A statue of Master Sawaki Kodo beside the main hall of Sengaku-ji, with many money offerings in his hands

Offering money given to the zazen statue

Even if you have never thought deeply about the reason, when you visit shrines and temples, you throw money into the offering box. It is not a fee to visit the shrine, so you don't have to make an offering, but if you don't, it feels embarrassing. I felt as if I was cheating, even though no one was watching me.

According to the Kokugakuin University website, the offering of money at Shinto shrines was considered an expression of gratitude to the gods for the fulfillment of a wish. It is said that it began as an offering of harvested crops or hunted game as a token of gratitude. With the development of the monetary economy, the offering was converted to money and has continued ever since.

Then, what is a money offering at a Buddhist temple? This is considered to be more akin to a gesture of giving and receiving than a gesture of gratitude. It is understandable, then, that money is offered to the statue of Master Sawaki Kodo, which sits next to the main hall of Sengaku-ji Temple, famous for the Ako Ronin. The coins placed around the hand of the master, who was a representative Soto Zen priest from the Meiji to Showa eras, are a sign of giving and receiving. Even after his death, he continued to collect donations. It is no exaggeration to say that he was a man of purity and integrity.

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