Prayers for Peace in Each Country
Before the prayers for peace in each country and region, the video that was shown at the very beginning of the ceremony was played once more, featuring scenes of nature and people in prayer (including scenes of Fuji Sanctuary), with the text of Masami Saionji’s poem “Creation of the Universe” and the musical composition “Somewhere in Spring” by rocomoon.
Then, from an image of the blue planet Earth spinning in space, the video shifted to images from the continent of Asia, and then to the outdoor prayer field at Fuji Sanctuary, where Byakko staff members carried the flags of each country in Asia. One by one, each flag was presented in front of the camera as the country’s name was announced, and the word ‘peace’ in that country’s national language(s) was spoken aloud and displayed on screen (in its original script, and with Japanese and Roman alphabet pronunciations), for participants around the world to join in sending out wishes for peace in each nation.
When the flags of all Asian nations had been presented, a prayer for all of Asia was offered: May peace be in Asia. Then, the video moved on to scenes from the various countries in Australia and Oceania, followed by prayers for peace in the nations of this region. The same was done for Europe, North America, South America, and Africa, followed by a prayer for peace in “all the other regions of the world” (with a flag of the planet Earth). To close this program, the camera panned up to show the whole of Mount Fuji as seen from Fuji Sanctuary, with the prayer May peace prevail on Earth written across the screen and spoken aloud three times. The view of Mount Fuji lingered on screen, giving participants a chance to feel their connection with the divine essence of people all around the world.