Todaiji Buddha undergoes annual dusting ritual

The Buddha statue at Todai-ji temple in the Japanese ancient capital of Nara has undergone a traditional dusting.

The ceremonial service is held every year ahead of the Bon Buddhist festival when people welcome back their ancestors' spirits later this month.

At 7 AM on Sunday, about 150 Buddhist priests and others gathered for a ceremonial chanting of sutra.

The priests then climbed onto the hands and knees of the statue and carefully removed dust with brooms and dusters.

Some workers were raised on hanging chairs to clean the 15-meter-tall statue's head and shoulders.

Visitors took photos and videos of the unusual scene, as dust filled the temple hall.

A man from Osaka says he can really appreciate the size of the Buddha when people climb onto it. He said he is glad that he had a chance to see it being cleaned.