On October 9, the ceremony to commence the formal preparations for replacing the model Kanrodai was conducted at Church Headquarters. On the next day, the construction of the model Kanrodai was commenced. Meanwhile, the ceremony to replace the model Kanrodai is scheduled to be conducted on October 24 at the Main Sanctuary of Church Headquarters.
The model Kanrodai was first set up at Jiba in 1934. Since then, the model Kanrodai has been replaced just before some seasonable occasions such as the 100th anniversary of the identification of Jiba as well as the anniversaries of Oyasama. This will be the sixth model Kanrodai to be set up at Jiba, the last replacement having taken place in July 2000.
Shortly before 9:00 a.m. on October 9, the Shinbashira left the Staff Quarters with his wife, Successor-Designate Daisuke Nakayama, and other Service performers for the Foundress’ Sanctuary and the Memorial Hall to pay respects before proceeding to the Main Sanctuary. The Shinbashira ascended the dais and led the congregation in prayer to God the Parent. The prayer Service—comprising the Kagura Service and the Dance with Hand Movements—was then performed.
Following the prayer Service, the Shinbashira and other Service performers proceeded to the Foundress’ Sanctuary. After paying respects to Oyasama, the Shinbashira handed the chief carpenter a document showing the measurements of the Kanrodai. The Shinbashira and other Service performers then proceeded to the Memorial Hall to pay respects to the predecessors.
The Shinbashira, Successor-Designate Daisuke Nakayama, Director-in-Chief of Religious Affairs, Director-in-Chief of Administrative Affairs, and others in the retinue proceeded to the workshop where the model Kanrodai would be constructed (the Kanrodai workshop). In the meantime, the rest of the Service performers, directly supervised church head ministers, and many Church Headquarters resident officials gathered at the Assembly Hall. At the workshop, a salt water ceremony (ensui no gi) was performed to cleanse and purify the tools and the timber to be used for building the model Kanrodai. This was followed by an ink marking ceremony (sumiuchi no gi) in which the chief carpenter applied a specially prepared ruler on the timber and used a tool to symbolically put a first marking on the timber.
The Shinbashira and the retinue then proceeded to the Assembly Hall. The Shinbashira delivered his address to those who gathered, saying: “It has been 15 years since the previous replacement of the model Kanrodai was conducted. Over the past few years, I have ruminated over the possibility and need of replacing the model Kanrodai. . . . We can make this occasion meaningful by renewing our resolve once again to make further progress on our journey of single-hearted salvation.”
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The ceremony to replace the model Kanrodai is scheduled to be conducted at 5:30 p.m. on October 24. The evening service at Church Headquarters will be conducted from four o’clock, one hour and forty-five minutes earlier than the scheduled time.