Year-end sweeping begins at historic sites

Year-end cleaning got under way at Japan's historic monuments on Tuesday, in an annual ritual ahead of the New Year.

In Nikko, north of Tokyo, an event took place at Toshogu Shrine, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Shinto priests and maidens dressed in traditional costumes participated in the work.

At Yomeimon Gate, designated as a national treasure, they used long bamboo brooms and dusters to clean about 500 sculptures.

In Kyoto, about 800 Buddhist priests and followers gathered to sweep at Nishi-Honganji temple.

They beat the dust out of nearly 500 tatami mats in one of the temple halls, and used large fans to clear dust from the building.

Year-end cleaning at shrine and temple

Shrines and temples across Japan began their annual cleaning rituals on Monday ahead of the New Year.

At Tsurugaoka Hachimangu shrine in Kamakura, about 150 priests and shrine officials used five-meter long bamboo stalks to dust the beams and the upper parts of the shrine's pillars. The bamboo stalks were cut on a nearby mountain.

A shrine official says about 2.5 million visitors are expected during the first 3 days of the New Year.

In Gunma Prefecture, north of Tokyo, Buddhist monks also cleaned the Kashozan Mirokuji temple in Numata.
It is known as the temple of the teng -- long-nosed goblin-like creatures in Japanese folklore.

The temple houses many tengu masks that come in a variety of sizes from 10 centimeters up to more than 6 meters.