Every year, there is a memorial sevice on Setsubun, the day before the
beginning day of the Spring, to wish and pray for people's fortune and
health and also extinguishing misfortune and disaster. It is called Hoshiku.
This memorial service is aimed to cleanse each person's star. In Buddhist
terms, star represents one's fortune and it changes every year.
People are likely to think Yakuyoke-Kigan, a prayer of extinguishing
misfortune, is important only when one has Yakudoshi, a bad star's year
or the year before and after. However Hoshiku is a star festival also for
those who have a good star's year in order to enjoy a better fortune. Seiryuji
recommends a practice of this annual memorial service to those who have
a bad star'S year to escape from troubles and misfortunes, and to those
who have a good star's year to enjoy more happiness.