A prayer ritual passed down in the village, turning through sutras and passing a large rosary
Ikumi Nakamura Nenbutsu Event
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- Held every year on day 1 of lunar month 7 / Every year
- Location
- Ikumi Nakamura Kannon-do
- Area
- Yamaguchi Prefecture・Iwakuni City(From Tokyo: approx. 1 h 35 min–1 h 55 min · flight time only)Prefecture-level estimate to a main station or airport, not the venue. Airport access, check-in and onward travel are extra; remote areas and islands can take much longer.
- Highlights and activities
- Wishes behind the festival
- Last updated
- 2026/11/12
At the Kannon-do in Ikumi Nakamura, Miwa, Iwakuni City, local residents perform the tendoku ritual of the Great Perfection of Wisdom Sutra and pass around a large rosary. Locally, both practices together are called “nenbutsu,” and there is a saying that they help prevent summer ailments.
About Ikumi Nakamura Nenbutsu Event
The Ikumi Nakamura Nenbutsu Event is a local tradition held every year at the Kannon-do in Ikumi Nakamura, Miwa, Iwakuni City.
After the tendoku ritual of all 600 volumes of the Great Perfection of Wisdom Sutra, participants sit in a circle and pass around a large rosary. Locally, both the “tendoku ritual” and “passing the rosary” are called “nenbutsu.”
It is a city-designated Intangible Folk Cultural Property, and it is said that taking part can help prevent summer ailments.
Festival highlights
A highlight is the tendoku ritual, in which local residents turn through all 600 volumes of the Great Perfection of Wisdom Sutra enshrined in the Kannon-do, one volume at a time.
After the tendoku ritual, more than 10 participants sit in a circle and pass around a large rosary with 201 beads, reversing the direction partway through.
A distinctive gesture is lifting the rosary above one’s head when the single large bead reaches you.
A prayer ritual passed down in the village, turning through sutras and passing a large rosary
What to expect
The event begins at around 4 p.m., when people from the local Nakamura district gather at the Kannon-do.
The organizers take the sutra volumes one by one from a karabitsu chest beneath the Buddhist altar, and more than 10 participants perform the tendoku ritual without reciting the title.
After all 600 volumes have been read in this way, all participants pass the rosary around while chanting nenbutsu; after passing it around for a while, they reverse direction.
How to take part
People from the local Nakamura district gather for the event, where more than 10 participants perform the tendoku ritual and pass around the rosary.
Local residents call both the tendoku ritual and passing the rosary “nenbutsu.”
Once the participants have gathered, the organizers take the Great Perfection of Wisdom Sutra volumes one by one from a karabitsu chest beneath the Buddhist altar, and local residents perform the tendoku ritual.
After the tendoku ritual of all 600 volumes, participants sit in a circle and pass around a large rosary.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Ikumi Nakamura Kannon-do / Ikumi Nakamura, Miwa, Iwakuni City
Address Ikumi Nakamura, Miwa, Iwakuni City
Dates and season
Held every year on day 1 of lunar month 7.
At around 4 p.m., people from the district gather at the Kannon-do, and the tendoku ritual begins once everyone has arrived.
After all 600 volumes of the Great Perfection of Wisdom Sutra have been read in this way, the rosary is passed around.
Accommodation and hotels PR
Showing nearby accommodation.
Prices and availability are current at the time of retrieval. For multi-night stays, only the first night’s price is shown. Confirm the final price and directions to the venue with the booking provider. Select your dates again when using the area search link. Search area: within 3 km of Central Yamaguchi Prefecture / Iwakuni City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Nearby attractions
吉川史料館
山口県岩国市にある博物館
岩国学校教育資料館
山口県岩国市にある博物館
岩国徴古館
山口県岩国市にある博物館
柏原美術館
山口県岩国市にある博物館
Origins and History of Ikumi Nakamura Nenbutsu Event
The Ikumi Nakamura Nenbutsu Event was designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Iwakuni City on March 3, 1995.
However, no historical records of this event are known, so its form in earlier times and how much of it has been passed down to the present cannot be confirmed.
As it is practiced today, the tendoku ritual of the Great Perfection of Wisdom Sutra and the passing of the large rosary are performed as one continuous event.
Official information
Exploring Iwakuni’s Cultural Properties: “Ikumi Nakamura Nenbutsu Event”
Ikumi Nakamura Nenbutsu Event at a Glance
The Ikumi Nakamura Nenbutsu Event is held every year on day 1 of lunar month 7 at the Kannon-do in Ikumi Nakamura, Miwa, Iwakuni City.
After performing the tendoku ritual of all 600 volumes of the Great Perfection of Wisdom Sutra, local residents sit in a circle and pass around a large rosary with 201 beads.
The tendoku ritual and passing the rosary together are called “nenbutsu,” and it is said that taking part can help prevent summer ailments.
Sources and references
Japanese Festivals.jp Editorial Team
Celebrating local culture and helping you discover a side of Japan you never knew.
Article updated: 2026/11/12
