Good day everyone!
With corona virus now hitting Japan, we are trying our best to pick up the slack and do whatever it is in our power to overcome this disease and provide the best service possible during these difficult times. I pray that everyone reading this is doing well.
With this blog post, I want to provide a little insight into groundbreaking ceremonies in Japan.
If you ever traveled Japanese suburbs, you might have come across a tent surrounded by red and white cloth with four bamboo poles sticking out at the corners of it in an otherwise empty space between buildings. That is the tent meant for a groundbreaking ceremony, which bears a significant importance in Japanese society. The tent itself looks something like this:
The ritual is called 地鎮祭 or “jichinsai” in Japanese. On it’s own, jichinsai is a purification rite held to appease the gods (or 神 (kami) as they are known in Japanese). Construction causes significant disturbances to the land, and obtaining permission for the building work is seen as important. The ceremony is also a way of praying for the safety of workers during the construction project, as well as for its smooth completion, and prosperity for the occupants of the new structure. It also gets rid of any evil spirits that might be hiding in the shadows somewhere in the area.
On the day of the ceremony, a priest arrives, wearing a colourful attire, and invites kami to be present for the ceremony. Sake, water or salt can be used for the purification of the site. The groundbreaking itself consists of ceremonial “breaking” or demolishing of a small mound of soil with the tools provided.
After that, everyone involved gets a small serving of sake and kami are sent on their way. Sometimes, a small amulet may be used and then placed into the foundation of the building so that the workers and inhabitants would be safe and would prosper.
As with everything available on our website, we do provide everything you need for this kind of ceremony, including the setup of the site itself at the most convenient time for you. So if you ever find yourself needing advice or any of the items related to this kind of event, feel free to check out our websites:
https://event21.co.jp/event_rental_en.htm (English)
https://event21.co.jp/rental.htm (Japanese)
Event 21 Homepage:
https://event21.co.jp/event_company.htm (English)
https://event21.co.jp/ (Japanese)
And if you have a personal inquiry, here’s our
Mail:
global@event21.co.jp
Telephone:
+81-3-5834-8892
