Sanzu River
"Kaihōgyō" practitioners are thought to represent a living Fudō Myōō, and each item of clothing symbolises this in some way. Practitioners wear a distinctive hat made from woven strips of hinoki wood, with both sides rolled up to make an oblong tube. Until they have completed their first 300 days, practitioners carry the hat under their left arm and are only permitted to wear it during rain. In case the monk dies while undertaking the practice, a coin called a "rokumon-sen" is kept in the hat to be used to pay for the ferry across the Sanzu River, the mythological river separating the living from the dead. White robes are worn, with this colour traditionally associated with death in Japanese culture. "Waraji" are worn as footwear, and "tabi" are permitted after the first 300 days have been completed. The "waraji" represent lotus petals, which buddhas and bodhisattvas are depicted as standing on in Buddhist iconography. Practitioners traditionally carry a dagger and hemp rope with which to kill themselves if they are unable to finish their practice.