About the Omizutori Ritual

The actual name of the Omizutori ritual, which is held at the Nigatsudō Hall of Tōdaiji Temple each year, is the “Shuni’e.” It is a Jūichimen Kannon Keka repentance ceremony conducted with the Hall’s Eleven-Headed Kannon (Sk. Avalokiteśvara) as its principal icon. Prayers for prosperity and the aversion of disaster are offered alongside the confession of past transgressions at the heart of the repentance retreat. The Omizutori is renowned in part for its long history: it was first established in 752 (Tenpyō Shōhō 4) by the priest Jitchū. It has been observed without fail for the 1,270 years since, even through many disasters and periods of precarity, from the burning of Nara’s great temples by troops of the Taira clan in the late twelfth century; during the many calamities of the Warring States period from the fifteenth to sixteenth centuries; and, more recently, through the aerial bombings of the war. Its being held without fail for its entire history is the reason Omizutori is sometimes called the “Unceasing Rite.” It is certainly one of the foremost examples of living cultural heritage in Japan.

Dates

Saturday, February 7th to Sunday, March 15th, 2026

Holidays

The Museum is closed on Monday, February 16th and Tuesday, February 24th.
However, the Museum is open on the following Mondays: February 9th, February 23rd, March 2nd, and March 9th.

Hours

9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
※Last admission is thirty minutes before closing.
※During the periods of Nara Rurie (February 8th to 14th) and Omizutori ritual (March 1st to 11th, 13th, and 14th), the Museum is open every day until 6:00 p.m., and until 7:00 p.m. on March 12th, the day of the Kago Taimatsu.
※Please note that temporary closure dates may be subject to change.

Venue

The West New Wing of the Nara National Museum

Admission

General Admission	College Students
¥700	¥350

• Free of charge entry to disabled certificate holders and an accompanying caretaker (upon presenting the certificate).
• Free of charge entry to high school students and below; those under the age of 18; those 70 and above.
• For university and high school students, please bring your student ID.
• For those bringing along with them a guest who is a high school student or under and/or under the age of 18, please enjoy a 100 yen discount on general admission and 50 yen discount on university students admission.
• Admission includes entry to the Exhibitions from the Permanent Collection “Masterpieces of Buddhist Arts” (West New Wing), “Masterpieces of Buddhist Sculpture” (Buddhist Sculpture Hall) and “Chinese Ancient Ritual Bronzes” (Ritual Bronzes Gallery).

Organizers

The Nara National Museum, Tōdaiji Temple, NHK Broadcasting Nara Station

With the Cooperation of:

Bukkyō Bijutsu Kyōkai (Buddhist Art Foundation)

Through Corporate Partnership with:

DMG MORI Co., Ltd.

Featured Items: