Byodoji, Temple 22 of the Shikoku Pilgrimage

The rite said to fulfill every wish

Shō Hassenmai-ku

Name: Shō Hassenmai-ku Principal Deity: Fudo Myoo 14th Observance
Start: 2026-10-13
End: 2026-11-03
Location: Byodoji, Temple 22 of the Shikoku Pilgrimage

14th Observance

Principal Deity: Fudo Myoo

Entrust your wishes to eight thousand flames.

Healing from Illness · Freedom from Misfortune · Protection from Cancer · Healthy Legs and Back

November 3, Reiwa 8 (2026), Tuesday / national holiday, 8:00–17:00

Apply Watch the closing ceremony livestream

Choose a Prayer Plan

Choose by the number of prayer sessions and whether you would like an ofuda plaque, including its size.

APlan

Prayed for at 63 sessions

Standard Prayer

¥5,000

Your prayer is read aloud at every session from the first goma through the conclusion, and goma sticks are offered for your wish at the concluding session.

Traditional wooden ofudaA long-standing choice

BPlan

30 cm wooden ofuda

Prayer with Ofuda

¥8,000

Plan A's prayer at 63 sessions, plus a 30 cm wooden ofuda consecrated in the goma and a card ofuda.

Most popularFor special occasions

CPlan

30 cm special wooden ofuda

Special ofuda prayer

¥10,000

Plan A, plus a 30 cm special wooden ofuda with your wish written in gold on an Awa washi wrapper, and a card ofuda.

Special wooden ofuda wrapped in Awa washi

OPlan

Concluding session only

Single-Session Prayer

¥2,000

Your prayer is offered at the concluding session only, with a 30 cm paper ofuda and a card ofuda.

SPlan

45 cm special wooden ofuda

Large ofuda prayer

¥30,000

Plan A's prayer at 63 sessions, plus a 45 cm special wooden ofuda, a card ofuda, and a 25 cm gohei (ritual wand).

SSPlan

60 cm special wooden ofuda

Extra-large ofuda prayer

¥50,000

Plan A, plus a 60 cm special wooden ofuda, a card ofuda, a shikishi board with Fudo Myoo's Sanskrit seed syllable, and a 60 cm gohei.

Watch the concluding session

From the Chief Priest

What Is the Shō Hassenmai-ku

The Shō Hassenmai-ku is one of the severe ascetic practices handed down in the Shingon school: a goma practice of prayer that continues all day long.

“May my family live in good health.”

“May my illness be healed.”

“May I see my important work through safely.”

At Byodoji, we receive wishes like these from you and perform this rite once a year before Fudo Myoo.

From October 13, goma is performed three times a day. Goma sticks (gomagi) are pieces of wood prepared as offerings to the buddhas. For this service, we have all worked together splitting firewood. On November 3, the concluding day (kechigan), 8,000 goma sticks are offered into the fire in a single session. Before that fire, keeping a fast through a day and a night, I pray from morning until evening that your wishes may be fulfilled.

Please send in your wishes for yourself and for those dear to you. The prayers entrusted to us are read aloud at every session, from the first goma through November 3, when the practice concludes.

And on November 3, the concluding day, please join your hands with us in prayer. You can take part from home through the live stream, or come to Byodoji. No reservation is needed, and attendance is free. Please come at any convenient time during the day; you may enter and leave the hall freely. At the temple or at home, let us pray together.

An auspicious day in September 2026 · Rev. Shinryo Taniguchi, Chief Priest of Byodoji

This service has ended

Watch the concluding session Learn More

Scenes from past goma rites

The practitioner holding goma sticks before the goma altar — Offering goma sticks one by one into the fire of wisdom

Goma being performed in the main hall as worshippers look on — Worshippers gathered in the main hall

The practitioner facing the fire of wisdom at the front of the goma altar — The sacred fire of wisdom rising from the goma altar

Service guide

Select an image to enlarge it. This guide is in Japanese.

Guide to the 14th Shō Hassenmai-ku, front — FrontWebPApprox. 0.4 MB

Guide to the 14th Shō Hassenmai-ku, back (schedule and how to apply) — BackWebPApprox. 0.6 MB

About the Practice

Twenty-One Days of Practice

The opening (kaibyaku) goma is performed on the evening of October 13. From the next day, goma is performed three times a day for 21 days, leading to the conclusion (kechigan) on November 3. Kaibyaku is the first day of the service, and kechigan is the last.

From October 27, each session is extended to four hours, and meals change from two morning meals (saijiki) to a single vegetarian meal. From that afternoon, the practitioner begins the recitation (nenju) of Fudo Myoo's mantra 108,000 times. The vegetarian diet and the fast are the practitioner's own discipline and are not asked of those who attend.

How the concluding day proceeds is set out in “The Concluding Day”, and the full 21-day schedule in “Practice Schedule”.

