12月8日、冬らしい冷たい空気の中、千本釈迦堂へ行ってきました。毎年12月7日・8日に行われる「大根炊き」は、京都の冬の名物行事として知られています。

12月8日は、お釈迦様が悟りを開いた「成道の日」。千本釈迦堂では、鎌倉時代の慈禅上人がこの日をお祝いして成道会という法要をしていたそうです。お釈迦様は修行中、悪魔や鬼神のいろんな妨害にも負けず、12月8日の明け方に悟りを開かれたと伝わっています。慈禅上人はこの話にあやかって、大根に梵字を書いてお供えし、悪魔除けにしたのだとか。その大根をほかの大根と一緒に炊いて参詣者にふるまったのが、「大根炊き」のはじまりといわれています。今では無病息災を願う、冬の定番行事になっています。

10時開始と聞いて向かったのですが、すでに授与が始まっていたみたいで、参道にはずらっと列ができていました。まずは参道で授与券（1,000円）を買い、そのまま大根炊きを受け取る列へ。

順番が来ると、大きな鍋からアツアツに煮込まれた大根と揚げを、お椀によそって渡してくれます。お茶はセルフサービス。食べてみると、だしがしっかり染みていて本当においしい！ 大根は3切れ、揚げも入っていて、思ったよりボリュームがありました。冷えた体にアツアツの大根がしみわたります。

途中で雨がぱらっときましたが、テントの下でなんとかしのぎながら大根炊きをいただき、そのあと法要も少し見て帰りました。これからもっと寒くなりそうなので、体調に気を付けて過ごしたいですね。


【2025】Visiting the Daikon-Daki at Senbon Shaka-dō — A Winter Tradition for Good Health

On December 8th, I headed to Senbon Shaka-dō in the crisp winter air. Every year on December 7th and 8th, the temple holds its famous Daikon-Daki, one of Kyoto’s well-loved winter traditions.

December 8th is Jōdō-no-Hi, the day the Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment. At Senbon Shaka-dō, the monk Jizen Shōnin began holding a ceremony called Jōdō-e in the Kamakura period to celebrate this occasion. According to legend, during his training, the Buddha withstood all sorts of temptations and disturbances from demons and evil spirits before finally reaching enlightenment at dawn on December 8th. Inspired by this story, Jizen Shōnin wrote Sanskrit characters on daikon radishes as offerings to ward off evil. These blessed radishes were then cooked together with regular daikon and served to visitors—a tradition that eventually became today’s Daikon-Daki.
Now, it’s a cherished winter ritual believed to bring good health and protection from illness.

Although the event was said to start at 10 a.m., it looked like the distribution had already begun by the time I arrived. A long line had formed along the approach to the temple. First, you buy a ticket (1,000 yen), and then join the line to receive your daikon.

When your turn comes, volunteers ladle piping-hot daikon and fried tofu from a huge pot into your bowl. Tea is self-serve. The flavor is incredible—the broth is rich and fully absorbed into the daikon. You get three pieces of daikon plus a generous amount of tofu, making it more filling than I expected. The warmth of the dish really sinks into your cold body.

It drizzled a bit while I was eating, but thanks to the tents I managed just fine. After enjoying my daikon, I watched part of the ceremony before heading home.
Winter is only going to get colder from here, so I hope to stay healthy as the season deepens.