Chopping Block Opening Ceremony at Hooonji Temple

12 Jan · Bando Hoon-ji

• A chef in traditional attire uses 40 cm iron chopsticks and a knife to carve two carp on a giant board without touching them by hand
• Dating back to around 1233, this Shinto-Buddhist ritual is held before a portrait of disciple Shoshin, featuring chrysanthemums offered for the carp
• The carp carved during the ceremony is distributed to the audience on-site