Fig. 1. Visitors line up outside of Sōjiji’s Butsuden (Buddha Hall) on New Year’s Day.

Page 10 →Fig. 2. Layout of Sōjiji’s buildings and grounds.

Fig. 3. The public entrance of the Kōshakudai. The rice paddle (shamoji) stands on the right and the pestle (surikogi) stands on the left.

Fig. 4. A novice monk and a laywoman acknowledge each other on the path to the Butsuden.

Fig. 5. A road leads through rice paddies to the future site of Sōjiji in Tsurumi, ca. 1909.

Fig. 6. Sōjiji’s Daisodō (Dharma Hall). It is the largest building of its kind in Japan.

Fig. 7. Altar and main ritual space of the Daisodō. Note the brocaded curtains and carefully controlled sight lines.

Fig. 8. Wearing his traveling gear, an unsui waits at the Sanshōkan gate to be received as a new arrival. He will spend the night in this room before “ascending the mountain” early the next morning.

Fig. 9. The unsui listen attentively and take notes during a lecture.

Fig. 10. The unsui perform a choreographed dance routine at the Obon Spirit Festival (Mitama Matsuri).

Fig. 11. The unsui assemble on the steps of the Sanmon gate for a commemorative “Graduation Day” photo.

Fig. 12. Kodama-san gives an impromptu sermon on the steps outside the Daisodō.

Fig. 13. The members of the Zazenkai gather in the reception room of the Shiuntai for a sermon.

Fig. 14. The members of the Baikakō practice goeika while waiting for the teacher to arrive.

Fig. 15. Goeika bells and songbook. The handbell (rei) stands at the lower left and the flat bell (shō) sits at the lower right, with the tasseled hammer (shumoku) laying between them.

Fig. 16. A Sōtō parishioner household altar (butsudan). A memorial portrait (iei) sits prominently on the top of the cabinet, with a memorial tablet (ihai) placed on the top interior shelf on the right.

Fig. 17. Sōjiji’s cantor (ino) reads the names of donors at a ceremony during Sōjiji’s 100th Anniversary celebration.

Fig. 18. A poster advertising the 2015 Tsurumi no machi no daionki.