A ceremony to commemorate the dedication of the “Cosmic Dragon of the Universe” painting to the Yasaka Shrine was held on August 6 at 10am. A sign set up at the entrance ushered guests into the main hall, usually off-limits to the public, where the ceremony was solemnly held.

Shiozawa received the ceremonial Sakaki branch (tamagushi), and bowed in respect to the Shinto god, followed by the 70 other attendees. Sadly, taking pictures is forbidden is this sacred place so we don’t have any footage.

 Through this series of prayer ceremonies, the artwork was finally officially committed to the gods, and this was marked by a certificate presented to Shiozawa by the chief priest Nomura, at the end of the ceremony.

After about 20 minutes, we left the main hall and returned to the event hall where the Cosmic Dragon was on display, where we found more than 170 guests had gathered, far exceeding our expectations.

The works were in a room separated by glass windows, so most visitors were unable to see the purification, but everyone seemed satisfied, taking turns to view the works and taking commemorative photos before the purification ended.

In a glass-enclosed room, the Cosmic Dragon was purified by being showered in small white squares of paper confetti.

In the two places where this painting has been installed before, roof tiles have been blown away. Also, on the day it arrived at Yasaka Shrine, it even burst a water pipe. But it seems that things will finally calm down after today.

Afterwards, Shiozawa gave a speech to everyone and performed a hand pan piece, and the dedication ceremony came to a close.

A lunch party was also held that day, and people continued to visit the atelier until late into the night.