Mizukake Fudo of Ryusen-ji

Throwing water on the statue (mizukake, watering deities) is an old custom related to some Buddhist deities in Japan. In the photo is the statue of Fudō-myōō in Ryusen-ji, a temple in Meguro, Tokyo.

The tradition has a double meaning, offering water to the deity and the purification of the worshiper. The water is taken from a basin with a ladle, a wish is made and the water is thrown on the statue, hoping for the wish to be fulfilled...