Gifu Prefecture

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. Regional Festivals - From Hokkaido to Okinawa .

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Gifu Prefecture - 岐阜県

located in the Chūbu region of central Japan.[2] Its capital is the city of Gifu.[3]

Located in the center of Japan, it has long played an important part as the crossroads of Japan, connecting the east to the west through such routes as the Nakasendō. During the Sengoku period, many people referred to Gifu by saying, "control Gifu and you control Japan."

The area of Gifu Prefecture consists of the old provinces of Hida and Mino,
as well as smaller parts of Echizen and Shinano.

©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !


. Gifu - Entries of this BLOG .

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. Takayama Festivals 高山祭 Takayama Matsuri
.


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Nyuukawa Sukuna Matsuri にゅうかわ宿儺まつり
Sukuna Festival at Nyukawa .

November 3
celebrating the statue of Master Carver Enku 円空
Ryoomen Sukuna 両面宿儺 Sukuna with two faces


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External LINKS :

- Reference -

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Related words





. Regional Folk Toys from Japan - GANGU .　

. Regional Dishes from Japan - WASHOKU .


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Furukawa Drums

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Furukawa Drum Festival

***** Location: Gifu, Japan
***** Season: Late spring
***** Category: Observance

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Explanation

Furukawa no okoshi daiko
古川の起し太鼓 (ふるかわのおこしだいこ)
"wake-up drums from Furukawa"
Furukawa "drum" festival
Rousing Drum
Wakening Drum
okoshidaiko, okoshitaiko, okoshi taiko

April 19th and 20th, Hida Furukawa town
Kita-Wakamiya shrine

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© PHOTO :　mineo 20

quote
“Okoshi Daiko (Wakening Drum)” known in Japan as the most eccentric festival. This festival can be described as a combination of naked and fighting festival. Only this day, this quiet little town becomes tumult with the intense fights among naked men.

Then, on the following day, April 20, the atmosphere changes completely and graceful stalls parade around the town of Furukawa. Harmony of “Movement and Quietness”, this is the Furukawa Festival.

All of a sudden, you hear, “Boom! Thud! Boom!” You can feel the succession of pounding sounds of drums vibrating your body. Simultaneously, the large chorus of “Zenzenoko” celebratory song begins.




“Zenze no ko” song: 古川ぜんぜの子

Medeta Medeta no Wakamatsu Sama yo
(Let’s celebrate the young pine buds coming out)
Eda mo Sakaeru Ha mo Shigeru
(Its branches and leaves will grow)
Sore Tsuita tote Nanto sezu
(If everything is gone, it’s OK.)
Zenzenoko Sorya Manma no ko
(No money, nothing to eat)

They wear white headband, white “tabi (Japanese socks)” and stomach band made from bleached cotton. Hida in mid April is still chilly and blows cold wind at night, but it has no effect to their body heated with sake and high spirits. It is their proudest moment at the year of "Furukawa Yancha (Adventure)."


“Parade of Festival Floats” April 20
nine stalls that Furukawa people are proud of are lined up.

People in Furukawa often say, “Don’t say you saw the Furukawa Festival just by seeing the wakening drum.” Certainly, you cannot say you’ve seen the Furukawa Festival without experiencing the glorious stalls, Honraku Festival 本楽祭 （and “Mikoshi (portable shrine)” parade.

Hiding the remaining pain after the intense battle from previous night, the young men of Furukawa parade around the town pull these “Movable Youmei-Mon (gate)”.

The stall made by “Takumi (the Master)” of Hida from his heart and soul represents the traditional beauty and craft beauty, while magnificence and glorious, and profoundness and melancholy fuse at just right level.



At the night of Honraku Festival, the gloriously stalls decorated with gorgeous lanterns parade within the town showing the fantasy world.

MORE
source : www.city.hida.gifu.jp



There is a museum with the drums on display in Furukawa.

