Purification of those present for the opening of the tea room prior to the formal ritual
Brook’s Co., Ltd. is a Japanese chain of tea and coffee shops, and they recently opened a Japanese tea room called “Koshuen” at 258 rue Saint-Honoré in Paris.
Prior to the opening, a traditional ceremony “Koto-oe-no-mi-matsuri” was performed by Masa Okutani, the priest at the Paris-based Sanctuary Yabuhara, to pay respects to the divinity of the land and space at this place. (Photos are by Yukinobu Kato, a freelance journalist).
Future events of the Sanctuary Yabuhara are planned for June 30 (Great Purification Ceremony), and on July 10 and 11 the Taisai Festival will be held with a ryuteki musical performance followed by traditional kagura dance.
Offerings and a gohei with white strips on a temporary altar
Masa Okutani officiating over the opening ritual
Masu Okutani reads out the norito specially prepared for the occasion
A tamagushi is presented to the Brook’s representative to offer to the kami
The tamagushi is offered to the kami by being laid before the altar
A French representative gets instruction in how to rotate the tamagushi in order to present it repectfully to the kami
After the ritual, participants enjoy a cup of ritual saké (known as omiki).
Leave a Reply