Winter Ascetic Practises

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Winter Ascetic Practises (kangyoo)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Late Winter
***** Category: Observance

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Explanation

Purification rituals of all kinds are common in Japan, from a simple shrine visit to a severe austere standing naked in prayer unter a cold waterfall or throwing buckets of water over your naked body in the temple ground.

Some of these acitivities occur as the last part of a winter ascetic retreat. Some are counted as "Spring asceticism" according to the Asian lunar calendar, some are part of a "Naked Festival" (hadaka matsuri).




Ascetic practises in the cold
winter ascetic pracitse, kangyoo 寒行（かんぎょう）
kan gori, kangoori 寒垢離 (かんごり) pooring cold water over yourself


kan segyoo 寒施行 (かんせぎょう) giving alms in the cold season
no segyoo 野施行（のせぎょう）placing food for the animals in the fields
ana segyoo 穴施行（あなせぎょう）placing alms food at the holes for animals
kitsune segyoo 狐施行（きつねせぎょう）placing alms food at the fox hole
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
Usually some red beans and fried tofu (abura age) were placed out for the animals.

kayu segyoo 粥施行（かゆせぎょう） offering gruel to the poor



Shrine or Temple visit in the cold,
kan mairi 寒参 (かんまいり)
kan moode 寒詣（かんもうで）



"naked visit", hadaka mairi 裸参（はだかまいり）
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praising Amida in the cold,
kan nenbutsu 寒念仏 (かんねぶつ)
Amida Prayer (Namu Amida Butsu)



The Demon saying his prayers in the cold
Oni no Kan Nenbutsu, a famous painting from Otsu.


Even on a tokkuri sake bottle 一升徳利




and on a hyotan 瓢箪 gourd



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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way



Waterfall Ascetism (taki shugyoo)


Naked Festivals (hadaka matsuri)


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HAIKU

寒垢離や首のあたりの水の月
kangori ya kubi no atari no mizu no tsuki

midwinter bathing--
his head, the moon
in the water

Issa
Tr. David Lanoue




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寒垢離や赤褌の男振り
kangori ya akafundoshi no otokoburi

ascetics in the cold !
the figure of a strong man
in his red loincloth
(Tr. Gabi Greve)

伊藤雄　Ito Takeshi
http://www.nhk.or.jp/haiku/html/haiku18-2-18.htm

. . . . . The Loincloth and Haiku


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闇を行く寒行僧の白づくめ
yami o yuku kangyoo zoo no shirozukume

only the white
of winter ascetic monks
walking in the dark

Tsukakoshi Shuukin 塚越秋琴
Tr. Gabi Greve




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Related words

***** The Loincloth (fundoshi) and Haiku

***** Naked Festivals (hadaka matsuri)

***** ***** Eihei-Ji Temple 永平寺 and Cold Zen


***** Saijiki of Japanese Ceremonies and Festivals
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