Shoudaiji, a Buddhist temple, will hold "Mid-Autumn Moon Gagaku Evening" on September 27 (Sunday), 2026, at Shinrin Koen Showa Jouen, a memorial garden in Higashimatsuyama, Saitama Prefecture, an evening event inviting visitors to think of loved ones under the autumn moon.
As an autumn evening falls, the sound of insects, wind moving through the trees, and the quiet tones of gagaku, Japan's ancient court music, fill the air.
The event is held during the season when the moon is at its most beautiful, offering a chance to step away from daily life for a while and spend time thinking of those who have passed or of people who matter.
From 5:00 PM, a Buddhist service and dharma talk take place in the main hall, after which visitors move together to the garden's tree burial area and 浄縁墓, where three gagaku musicians perform as everyone prays.
Dango offerings are also placed in the main hall
Making a Grave Visit More Than a Moment of Prayer
Through this event, Shoudaiji hopes to make visiting a grave a time to feel one's connection with a loved one anew.
Visiting a grave, offering flowers, and pressing one's hands together in prayer create space to look back on memories of those who have passed, to quietly reflect on how one is living now, and to think about the people whose ties brought one to this point in life.
For that reason, Shoudaiji treats a grave visit not as mere routine, but as a quiet time to face one's own life through thinking of the deceased.
"Mid-Autumn Moon Gagaku Evening" is one such effort to help visitors feel that kind of prayer more deeply.
The wisteria and cherry tree burial area at night
The 浄縁墓 area at night
The Moon and Gagaku, Deeply Tied to Japan's Autumn and Buddhist Culture
The mid-autumn moon reflects a long Japanese tradition of admiring the autumn moon and feeling the change of seasons.
The moon has also long been connected to Buddhism in various ways. The tale of the "moon rabbit," introduced at Shoudaiji's event last year, comes from a Buddhist story of a rabbit that offered itself to save another, a tale passed down across parts of Asia.
Gagaku, too, has deep ties to Japanese Buddhist culture and has been carried on over many years.
This year's event takes place solely at the nature-rich Shinrin Koen Showa Jouen.
Under a wide sky, with the sound of insects and wind moving through the trees, the tones of gagaku accompany a quiet time spent thinking of loved ones.
The Setting: Shinrin Koen Showa Jouen, Surrounded by Nature
Shinrin Koen Showa Jouen is a memorial garden surrounded by rich nature, adjoining Musashi Kyuryo National Government Park.
The grounds form a large basin-like landscape, with the main hall and 浄縁墓 at opposite ends. Visitors walk from the main hall through trees and flowers, past cherry trees, and up a flight of stairs to reach 浄縁墓, making the approach itself part of the visit.
Gentle lighting fills the grounds so visitors can pray safely even after dark
Walking to a Loved One's Side, Guided by Gagaku and Nembutsu Chanting
After the service and dharma talk in the main hall, a priest leads the way, chanting the nembutsu, as visitors walk together to the tree burial area and 浄縁墓 accompanied by the gagaku performance.
This is not simply a walk from the main hall to the grave.
Guided by the sound of gagaku and nembutsu chanting through the evening forest, visitors move step by step toward the resting place of a loved one, gradually setting the everyday aside and preparing their hearts to think of the departed. That walk itself is treated as an important part of the visit.
After arriving at 浄縁墓 and the tree burial area, visitors quietly press their hands together under the moonlight as the gagaku performance continues.
Facing the Buddha in the main hall, walking guided by gagaku and nembutsu chanting, and facing a loved one at the grave: together, this sequence offers a time of prayer distinct from an ordinary grave visit, unique to an autumn evening.
Event Details
Name: Mid-Autumn Moon Gagaku Evening
Date: September 27 (Sunday), 2026
Hours: 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM (planned)
Venue: Shinrin Koen Showa Jouen (196 Oya, Higashimatsuyama, Saitama)
Admission: Free
Schedule (planned):
- 5:00 PM: Buddhist service (in the main hall)
- 5:20 PM: Dharma talk
- 6:00 PM: Move to the tree burial area and 浄縁墓 / prayer and gagaku performance
- 6:30 PM: Scheduled end
Program: Three gagaku musicians perform in front of 浄縁墓 and the tree burial area.
Note: In case of rain, the gagaku performance will be held in the main hall only. Details are subject to change due to weather and other conditions.
Phone: 0493-39-3281 (Shinrin Koen Showa Jouen)
