Hana-matsuri 花祭り

On the 8th of April, the birthday of the historical Buddha is celebrated in Japan. On this day called Kanbutsue 灌仏会 or Hana-matsuri 花祭り a lot of people visit temples to pour tea　on a statuette of the Buddha which is surrounded by flowers. The tea, which is a special kind of sweet tea called amacha 甘茶, is scooped out of a bowl with a ladle (柄杓 hishaku) and poured over a statuette representing the Buddha right after he was born (誕生仏 tanjōbutsu). In Japan and Korea the infant Buddha is generally shown raising his right arm in the air, but in some parts of China and Southeast Asia he is shown raising his left arm.

The Genjō-in 玄静院 near Zōshigaya 雑司ヶ谷

A woman praying before the Kishibojin-dō 鬼子母神堂’s Tanjōbutsu after having poured amacha on the statuette.

Sources:

• Information provided near the Genjō-in

• Tanaka, Yoshiyasu (田中義恭).『面白いほどよくわかる仏像の世界: 仏像の種類・歴史から鑑賞のポイントまで』(Omoshiroi hodo yoku wakaru butsuzō no sekai: butsuzō no shurui, rekishi kara kanshō made). Tokyo: Nihon bungeisha (日本文芸社), 2008.