. Reference


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Things found on the way


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HAIKU


Furukawa drums -
rhythms from the heart
of old Japan

Nakayama Ishino


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Related words

***** . Furukawa Matsuri 古川祭（ふるかわまつり）
Naked Festivals of Japan 　


***** . Big Drums of Japan



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Mino Drum Festival

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Mino Festival (Mino matsuri)

***** Location: Gifu, Japan
***** Season: Late Spring
***** Category: Observance

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Explanation

Mino matsuri 美濃祭 (みのまつり) Mino festival

On April 14 and 15. Mino town, Gifu prefecture
八幡神社 岐阜県美濃. 美濃祭り




Town festival of the 'Hachiman' Shrine of Mino.
On the first day, over 30 portable shrines are decorated as 'Hana-mikoshi 花みこし' (flower-palanquins); more than 200 branches of attached flowers for 'hana-mikoshi' are made of 'washi' (Japanese paper) dyed a cherry colour and carried to the central shrine of the town by a joyful procession of young men gathered from several districts.

A parade of six gorgeous 'Yama 山車' (wheeled floats) with open-air stand of wind-up dolls takes place on the following day. 'Niwaka　流しにわか' (street comedy with teams of amateur comedians) entertains audience the evening of both days.
The floats date back to the Edo period, some have mechanical dolls on them 'karakuri ningyo からくり人形".
source : www.infomapjapan.com


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Things found on the way


. Washi paper from Mino


. WASHOKU - regional dishes from Mino and Gifu 　


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HAIKU




朧夜の町かどに聞く美濃仁輪加
oboro ya no machikado ni kiku Mino niwaka

on a hazy spring night
in all corners of Mino you hear
the festival songs

. Inahata Teiko　稲畑汀子



hazy spring night
every corner of Mino
floats the comedy skit
Tr. Makiko


. Discussing NIWAKA .
Translating Haiku Forum


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Mie-Ji Temple Festival

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Mie-Ji Temple Festival

***** Location: Gifu, Japan
***** Season: Mid-Spring
***** Category: Observance

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Explanation

Mie-Ji Matsuri 美江寺祭り Festival at Temple Mie-Ji March 1 (or March 6) (Mie-Dera, Miedera)



The temple belongs to the Tendai sect.

It used to be held on the last day of the first lunar month. It was celebrating that all rituals are finished (kechigan gyooji 結願行事.

Farmers prayed for a good harvest and for the health of the silk worms, which were a speciality in this region.

So another name for this festival is

o-ko matsuri 美江寺御蚕祭 みえでら‐おこまつり
silk worm festival

Since people got into a fight over the Shojo doll, it was also one of the
kenka matsuri 喧嘩祭り "fighting festivals" .


The festival starts in the morning with a fire ceremony, burning goma sticks 大護摩祈祷.
After the lunch break, there are concerts and making mochi ricecakes.

At three in the afternoon, a kagura dance performance and then
carrying the mikoshi palanquin and the Shojo float to a "travel rest place" (o tabisho togyo 御旅所渡行 / 渡御行列).

At four in the afternoon, the second highlight:




One large float with a shoojoo tripster, standing high with a white fan with a red sun, the Japanese symbol (shoojoo dashi 猩々山車) is the center of attention.
The Shojo trickster doll is taken from the float and "thrown around" 猩々投げ in the lucky direction of the year. Everyone fights to get a chip of the doll to carry home for good luck.

For a grand finale, mochi are thrown into the crowd 餅投げ and lucky lots are drawn.

By the way,
in our days, the silk worm business does not exist in this area any more.

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Mie-Ji is famous for its statue of a Kannon bosatsu with eleven heads, made of dry laquer technique (kanshitsu).
Mie-ji Kannon 美江寺観音





This temple is number 18 on the pilgrimage to 33 Kannon temples in Mino.
美濃三十三観音霊場

It is one of the oldest temples in Japan, founded in 723


HP of the temple, with more photos
http://www.mieji.jp/index.php?maturi



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Things found on the way


. Onishi Clay Daruma 尾西のだるま
sold at the local temple festivals, especially at temple Mie-Ji 美江寺.





