Omizuokuri (Water-Sending Ritual)

お水送り

A rite in Obama, on the Wakasa coast, that sends sacred water to the Omizutori at Tōdai-ji’s Nigatsu-dō in Nara. A torchlit procession follows the Onyū River from Jingū-ji to Unose, where the water is poured into the river at night. Held every year on 2 March.

2 March 2027

122 days away

Every year, 2 March

Future dates: 2 March 2027 · 2 March 2028 · 2 March 2029

Origin

The rite has come down from the Nara period. Legend says that when the gods of Japan gathered for the Shunie at Tōdai-ji, Onyū Myōjin, the god of Wakasa, arrived late because he was busy fishing, and in apology promised to send water from Wakasa as an offering to Kannon. The water poured in at Unose is said to reach the Wakasa well at the Nigatsu-dō in about ten days, to be drawn up at the Omizutori on 12 March.

What to look for

The draw is the procession of torches through the dark to Unose, and the water-sending rite at the end. In the evening the dattan rite, with torches swung inside the main hall of Jingū-ji, is followed by a fire ritual; a great torch lit from its flames then leads monks in white and lay participants some 2 km to Unose. There another fire is lit, and the head priest pours the sacred water into the river from a bamboo tube.

How to watch

Anyone can join the torch procession by offering a hand torch, which must be reserved. The tourism association stresses that this is a religious rite, not an event: no drinking and no shouting. Sparks fly and the footing is poor, so dress warmly in clothes you would not mind getting singed. The sacred image and principal Buddha at Jingū-ji may not be photographed. No rain policy is published, but in 2026 the rite went ahead in on-and-off rain.

If you go

The rite takes place at Jingū-ji in Obama and at Unose, farther up the Onyū River; Jingū-ji is about 3 km from Higashi-Obama Station. On the usual schedule the dattan is at about 6:30 p.m., the torch procession sets off at about 7:30 and the water is sent shortly after 8:30 (just before 9 p.m. in 2026). Paid shuttle buses run from Obama Station and elsewhere, and the road from Jingū-ji to Unose is closed in the evening. Jingū-ji is closed to visitors from 15 February to 5 March while it prepares.

Where

Jingū-ji and Unose

Obama, Fukui

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Sources

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