Two and a half years before Tokyo Disneyland, the first international Disney theme park, opened, ground was broken in a very unique ceremony featuring members of Walt Disney Productions and the Oriental Land Company. The initial contract for the new park outlined that Walt Disney Productions would provide the design, master plan and technical advice and assistance, while the Oriental Land Company guaranteed the land, financing, and construction. So to formally initiate the project, both companies participated in a solemn Shinto purification ceremony–Kiri-Nusa-San-Mai–on the Tokyo Disneyland site. This site dedication served as the official groundbreaking, and construction of Tokyo Disneyland began.