Sacred fire · Matcha · Nagoya
An esoteric Buddhist fire ritual in the candlelit main hall of a 330-year temple, followed by a tencha tea whisking in the temple's modern lounge. Write your wish on a gomagi stick, cast it into the sacred flame — then whisk your own matcha and taste it with seasonal wagashi.
The experience
01Goma is an esoteric Buddhist ceremony: a monk offers sticks of wood inscribed with participants’ wishes into a sacred flame kindled on the altar, praying for purification of mind and body and the fulfillment of wishes. Fire, chanting and incense — one mystical hour, very popular with visitors.
After the prayer, walk to the temple’s tea lounge and try tencha — whisking your own matcha by hand — paired with seasonal Japanese sweets (wagashi).
Write your wish on a wooden gomagi stick. Offer prayers before the principal image, Dainichi Nyorai — the Great Sun Buddha. Cast the stick into the flame. Then let the pairing of hand-whisked matcha and seasonal sweets close the rite. (Sake and photos are not part of this program.)
The tea world’s motto — “treasure every encounter as a once-in-a-lifetime moment.” It is the beating heart of this temple’s hospitality.
Highlights
Take part in a genuine Buddhist rite as the monks enter to the sound of conch shells. Chanting, incense and fire rise together in the candlelit hall.
The ritual is held in the main hall of Koushoji, founded in 1688 and long cherished as the prayer temple of the Owari Tokugawa clan.
Learn the history of tea and its link to wagashi, then whisk your own matcha and enjoy it with the season’s sweets.
Held entirely indoors, so the ritual runs as scheduled even in heavy rain.
Omamori charms and ofuda talismans are available to purchase in the temple grounds — a wish made permanent.
This is matcha culture as it lives inside a temple — the same ground where the Owari Tokugawa clan once prayed.
Schedule
At the Nokyo-sho (reception office) you receive a gomagi stick and write your wish on it, then take a seat in the Mitsugon-do hall. The monks enter to the sound of conch shells; guided to the altar, you pray before Dainichi Nyorai, cast your gomagi into the sacred flame, and return to your seat. After the monks’ closing words, you may view the hall.
Move to Kegu, the temple’s library salon — a light-filled wooden space overlooking a bamboo garden. Restroom break.
An introduction to the history of tea, its relationship with wagashi, and the utensils — then you whisk your own bowl of matcha, step by step.
The day’s seasonal wagashi and your matcha, together, in the quiet of the salon. The program ends here; your afternoon is free.
The tea lounge
The ritual ground gives way to Kegu, the temple’s library salon: warm wood, a grand piano, and floor-to-ceiling windows onto a bamboo garden. Here the tencha experience unfolds — tea history, utensil talk, and the seasonal wagashi chosen to accompany your bowl.
Seasonal wagashi
Japanese sweets follow the calendar — chrysanthemum crests in autumn, a peach in early summer, persimmons for the harvest moon. Artisan nerikiri, sculpted from sweet bean paste, arrives with a new shape for every turn of the season. The pairing on your day is prepared for the moment you sit down, and it is yours to carry in memory.
Fees
Included — experience fee · material costs · guide · basic instruction | Not included — transport to the meeting point · personal purchases · special delivery
Good to know
Venue & access
A 330-year temple in the forested hills of Yagoto, Nagoya — High Priest’s seat of the Koyasan Shingon school, home to a five-story pagoda designated a National Important Cultural Property.
Reservations are accepted from 7 days before the event. Tell the temple your desired date and the number of guests — English is available upon request.