The ceremony has a long history indeed.
I also want to perform the ceremony when I buy a housing property in Japan.
What is the ceremony for sanctifying the ground? Would you kindly tell me about it in an easy-to-understand manner?
It is a rite performed by the client of the construction to obtain the land-use permit from the guardian deity.
Because the ceremony is for praying for the safety of construction, it is also called a prayer for safety ceremony.
Haven't you ever seen an altar arranged by green bamboo sticks being placed at each of the four corners of the site prior to the construction?
Yes I have. Offerings such as sake, rice, vegetables were placed.
At altar, a Shinto priest invites the deity and purifies the four corners of the site.
The Shinto priest recites a Shinto prayer and the client, constructor, designer perform the rite for sanctifying ground.
It is the first rite performed in the land where the client will live by using tools such as a sickle, spade and hoe.
Specifically, it is the rite to cut grass, turn up and tame the soil.
After the ceremony for sanctifying ground, the safety of construction is prayed by offering a branch of a sacred tree.
How long will it take to perform a series of these rites?
It takes about 30 minutes to finish the ceremony. A few days after the ceremony, construction work will be set to begin.
Will some trouble happen if you do not perform the ceremony?
No particular trouble happens, but it is deemed undesirable not to perform the ceremony.
Also there are many people who wish to do the ceremony by all means because it gives an opportunity to meet people concerned with construction work.
It sure does make your spirit heighten if you know whom you are building a house for.
That's right. Some people say if you can imagine the face of the client, works progress a lot.
Now I fully understand that the ceremony has historical background.