Osaka and Hiroshima- In anticipation of the 750th Memorial for Shinran Shonin beginning in 2011 at Hongwanji (Kyoto), districts throughout Japan are conducting  Omachiuke (lit. to await) services and special programs, informing everyone of this upcoming historical event.
On March 4, the Kinki district held their Omachiuke observance at the Osaka-Jo Hall. The observance included the musical version of the Shuso Sango Saho (service style), a Commemorative Dharma talk entitled “Arigato,” presented by Rev. Michio Tokunaga (Professor Emeritus, Kyoto Women’s University and Hongwanji Kangaku scholar), and concluded with a special Memorial Concert.
Members of the Chugoku district gathered at the International Conference Center in Hiroshima, March 3-6, for the district Omachiuke service and commemoration events with the theme, “A gathering with Shinran Shonin”. The first day’s events included a special service, followed by a poetry reading, and closed with a concert by tenorist, Tsutomu Aragaki. The poems were selected from a national poetry contest with the theme, “the song of life,” and read by actors of the stage production performed during the commemoration. The production of Even an evil person attains birth, so it goes without saying that a good person will- the Ajatasatru within my heart and mind as expressed by Shinran was performed March 4-6.