First Fire Brigade Parade

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First Fire Brigade Parade (dezome)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: New Year
***** Category: Observance

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Explanation

During the Edo period, when people lived closely in wooden homes and used open fire for cooking, fires were especially terrible.Fire and fighting are the flowers of Edo (kaji to kenka wa Edo no hana) is an old proverb of these dangerous times.

Nowadays too, the first practise of the local fire brigades to protect local temples, shrines and homes is a noteworthy event everywhere. Edo, now Tokyo, is especially famous.

See FIRE, below.

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New Year's Parade of Firemen
New Year ceremony of fire brigades

..... shooboo dezome 消防出初（しょうぼうでぞめ）
dezome shiki 出初式（でぞめしき）
hatsu de 初出（はつで）、
..... first fire alarm bells, dezome gane 出初鐘（でぞめがね）、
..... first climbing of the ladders for an acrobatic performance, hashigo nori 梯子乗（はしごのり）

Click HERE for more photos !

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Dezome-shiki is a ceremony in which fire brigades and volunteer firemen gather at the beginning of the year to demonstrate their daily routines. In the city of Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture, the Dezome-shiki is performed at the start of the year at the shrine Takagi-jinja, the square in front of the town hall, and in front of Kumagaya Station.
Here, firemen dressed in period costumes from 100 years ago perform traditional hashigo nori, acrobatics performed atop ladders. Onlookers are kept in suspense by the skills of these firemen, who perform a succession of maneuvers using just one leg for support.
Copyright (c) Japan National Tourist Organization (JNTO)
http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/topics/saitama/jnto/83dn3a000000ajta.html


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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way

Wednesday, January 04, 2012

Fukushima construction workers
in New Year stunt

Construction workers in Minami Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture, have performed traditional stunts to encourage the city's recovery from the March disaster and nuclear accident.

About 30 workers pulled off acrobatic stunts atop a 6-meter ladder on Wednesday, the first working day of the year.



Spectators applauded when the first performer spread a banner saying "Rebuild Minami Soma."

The New Year's event has been held annually at a shrine in the city to pray for good health and safety at work.

But this year's festival took place at a parking lot of the city office, because the shrine is located within the no-entry zone around the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
source :　www3.nhk.or.jp


. Japan after the BIG earthquake March 11, 2011　.


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HAIKU

koko ni mata dezome kuzure no itari keri

here again
the fire brigade performance
is out of sync

Takahama Kyoshi
(Tr. Gabi Greve)

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四方の山見下ろしをりぬ出初式
yomo no yama mioroshi orinu dezome shiki

from all the four
mountains we look down -
first fire brigade performance

oshaberi haiku nikki
(tr. Gabi Greve)

Click on the LINK to see more:
http://blog.goo.ne.jp/fuuten-tora/d/20070107


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Related words

***** Fire (kaji)
kigo for all winter


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