple and its grounds. Over the festival, hundreds of food stalls line the approach to the temple, and visitors can also see traditional lucky charms such as “susuki mimizuku” (owl-shaped ornaments made of pampas grass) sold on the temple grounds.
The main event is on Saturday, with about 50 groups joining a lantern float procession towards the temple in the evening.
by biwook