In Taoist teachings,Three worms, the "three worms," live inside the human body.The night of Kushin, which occurs six times a year,When a person is asleep, the corpse of a corpse slips out of his or her body and tells the emperor of the person's sins and evil deeds.The emperor reportedly said, "I am a good man, but I am not a good man. The emperor was reportedThe severity of the sin reduces the person's life expectancy.This is a frightening thing to say.

There are three kinds of these worms: upper, middle, and lower. The upper worm causes gray hair and wrinkles, the middle worm causes the five organs to deteriorate, and the lower worm annoys the spirit. Some say that they resemble children, others that they resemble horses with heads and tails, and still others that they are roundworms measuring two feet in length, making them very creepy.

Everyone has some guilt or malice in his or her heart. Some may even say that they are clean people with no sin or evil in their hearts, but they cannot help but feel that a worm slips out of their bodies while they are sleeping and tells the emperor about even the most trivial of sins. In order to keep the worm inside of you, you must stay awake all night.

The custom of staying up all night on the night of Koshin is said to have been introduced from China during the Heian period (794-1185), but it took root among the common people in the Edo period (1603-1867), when people gathered in villages and spent the night together as Koshintai or Koshin Ko. This is the so-called Kushin worship. As a folklore, there is a saying that "if you sleep on the night of Kushin, insects come in and make you sick" as opposed to "insects get out of the house on the night of Kushin.

It is a great way to seal out that pesky bug,Kohmoe's Blue-Faced Vajra Statue "Kengsin-san"It is. Also,The three monkeys of "see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil" are also enshrined as deities of the Koshin faith.I often see the

The word "monkey" is said to be associated with this belief, as "申" in 庚申 = "monkey" in the Chinese zodiac sign of the same name. From the olden daysMonkey is an animal of good luck, as it is said to "make bad luck go away (monkeys)".The company has been treated as a

In Kyoto, Yasaka Koshindo in Higashiyama-ku is famous for its Koshin worship. Along with Asakusa Koshin and Tennoji Koshin, it is one of the three most famous Koshin in Japan.

Stone monument with the inscription of three monkeys and Japan's first Koshin-son

When you get closer, you can see the three monkeys (see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil).
You can see that it is well drawn.

The Yasaka Koshindo stands out in the not so spacious precincts of the temple,"Duck-billed monkey."It is. With a lot of brightly colored monkeys hung up, with their arms and legs tied around them,Tie the arms and legs of a monkey that acts out of greed and ask Koshin-san to warn people of the desires that are within them.The "Kukuri Monkey" is a monkey that is said to be a symbol of the gods. It is said that if one grants one wish to a kukuri monkey and seals one desire, it will come true.

Brightly colored kukuri monkeys in the main hall and three monkeys placed in front of them

Binturu-san and brightly colored kukuri monkeys in the precincts of the temple

Now, there must be some people who are not confident that they can stay awake all night long just because it is the night of Kingshin. So, how do you keep the bugs from crawling out?On the other hand, it would prevent insects from coming in, right?

in that caseYou should eat konjak.I asked. At Yasaka Koshindo, konjak cooking is held on the day of Koshin, and visitors are served konjak shaped like monkeys.

Three is probably the number of insects.

So why konnyaku? It is because"Kon (root) well, yaku (bane) take."It is said that this is the reason. It has also been believed that placing a konjak on the head of a sick person after praying on the day of the 57th day of the sexagenary cycle will cure the illness.

This year's No Koshin falls on November 24. If you want to eat, sleep, and have a lot of things you want (......), you may want to visit Yasaka Koshindo on Nou Koshin to have "Koshin-san" warn you against greed and eat konnyaku to improve your health both mentally and physically. I will visit there, too.

Kukuri-monkeys" hanging from the eaves of a house near Yasaka Koshindo