An inauguration ceremony was held at Eiheiji for Hani Sodō (羽仁素道), who took office as the 81st chief abbot, with approximately 1,000 monks from across Japan and local residents in attendance.
An inauguration ceremony was held on the 11th at Eiheiji, the head temple of the Soto school of Zen Buddhism, to mark Hani Sodō (羽仁素道)'s assumption of office as the 81st chief abbot. Approximately 1,000 monks from Japan and overseas, as well as local shopkeepers, attended. The ceremony was reportedly conducted according to the procedure followed when the school's founder, Dōgen, first entered the temple.
The ceremony began in the afternoon after the rain had cleared. Wearing dark ancient-purple Buddhist robes, Hani Sodō (羽仁素道) set out from the area in front of the temple gate. As the great temple bell rang out, trainee monks carried the palanquin under vermilion umbrellas and proceeded to the temple gate, accompanied by approximately 50 monks.
After entering the temple, he conducted the Jinzan Kaido ritual in the Dharma Hall, including a scene in which he explained the essence of Buddhism through exchanges with trainee monks. Hani Sodō (羽仁素道) spoke of the importance of "carefully living each day, one moment at a time," while the trainee monks responded by chanting in praise three times with auspicious words.
Hani Sodō (羽仁素道) was born in Gunma Prefecture in 1934 and graduated from Komazawa University's Faculty of Buddhism. After serving as chief priest at temples in various locations, he served as Eiheiji's deputy chief abbot from 2020. Before the ceremony, the main funeral service was held for the 80th chief abbot, Minamisawa Dōjin (南澤道人), who died at the age of 97 in May this year.