Fudo Myoo, the principal deity

Fudo Myoo is the principal deity of this 8,000-stick goma rite. The principal deity is the Buddhist figure at the center of our prayers.

Fudo Myoo is the wrathful form through which Dainichi Nyorai guides us. His sword cuts through delusion, and his rope draws those who are lost toward liberation.

“Fudō,” meaning immovable, expresses bodhicitta (bodaishin), the aspiration to awakening, which never wavers. In goma, we light the fire of wisdom (chika), which represents Fudo Myoo's wisdom, and pray for the fulfillment of your wishes.

Wishes

What Wishes You Can Request

You may request prayers for your own wishes, or for your family and others dear to you. You are not limited to one wish; you can write several on the application form. Below are examples of common wishes.

Fulfillment of Wishes

We receive whatever you earnestly wish for now, whether it concerns work, daily life, family, or a turning point in your own life.

Freedom from Misfortune

A prayer to leave misfortune behind and for the way ahead to open.

Family Safety

A prayer that your family may live safely and that daily life may stay peaceful.

Peace of Body and Mind

A prayer to be free from anxiety and confusion, with body and mind at peace.

Protection from Cancer

A prayer for healing from cancer and for safe tests, surgery, and treatment.

Healing of Present Illness

A prayer for healing from an illness you are suffering now.

Good Health

A prayer for the health of the whole body.

Healthy Legs and Back

A prayer for healthy legs and back.

Safe Childbirth

A prayer for a safe delivery and the health of mother and child.

Academic Success

A prayer that daily study bears fruit.

A Good Match

A prayer to be joined by good ties.

Business Prosperity

A prayer for a prosperous business.

Traffic Safety

A prayer for safety while commuting, traveling, driving, or moving about for work.

Other Wishes

We also accept prayers for memorial offerings for ancestors, safe travel, passing exams, finding employment, and more.

The Concluding Day

November 3, from Morning to Evening

This is how the concluding day proceeds. There is also a goma session from 2:00 a.m., but the great goma in which the 8,000 sticks are offered runs from 8:00 a.m. until evening. At the temple or online, you may join at any time.

8:00

Entering the Hall

The chief priest and the assisting priests (shikishu) who serve with him enter the hall and begin chanting sutras.

8:00

Live Stream Begins

The stream begins on YouTube.

Around 9:00

The Goma Begins

Following the sutra chanting, the chief priest begins the goma.

Around 9:30

Offering of the 8,000 Begins

The goma sticks are divided into sets of 1,000 and offered into the fire of wisdom, with the reading of prayers and mantra recitation in between, until all 8,000 have been offered.

Around 16:30

All 8,000 Offered

The altar is put in order, and a hymn (san) praising Fudo Myoo is chanted.

Around 17:00

Dedication of Merit (Ekō)

The merit of the rite is dedicated to all who requested prayers and to all sentient beings, every living thing, and the service comes to a close.

After the rite

Dharma Talk

No reservation is needed to attend in person, and attendance is free. Please come at any convenient time during the day; you may enter and leave the hall freely.

Times may shift with the progress of the practice.

Temple Items

Items You Can Add on the Application Form

Special wooden ofuda for C, S, and SS

Choose from 20 Colors of Awa Washi

Each special wooden ofuda has your wish written in gold on the wood and is wrapped in an Awa washi hakama (wrapper). Choose from the 20 colors below. If no color is specified, crimson is used.

Special wooden ofuda, blue-gold — Blue-gold

Special wooden ofuda, wisteria — Wisteria

Special wooden ofuda, cypress bark — Cypress bark

Special wooden ofuda, canary yellow — Canary yellow

Special wooden ofuda, red lead — Red lead

Special wooden ofuda, pine green — Pine green

Special wooden ofuda, pale aqua — Pale aqua

Special wooden ofuda, fresh green — Fresh green

Special wooden ofuda, cherry blossom — Cherry blossom

Special wooden ofuda, dandelion — Dandelion

Special wooden ofuda, light blue — Light blue

Special wooden ofuda, pale blue — Pale blue

Special wooden ofuda, pale pink — Pale pink

The omamori, stickers, and nenju below can be added to any plan, for yourself or for your family.

Six Omamori to Carry with You

Omamori to wear or carry every day, for protection from cancer, healthy legs and back, healing from illness, freedom from misfortune, and more. The Lifelong Great Fortune and Healing omamori come in a choice of colors.

Cancer Protection

¥1,000

The signature omamori of Byodoji, known as “the temple of cancer protection.” It carries the wish that cancer be calmed and healed.

Healthy Legs and Back

¥1,000

An omamori with a prayer for healthy legs and back.

Five-Color Bond

¥1,000

A five-color omamori that binds you in connection with the principal deity.

Healing, pink

¥1,000

An omamori to keep with you through days of facing illness.

Healing and Peace of Mind Omamori, light blue

Healing, light blue

¥1,000

An omamori to keep with you through days of facing illness.