Summer Prayer

Summer Prayer: Yakushi Goma

Livestream: Monday, July 20, 2026, at 8:00 p.m. JST

At Byodoji Temple, Temple 22 of the Shikoku Eighty-Eight Temple Pilgrimage and a Koyasan Shingon Buddhist temple, we perform the Yakushi Goma and pray for safety by the water, relief from summer heat, freedom from illness and calamity, and good health.

Anyone may join the livestream. No application is required to watch. On the day, open the Live tab on the Byodoji YouTube channel.

If you would like your name and wish read aloud during the rite, select Summer Prayer on Byodoji Online. The prayer fee is ¥500 per wish.

Summer Prayer

Summer brings more opportunities to visit the sea and rivers, as well as heat that can tire the body and mind. On Japan's Marine Day, we pray before Yakushi Nyorai that everyone may pass through the summer safely.

Byodoji performs the Yakushi Goma according to the Chuin tradition. We kindle the sacred fire of wisdom on the goma altar, read aloud each applicant's name and wish, and place goma sticks into the flames in prayer. Please join us through the livestream.

What we pray for

| Prayer | Meaning |

| :-- | :-- |

| Safety by the water | May everyone return safely from the sea and rivers. |

| Relief from summer heat | May we pass through the heat in health and safety. |

| Freedom from illness and calamity | May body and mind find peace. |

| Good health | May we care for the body and live each day in calm. |

Safety and health

Prayer goes together with practical care. Drink water regularly, rest in a cool place, check the weather and water levels, and wear a properly fitted life jacket.

If someone cannot drink without help or is unconscious, call 119 immediately in Japan and request an ambulance. If you are receiving medical treatment, consult your doctor or pharmacist and do not stop treatment or medication on your own.

• Preventing heat illness, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
• River safety, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism

About Yakushi Nyorai

Yakushi Ruriko Nyorai, also called the Great Medicine King Buddha, vowed that sentient beings might be freed from illness and find ease in body and mind. The Seventh Great Vow in Xuanzang's translation of the Sutra of the Original Vows and Merits of the Medicine Buddha of Lapis Lazuli Light also teaches freedom from illness and ease in body and mind.

| Item | Details |

| :-- | :-- |

| Formal name | Yakushi Ruriko Nyorai |

| Sanskrit name | Bhaiṣajyaguru-vaiḍūrya-prabhā-rājā |

| Pure land | Eastern Pure Land of Lapis Lazuli |

| Attendants | Sunlight Bodhisattva, Moonlight Bodhisattva, and the Twelve Divine Generals |

| Commemoration day | The 8th of every month |

Yakushi Nyorai mantra

Om Kororo Sendari Matougi Sowaka

Apply to have your prayer read aloud

The fee to have a name and wish read aloud during the rite is ¥500 per wish. You may choose an anonymous reading. Talismans and amulets can also be selected on the application page.

Applications remain open during the livestream until the prayer readings end.

| Item | Details |

| :-- | :-- |

| Rite | Summer Prayer |

| Prayer fee | ¥500 per wish |

| Apply | Byodoji Online |

| Payment | Credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, or bank transfer |

Related links

• Añjali, a separate web app for anonymously offering a wish to the principal Buddha
• 24-hour livestream
• Ask the head priest
• Subscribe to the YouTube channel
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