Todaiji Temple Nigatsudo Akaiya Well House (Wakasaiya): Home of the Water-Drawing Rite
The Todaiji Temple Nigatsudo Akaiya Well House (Wakasaiya) (東大寺二月堂閼伽井屋（若狭井屋）, Akaiya) is a late Kamakura-period well house just below the Nigatsudō at Todaiji in Zoshicho, Nara City, Nara Prefecture, designated an Important Cultural Property in 1903.
Aka is water offered to the Buddha, and the Akaiya shelters the well that supplies it, the Wakasai. According to the temple, in the middle of the Nigatsudō's Shunie ceremony, late on the night of 12 March (around 1:30 a.m. on the 13th), monks draw sacred water, okōzui, from the Wakasai to offer to Kannon. This is the Omizutori, the water-drawing, whose name has come to stand for the whole ceremony.
The Building
The Todaiji Temple Nigatsudo Akaiya Well House is three bays by two, single-storey, with a gabled roof of clay tiles. The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the late Kamakura period (1275 to 1332).
The Nigatsudō itself burned during the Shunie in 1667 and was rebuilt two years later. The Akaiya escaped that fire and is older than the hall above it, so the place where the water is drawn has been sheltered by the same building since at least the Kamakura period.
Why the Well Is Named for Wakasa
Wakasa is the old province in what is now southwestern Fukui Prefecture. The tourism association of Obama city in Fukui relates the legend: when Jitchū, founder of the Shunie, summoned all the gods of Japan, the god Onyū Myōjin of Wakasa arrived late after fishing too long, and in apology made pure water spring up beside the Nigatsudō as an offering to Kannon.
Every year on 2 March, the Jingūji temple in Obama still performs the Omizuokuri, the water-sending, pouring sacred water into the Onyū River at Unose. The water is said to reach the Wakasai in the Akaiya ten days later, to be drawn up at the Omizutori on 12 March. The legend lives on in the well's name.
Why the Akaiya Is an Important Cultural Property
The Todaiji Temple Nigatsudo Akaiya Well House (Wakasaiya) was designated an Important Cultural Property in 1903, under the Ancient Shrines and Temples Preservation Law of the time, on the same day as the Nigatsudō Busshoya and the Hokkedō North Gate.
A well house tied directly to the Shunie rites and still standing in its Kamakura form is a rare survival. Around the Nigatsudō, several Kamakura buildings that support the ceremony remain together, including the Busshoya and the Sanrosho, and the Akaiya is the stage for its central rite.
Visiting the Akaiya
The interior of the Todaiji Temple Nigatsudo Akaiya Well House is not open, and the temple's visitor information lists no public access. You can see the outside free from the grounds below the Nigatsudō.
The water-drawing itself is closed to the public and takes place in the middle of the night. The area around the Nigatsudō is extremely crowded during the Shunie, and the temple posts guidance for visitors on its website, so check before going. Directions and admission for the rest of Todaiji are on the Todaiji Temple page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Nara
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Todaiji Temple Nigatsudo Akaiya Well House (Wakasaiya)
- [ Todaiji Great Buddha & Nara Park Deer Experience ]
Q&A
- What is the Todaiji Nigatsudo Akaiya Well House used for?
- It covers the Wakasai well, from which sacred water (okōzui) is drawn for Kannon during the Omizutori. Aka means water offered to the Buddha.
- When is the Omizutori held at the Todaiji Nigatsudo Akaiya Well House?
- Late on the night of 12 March, around 1:30 a.m. on the 13th, in the middle of the Shunie ceremony.
- When was the Todaiji Nigatsudo Akaiya Well House built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the late Kamakura period (1275 to 1332). It is older than the Nigatsudō, which burned in 1667 and was rebuilt.
- Why is the well at the Todaiji Nigatsudo Akaiya Well House called Wakasai?
- A legend says the god of Wakasa, late for the first Shunie, made water spring up there in apology. Obama city in Fukui still holds the Omizuokuri on 2 March.
- Can visitors go inside the Todaiji Nigatsudo Akaiya Well House?
- No. The interior is closed, but the outside can be seen free from the grounds below the Nigatsudō.
Basic Information
| Name | Todaiji Temple Nigatsudo Akaiya Well House (Wakasaiya) |
|---|---|
| Location | Zoshicho, Nara City, Nara Prefecture |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property |
| Year Designated | 1903 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 3 x 2 bays, single storey, gabled roof, clay tiles |
| Owner | Todaiji Temple |
| Public Access | Interior closed. Exterior visible free from the grounds |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): 東大寺二月堂閼伽井屋（若狭井屋）
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/2449
- Todaiji Temple: Shunie
- https://www.todaiji.or.jp/annual/event/shunie/
- Todaiji Temple: Nigatsudo
- https://www.todaiji.or.jp/information/nigatsudo/
- Wakasa Obama Tourism Association: Omizuokuri
- https://wakasa-obama.jp/special/wakasa-omizuokuri/
Last verified: 2026.10.02
