Ominugui - towel

Japanese: 御身拭 - おみぬぐい

This refers to wiping off dust from statues of the Buddha and the statues of the founders, as well as the memorial service for doing so. The one at Seiryoji Temple (Shakado) in Saga, Kyoto City, is historically famous. Every year on April 19th (originally in March), the Shaka statue, the principal image of the temple, is wiped with white cotton soaked in perfume and given to believers. It is said that if this white cotton is used as a sutra shroud after death, the believer will be able to attain salvation. According to temple legend, the origin of this is that Ankamon'in learned from the principal image of the temple that her mother had been reincarnated as a cow, and she kept the cow. When the cow died on March 19th, she wiped the red sandalwood principal image and covered the cow with the scented cloth, and her mother was able to attain salvation.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

仏像や祖師像に付着した塵埃をぬぐい清めること，またその法要をいう。京都市嵯峨の清凉寺(釈迦堂)のそれが歴史的にも名高い。毎年4月19日(もと3月)に，香水（こうずい）に浸した白木綿で本尊の釈迦像をぬぐい，これを信者にあたえる。この白木綿を死後の経帷子にすると，往生できるという。その起源は，寺伝によれば，安嘉門院が本尊のお告げで牛に転生した母のことを知り，その牛を飼っていたが，3月19日にその牛が死んだので，赤栴檀（せんだん）の本尊をぬぐって香りのついた布を牛にかぶせたところ，母は往生できた。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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