It's unclear what the character '大' represents.

As Kūkai is often credited as creator, many have suggested it signifies the Shingon doctrine of 'Sokushin Jōbutsu' (即身成仏 lit. 'Becoming a Buddha in This Life').
Alternatively it might symbolize the 5 elements, or a human figure.

#Daimonji #大文字

Daimonji's (大文字) horizontal stroke is 80m long, the left sweep 160m and the right sweep 120m.
The character '大' means large or great, though it is unclear what it symbolises.

A little before 8pm the first fire (of 75 in total) is lit at the Kanao (金尾), Daimonji's heart.
#Daimonji #大文字

Reikan-ji (霊鑑寺) is named after a sacred mirror enshrined in its main hall. The mirror was a relic of Nyoi-ji (如意寺/如意輪寺), a wealthy temple complex that originally stood on the site and spread all the way across the mountain (Nyoigadake 如意ヶ嶽, aka Daimonji-yama 大文字).

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