June 22, 2026
KYOTO – A ritual in which green bamboo poles likened to giant serpents are cut to pray for a bountiful harvest was held at Kurama Temple in Sakyo Ward, Kyoto, on Saturday.
About 300 worshippers observed the ritual as men dressed as warrior-monks powerfully struck and severed the bamboos.
This ritual is based on an anecdote from the late ninth century, in which Buen, a highly ranked monk who revived the temple, vanquished a giant serpent that attacked him during ascetic training, using the power of Buddhist teachings.
On Saturday, eight men shouted in the rain as they swung swords down on the bamboo poles, which are about 10 centimeters in diameter and 6 meters in length.