Japanese Shinto ceremonial sand-digging in London celebrates start of British Library expansion

Japanese property developer Mitsui Fudosan recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the expansion of the British Library in London, incorporating a traditional Japanese Shinto ceremony known as chakko-shiki. The event took place in London near St. Pancras International Station and marked the start of a £1.1 billion (approximately 230 billion yen) expansion project.

The ceremony was attended by UK government officials, library leadership, and Mitsui Fudosan executives. As part of the tradition, a Shinto priest performed the jichinsai, a purifying ritual using rice wine, salt, and rice to pacify the local deities. The highlight of the ceremony, ugachi-zome, involved the symbolic first dig using a hoe or shovel into a small mound of sand.

The ceremony also included other traditional elements, such as the kuwaire-no-gi (hoe entry ceremony) and the sukiire-no-gi (shovel entry ceremony), which represented the leveling of the ground. The event concluded with the naorai, a closing feast where participants shared food and sake to receive blessings. This unique blend of Shinto tradition and modern construction practices highlights the importance of cultural customs in large-scale real estate developments.