Chita Insect Memorial Rites

Festival highlights

The highlights are the series of rituals in which a hanging scroll is displayed, Buddhist implements and offerings are arranged, and prayers are offered through nenbutsu chanting.

The hanging scroll is enshrined at the dojo or temple in the area taking its turn. During the visiting worship procession, people visit the homes in that area with the scroll.

During the major memorial service in the autumn equinoctial week, memorial tablets are erected in the temple grounds, offering a glimpse of a form of prayer passed down through the community.

A prayer on the Chita Peninsula, linking gratitude for life through a hanging scroll and nenbutsu chanting

What to expect

The event begins with a dojo memorial service, for which a dojo is set up in the area taking its turn and a hanging scroll is enshrined, and continues with a visiting worship procession carrying the scroll.

On a Sunday during the autumn equinoctial week, a major memorial service is held at a temple in the area taking its turn. Buddhist implements and offerings are presented, memorial tablets are erected, and nenbutsu is chanted.

Finally, responsibility is handed over to the next area, and the community’s rotation continues.

How to take part

This event is organized and prepared by the area designated to take its turn, which also leads the memorial services.

At an event held in Agui Town, many families visit the memorial site and watch the nenbutsu memorial service.

Members of the public can take part by respecting local customs and quietly observing the memorial services.

Source: 阿久比谷虫供養が開催されました | 阿久比町

Location and access

Venue and address

Events take place at the dojo or temple in the area taking its turn, with Daikōji Temple and other related communities on the Chita Peninsula serving as venues.

The event spans Chita City, Tokoname City, Agui Town, and Higashiura Town.

Source: 阿久比谷虫供養のリーフレットについて | 阿久比町

Event venue 愛知県知多市,常滑市,知多市,阿久比町,東浦町 当番地区の道場

This map uses the venue name. Check the official guide for the event area and entrances.

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Dates and season

Season

Every year from December through the following January, dojo memorial services; major memorial service on a Sunday during the autumn equinoctial week

Frequency

Every year

Tips for your visit

Where memorial services or nenbutsu chanting are taking place, please observe quietly and take care not to disturb the community’s prayers.

The major memorial service is held at a temple in the area taking its turn, while dojo memorial services and visiting worship processions take place at locations in each area, so it is important to confirm where to visit in advance.

Dates vary depending on the type of event, with some held on a Sunday during the autumn equinoctial week and others during the period from winter into the new year.

Origins and History of Chita Insect Memorial Rites

There are several accounts of the event’s origins.

One account says that, after the fall of the Saji family, a retainer of the lord of Ōno Castle entrusted Daikōji Temple with the hanging scroll that had been the Saji family’s principal protective object and began memorial services. Another says that people connected with Daikōji found and enshrined a hanging scroll of Amida Buddha that the castle lord’s wife had taken with her.

In the past, the rotation of areas took 12 years, but from Reiwa 8 it changed to an 11-year cycle.

Official information

The Chita City Cultural Properties Database introduces the Chita Insect Memorial Rites as an Intangible Folk Cultural Property designated by Aichi Prefecture.

Tokoname City provides information about the three major events of the Ōno Valley Insect Memorial Rites, their origins, and changes in the areas taking their turn.

Agui Town and Aichi Prefecture also introduce them as local culture passed down in Chita, Tokoname, Higashiura, and Agui.

Source: 阿久比町の地域資源（伝統文化） - 愛知県

Chita Insect Memorial Rites at a Glance

The Chita Insect Memorial Rites are a traditional event on the Chita Peninsula that honors the lives of living creatures and prays for good harvests and household safety.

The main elements are dojo memorial services, visiting worship processions carrying a hanging scroll, and a major memorial service during the autumn equinoctial week. The areas taking their turn preserve the tradition by passing on their responsibilities.

As the event spans several communities, it is a good idea to check which area is taking its turn and where the venue is that year before visiting.