Holy Flame Kept Alive Over One Thousand Years

When I learned that an eternal flame burns in Dazaifu, Fukuoka Prefecture, I made a special trip there in November. This particular fire has burned continuously for over 1,200 years since being brought back from China’s Mt. Tendai by Tendai monk Saicho Dengyoo Daishi in the year 805. Only the previous week of my visit, a ceremony was held on November 4th at the foot of Mt. Hooman bringing the flame to a new location to ensure its continuation. What enthralled me was the almost inconceivable dedication of those who have tendered the flame over the centuries.

This flame was actually kept alive not in a temple or official compound, but inside the home of a local family in Shingu Town, The story goes that Saicho threw a stick into the sea just before landing and then searched for where it came to shore to determine the place for where he would build a temple in gratitude for his safe return to his country. A local man, just called Genshiro, helped Saicho find the stick and in gratitude for allowing him to stay in his humble home during the building of Tokkooji temple, Saicho gave him a formal last name of “Yoko’oji”, a statue of Bishamonten and most importantly, shared with him the flame he had brought back from China with the admonishment to keep it always burning. This Yoko’oji family, from that time on, has been the keeper of this holy flame.

Every single day since that time, the flame has been rekindled in the hearth of their home. In the morning and in the evening, the embers were stirred up under the ashes to make the flame burn bright again at least twice a day. When you think about all the history that has passed by as the flame has burned, it is truly amazing that it never went out even during times of war. (In fact, the ”twin” of the flame on Mt. Hiei that Saicho placed there was extinguished by Oda Nobunaga in the 16th century and had to be relit again from the fire in Kyushu). Even in modern times when people have become more mobile, the flame was never forgotten. The 44th generation since Genshiro, Fumihiko and his wife Chizue, were vigilant in their responsibility. Come to think of it, it would have always been the wives who took care of the hearth. For them, vacations or weekend trips were out of the question.
The “minka”, farmhouse of the Yoko’oji Family was rebuilt over the years, but the flame continued. The most recent reconstruction was about a decade ago when it was restored to its Edo Period design complete with a thick thatched roof. Chizue, though, kept the hearth flame going in her pre-fabricated temporary house nearby for two and a half years until it was returned to the hearth in the home. When I looked up at the shiny roof beams blackened by the soot of the holy fire from the past ten years, I could sense her commitment to this ancient responsibility to her household. As I stood there, a friend said to me “tsutaeru mono wa hito no kokoro” (English: “What is passed on is the feeling from someone’s heart”). That is so true. Unfortunately, the hearth is now cold and unused kindling stands in piles under the eaves. The last member of the Yoko’oji family to keep the flame, Chizue-san passed away at 86 years of age in July of 2010 and the next generation is not able to take up the flame’s care.

The tradition, however, keeps going with the help of the Tendai sect. The flame now burns at the Myooka’an Temple at the foot of Mt. Homan, a place associated with Monk Saicho. I was so pleased when I met the Abbess Myoka Mori, a tiny but energetic 82-year-old nun who appears twenty years younger. Her life, too, has been on of overcoming many challenges. My immediate thought was how appropriate it was that the flame was passed on to the responsibility of another woman, one with similar conviction.

There are now burning holy flames both inside and outside the temple hall. Placed in front of a large bronze statue of Saicho, the outside flame burns within a sixteen-petal lotus flower design bronze container. Abbess Mori’s eyes twinkled as she told me that this holy flame is now perpetually lit by propane gas. However, the inside flame burns within a cauldron pot before the Buddhist altar and must be vigilantly kept lit, as well as changing the ashes every three days. So the challenge of the flame’s tradition continues on.
I could think of no other flame in the world that has lasted for so long. The commitment to this flame and the faith it represents as demonstrated by the Yoko’oji Family and Abbess Mori is truly astounding. And although this responsibility for the fire “baton” passes from housewife to nun, from farmhouse to temple, the fire that Saicho carried from China, as a symbol of Buddhist belief, will continue its energy into the future.