【Commemorative Lotus Petals for the Year of the Wood Horse Grand Opening】 Chichibu 34 Kannon Temples Special Pilgrimage 【One-of-a-Kind Item】 Japanese spiritual deity The Chichibu 34 Kannon Temples have **a "Year of the Horse Grand Opening" that occurs once every 12 years**, and a special **"Year of the Wood Horse (Kinoe-Uma) Grand Opening" that occurs once every 60 years.** I made the pilgrimage not during the once-every-12-years grand opening, but during the **"Year of the Wood Horse Grand Opening," which only comes around once every 60 years.** It was a particularly special grand opening, coinciding with the "Kinoe-Uma" zodiac year when the Chichibu Fudasho temples were founded. ◆ Lotus Petals to Complete the Pilgrimage at Home The lotus petals, the mount, and the stickers are all unused. This is a one-of-a-kind item that has been carefully preserved as it was at the time of the pilgrimage, without any alterations. From the First Temple "Arigataya" (Thankfulness) to the Thirty-Fourth Temple "Negai wo Koko ni" (Here is My Wish). By following the temples in order, you can experience the flow of completing the Chichibu 34 Kannon Temples pilgrimage at home. These lotus petals were collected during the Year of the Wood Horse Grand Opening over a decade ago, with the desire to "connect with Kannon-sama." I actually visited all 34 temples in Chichibu, offering my prayers at each one, and collected these commemorative lotus petals. They are not just souvenirs, but lotus petals imbued with the time and prayers of the pilgrimage itself. ◆ What is a Grand Opening? It is a very special period when the enshrined principal image, usually kept closed, is opened, and you can connect with the hand of Kannon-sama through the "Otetsuna" (sacred rope). Kannon-sama is said to have the "Horse" as a眷属 (kenzoku, a divine attendant), and the Year of the Wood Horse Grand Opening is said to be a year when the power of connection, guidance, and rebirth is particularly strong. ◎ This year is the "Year of the Horse," so it is very auspicious. The Year of the Horse = a year that is especially easy to connect with the energy of Kannon-sama. I have carefully preserved these lotus petals, which symbolize that connection, so that you can follow them in order from the First Temple "Arigataya" to the Thirty-Fourth Temple "Negai wo Koko ni." ◆ A One-of-a-Kind Connection There are no two sets of lotus petals collected in the same year, during the same grand opening, and with the same pilgrimage intentions. After more than a decade, I hope that these carefully preserved lotus petals will connect with someone who needs them now. Because it is something special that cannot be measured by price, I would like to pass it on to someone who understands its meaning and will cherish it. I hope that those who feel a connection will receive it with care.