Kotone

寺と社

Collection

Temples and Shrines of Japan

9 recordings, 32:37

Much of Japan's oldest living music is ritual: sutras chanted in Buddhist halls, and the drums and flutes of Shinto ceremonies.

These are field recordings made by visitors between 2013 and 2025. The Buddhist half moves from Shitennō-ji in Osaka, founded in 593, through the Pure Land service at Higashi Hongan-ji in Tokyo and a Zen temple in Kamakura, to Zenkō-ji's drum and chant and a mountain temple of the Nichiren school. The Shinto half includes the autumn rite at Tsurugaoka Hachimangū, a ceremony at Fushimi Inari, and prayer drums on Mount Tsukuba.

The recordings keep their surroundings: bells, footsteps, a shrine attendant asking tourists not to take photos. Unison chant rewards long listening, so let each one run.

  1. 四天王寺の読経Shitennōji no dokyō — Chanting at Shitennō-jiVoice · 20134:57
  2. 東本願寺の勤行Higashi Honganji no gongyō — Monks chanting at Higashi Hongan-ji, TokyoVoice · 20186:03
  3. 浄妙寺の読経Jōmyōji no dokyō — Buddhist chanting at Jōmyō-ji, KamakuraVoice · 20171:32
  4. 善光寺の太鼓と読経Zenkōji no taiko to dokyō — Drumming and chanting at Zenkō-jiVoice, Taiko · 20173:40
  5. 七面山の読経Shichimenzan no dokyō — Chanting on Mount ShichimenVoice · 20134:20
  6. 恵林寺の太鼓Erinji no taiko — Taiko at Erinji templeTaiko · 20263:45
  7. 鶴岡八幡宮の秋の祭儀Tsurugaoka Hachimangū no aki no saigi — Autumn ceremony music at Tsurugaoka HachimangūMixed ensemble · 20172:23
  8. 伏見稲荷の神事Fushimi Inari no shinji — Ceremony at Fushimi InariTaiko, Mixed ensemble · 20254:33
  9. 筑波山神社の祈祷太鼓Tsukubasan jinja no kitō daiko — Prayer drums at the Mount Tsukuba shrineTaiko · 20171:24