Important holiday week for ancestor worship, OBON, has ended.
In Kyoto, there is a interesting summer event of OBON. (Annually August 16)
This is called Gozan (no) Okuribi.
It is a kind of farewell party for ancestors.
There are similar festivals all over Japan but Kyoto's is the original.
Whole image of torch arts
These big fire characters and symbols on mountains are all for dead ancestors.
People wish ancestor's peaceful life in after life world.
There are many levels/classes in ANOYO(after life world).
And Japanese help some of ancestors who still can't go because of some personal reasons.
About ANOYO → The world after death, Bardo time
In OBON, ancestors's spirits are allowed to visit this material world on the Earth to see their descendants and enjoy eating foods by using descendant's body.
Power of fire helps ancestors to back to Anoyo.
Japanese people have a lot of OBON events.
Visiting and cleaning ancestor's grave and ritual with incenses.
Family party.
Incense ritual at home memorial place BUTSUDAN.
In above many events, most important one is ritual in home.
Some Japanese do memorial ritual every day.
It helps ancestors who are in uncomfortable levels in ANOYO
and relieved ancestor group can protect their descendants more and more.
An important point in Butsudan is that descendants/you don't need any priests or high cost.
Also any religious group or teaching book is unnecessary.
You are the only one representative of all your ancestors.
Roughly, the effective ritual needs "You/DNA as evidence", "Your last name on hard paper board", and "three stick incenses" are needed.
→ FAQs
Torii is a gate of Shinto shrine.
Kyoto has deep cultures and festivals about fire.
This is because Kyoto is very old district in Japan's history.
In ancient time,Moses and his followers visited Japan to hide their Ark of the covenant.
They camped in Kyoto area for a while and visited current Mie prefecture.
Originally, Japan's old events about fire were derived from Zoroastrianism.