On the morning of the 7th August in Nara City, the annual Ominugui (お身拭い) ceremony took place at Tōdai-ji (東大寺), in which the dust covering every part of the temple's principal object of worship, the Great Buddha (大仏), a National Treasure (国宝) representing Vairocana (盧舎那仏), was carefully removed. This long-standing summer tradition saw a year's worth of dust cleared from the statue's entire body, restoring its original black lustre. From early morning, around 170 monks and other participants purified themselves in the yuyas (湯屋) before donning pure white garments. Following the hakken (撥遣) ritual, in which the Buddha's spirit is symbolically removed, and the chanting of sutras, they climbed into gondolas suspended from the ceiling. From there, they gently brushed away the dust that had settled on the face and shoulders of the Great Buddha, which stands at around 15 metres in height. The floors of the Great Buddha Hall (大仏殿) and the central gate were also cleaned. Hiroyuki Onagi, a 53-year-old self-employed man visiting from Osaka City, looked up at the Great Buddha and remarked, "It's unusual to see a gondola suspended from the ceiling for cleaning."