Students from Kanazawa University Volunteer Support Station and it's leader Kaisei Harada, a lecturer from Institute of Human and Social Sciences, Faculty of Economics and Management, participated in the New Year's Hatsumode events at Juzo Shrine in Wajima City. They were involved in a wide range of activities, including preparations such as making and lighting bamboo lanterns for memory of the disaster victims, purification for New Year's worshippers, and running a cafe booth.
From December 28 to 31, volunteers cut the bamboo, burnished it with a burner, and then used a drill to make the bamboo lanterns. They also worked with people of Juzo Shrine to cut down the bamboo for the lanterns and the pine branches for the New Year's pine decorations.
On New Year's Day, they assisted with the preparation of a worship booth for visiting the temporary main hall that was destroyed in the earthquake, the raising of a flag bearing the name of Juzo Shrine, and the operation of cafe where visitors could have a rest. Under the guidance of the chief priest of Juzo Shrine, volunteers assisted with purification rituals, served tea at the cafe, and listened to visitors' wishes. After the memorial broadcast at 4:10 p.m., they assisted with the lighting of bamboo lanterns.
Volunteers received many heartwarming comments from the visitors, such as "It was a very beautiful design of bamboo lanterns" and "Seeing this bamboo lantern healed my heart".
From January 2nd to 3rd, they continued to perform purification rituals for visitors and worked with the Wajima reconstruction support group Ligare on cleanup tasks.
Kanazawa University will continue to work with Wajima Juzo Shrine and others to provide support to those affected by the disaster and to contribute in any way possible to the recovery and reconstruction of the affected areas.
-
Kanazawa University students cutting down bamboo for bamboo lanterns -
Setting up a worship booth under the guidance of members of Juzo Shrine -
Bamboo lanterns created by Kanazawa University students -
View of rest area
PAGE TOP