蚕鈴 bell to protect the silk worms

If this clay bell was hung in the room where the silk worms were kept, the mice would not come to eat the worms.


. WKD : Silk and Silkworms 　



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source PHOTO :　tsuyo

Statue of Fudo Myo-O
in the temple compound.
Tsuyo san visited there in winter, have a look at the link!



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HAIKU

in the midst
of a crowd fighting ...
my mochi!

mie-ji festival
a clay bell sings
to the silk worm

Don Baird


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Related words

***** . Shoojoo Midare 猩々乱 Shojo Midare Dance

. Folk Toys from Gifu .


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Tanikumi Dance

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Tanikumi Dance, Tanigumi Dance (Tanigumi odori)

***** Location: Japan.
***** Season: Early Spring
***** Category: Observance

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Explanation

Tanikumi Dance, Tanikumi odori
谷汲踊 (たにくみおどり )
谷汲踊り

Kegonji 華厳寺（けごんじ） temple Kegon-Ji
岐阜県揖斐郡揖斐川町谷汲徳積 Tanigumi Hozumi, Ibigawa

This festival takes place on February 18 in the village Tanigumi in Gifu prefecture.

This festival has a history of more than 800 years to the war of the Genji and the Heike. The victorious soldiers celebrated the return to Kamakura with this dance, which was then called "Kamakura Dance, Kamakura odori 鎌倉踊".
During the Edo period this kind of dance was also performed to pray for rain at the local shrines.
This dance had become almost obsolete about 40 years ago, but was then revitalized by the villagers of Tanikumi. Now it is a great tourist attraction.

Dancers carry a large "shinai しない " on the back and a big drum of 70 cm diameter on the chest. Shinai is made from bamboo like the feathers of a "phoenix" bird. The dancers are acompanied by a special music troupe. They perform various dances called 道行き, 車切り, 馬車, 拍子, 倉間, ひねり and others.

People a wish for an abundant harvest. The festival takes place at the temple Kegonji (Kagenji) 華厳寺（けごんじ） and in front of the station of Tanikumi village.





Reference in Japanese

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Temple Kegonji 華厳寺 （けごんじ）
This temple is the last of a pilgrim's route to 33 Kannon Temples in Western Japan

Saigoku Sanjusan kasho Meguri (Western Japan)

The Temple Prayer

万世の 願いをここに 納めおく 水は苔より 出る谷汲

manyoo no negai o koko ni osame oku
mizu wa koke yori deru Tanikumi


External Links
Photos of Kegonji


Tanikumi Kannon, life doll .PDF
made by MATSUMOTO Kisaburo (1826-1892)



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CLICK for more photos !

koke no mizu Jizoo 苔の水地蔵尊 / 苔ノ水地蔵］
Jizo Bosatsu with water and moss

Pilgrims wet a part of Jizo where their own body hurts and plaster a paper amulet on this place with the prayer to get well soon. Now the Jizo looks almost like a mummy.

in the hall Oizuridoo 笈摺堂 Oizuri-Do, a small hall in the back of the temple compound.
This hall is famous, because the tenno Hanayama 花山法皇 (968 - 1008) dedicated some poems to it. The most famous is Oizuru 笈摺 (Cleaning the bucket of a pilgrim).

This hall is now the last of the pilgrimage of 33 Kannon Temples in Western Japan 西国三十三所巡礼.
It is also famous for offerings of 1000 folded paper cranes (senbazuru 千羽鶴), as a play of sounds with
orizuru 折鶴 (folded cranes) - oizuri 笈摺

LOOK at many photos !
- source : kappanda.blog.so-net.ne.jp -



. Amulets to heal a disease .


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HAIKU



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Related words

***** Grains, the five grains (gokoku) Harvest Prayers

***** ... Rain Rituals (amagoi)

***** ... Kamakura, a Haiku Town in Japan



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