For more than 1, 000 years a Toyoma has chanted sutras and said prayers for those who live in this small community.

BBC: Hard times for Japan's temples

Then, for the next 90 minutes, the youngsters recite the teachings of the Great Sage, along with Buddhist sutras and Tang dynasty poetry.

CNN: Confucius is seen as a beacon in a changing world

His temple belongs to the Shingon sect, whose central rite is the fire ceremony, goma, in which novice monks burn pine branches and recite sutras for seven days.

CNN: ASIANOW - TIME Asia

Perhaps if he had, like Egyptologist Howard Carter, discovered gold, jewelry and other fabulous funerary objects during his exploration of the ancient overland road to China rather than musty books of Buddhist sutras (even if they did include the world's oldest known printed volume), his lasting fame might have been secured.

CNN: Books