. . . Kisai - special festivals

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Kisai - special festivals

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Observance

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Explanation

kisai 奇祭 may be translated in many ways

strange festival
weird festival
curious festival
unique festival
eccentric festival
festival with a bizarre or unusual ritual



often rendered as
tenka no kisai 天下の奇祭
a special festival "under the sky", in Japan.

. . . CLICK here for Photos !

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Many local festivals claim this name.
Many of the "Naked" and "Fire" festivals are counted among the very special ones.

Even in my area of Okayama we have "the last shaman of Japan".


. Gohoosai 護法祭 　
at temple Ryosan-Ji, Ohaga, Misakicho Japan

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日本五奇祭
There are also five very special festivals:

洛北大原社の雑魚寝
. Oohara zakone 大原雑魚寝 (おおはらざこね)
sleeping together at Ohara 　



江州筑摩社の鍋被り祭 Kooshuu Chikuma shrine
Nabe kaburi matsuri
and
. nabe kamuri matsuri 鍋冠祭りの "wearing a cooking pot" 　
Tsukuma Festival 筑摩祭 (つくままつり)



越中鵜坂社の尻たたき祭 Etchuu - Etchu Usakasha shrine
shiri tataki matsuri
and
. shiritataki matsuri 尻たたき祭 "hitting the bottom"
at Iwakura town, Kyoto　



. 常陸鹿嶋社の常陸帯の神事
Hitachi obi no shinji 　
Hitachi Belt Ceremony at Kashima Shrine


奥州の錦木 Ooshuu no nishiki ?


. . . . . and these are also listed

Onbashira Matsuri 御柱祭（長野県諏訪市、諏訪大社）
Shrine Suwa Jinja Nagano
. Suwa no onbashira matsuri 諏訪の御柱祭
festival of the Suwa shrine pillars 　



Namahage なまはげ（秋田県男鹿市）Namahage demons
Akita, Oga Peninsula
. Namahage なまはげ　on December 31 　



Yoshida no hi no matsuri 吉田の火祭り
（山梨県富士吉田市、北口本宮冨士浅間神社）
Yamanashi
. Yoshida Fire Festival
(Yoshida himatsuri, Yoshida chinkasai) 　


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Some of the "fighting festivals" are quite special.

kenka matsuri 喧嘩祭り

. WKD : Fighting Festivals


. Fuchu Fighting Festival 府中喧嘩祭
. . . . . and
Gomottomo sama 「ごもっともさま」ritual for the male symbol
Mitsumine shrine

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Eyoo 会陽（裸祭り）（岡山県岡山市、西大寺）
Naked Festival, Temple Saidai-Ji Okayama
. Saidaiji Eyo Naked Festival 　
Saidaiji Hadaka Matsuri 西大寺裸祭り
shuusei-e 修正会




黒石寺蘇民祭（裸祭り）（岩手県奥州市、黒石寺）
Kuroishi Kokuseki Soominsai Naked Festival
Iwate. Sominsai
. Kuroishi Hadaka Matsuri. 黒石裸祭
Naked Festival at Kuroishi 　




吉良川の御田祭（高知県室戸市、御田八幡宮）
Kiragawa no Onta Matsuri "Field Festival at Kirakawa"
Kochi, Muroto Town
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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裸押合大祭（新潟県南魚沼市、普光寺毘沙門堂
Hadaka Oshiai Matsuri
Niigata, Fukooji, Bishamon Hall


quote
This is the festival, with a 1,200-year history, to pray for a good harvest for the year. Daimyo-Gyoretsu (a procession of a lord & samurai warriors) leaves Honmachi Maruyama-mae at 1:40 pm for the temple.
The highlight of this festival is Hadaka-oshiai in which about 500 young men only in loincloths purify themselves by pouring cold water over them, and then jostle one another for catching Kifuda (wooden tablets of prize coupons) in Bishamondo (hall) for several times between 7 pm and 11 pm.
source : www.jnto.go.jp

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悪態まつり（茨城県笠間市、愛宕神社）
Akutai Matsuri "cursing festival"
Kasama Town, Atago Jinja

quote
Cursing festival.
Also called akkō matsuri (bad-mouthing festivals),
At the akutai matsuri of Atago Jinja in Iwama-chō, Nishi Ibaragi-gun, Ibaragi prefecture held on December fourteenth (formerly, the fourteenth day of the eleventh month of the lunar calendar), worshippers verbally abuse each other as they proceed to worship at Mt. Atago's mountaintop shrine. At the shrine they trade insults with a person impersonating a tengu (goblin of sorts that inhabits mountains). If one wins this exchange, it is believed that they will receive good fortune in the coming year.
Those who became angry as a result of these insults were told that their silkworm production would suffer in the new year.
source : Mogi Sakae 2006
Kokugakuin University.

. The Atago shrines of Japan .


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Shimada Obi Matsuri 島田帯祭 Belt Festival at Shimada
Shizuoka （静岡県島田市）




Every three years in mid-October, the Obi Matsuri (or Obi Festival) takes place in Shimada, Japan. The next Obi Festival is October 12 - 14, 2007.

quote
The Shimada Obi Festival dates back to 1695 when young brides traveled to Shimada and visited the town's Oi Shrine to pray for the birth of a healthy baby. Afterwards, while wearing their wedding obis (a sash) around their kimonos, they walked through Shimada and became a public attraction.

The young brides were shy about the attention and the town residents felt sorry for them. To protect their privacy but still display their obis, the residents created an affair similar to a fashion show at the Oi Shrine. Dancers displayed the obis on behalf of the brides and the event attracted parents of future brides and merchants.
source : www.suite101.com


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. Arai Handheld Fireworks
(Enshu Arai tezutsu hanabi) 遠州新居手筒花火 　


. Doro-uchi matsuri 泥打祭 (どろうちまつり)
mud-throwing festival 　
Aso Shrine, Fukuoka. March 28



. Furukawa no okoshi daiko 古川の起し太鼓
"wake-up drums from Furukawa" 　
April 19 / 20. Hida Furukawa, Gifu



. Shiritsumi matsuri 尻摘祭 hip-bumping festival
November 10, Otonashi Shrine, Ito, Shizuoka　



. Suhotei Festival 数方庭祭 .
August, Shrine Iminomiya 忌宮神社, Yamaguchi



. Tenpitsu yaki 天筆焼き burning "wishes to heaven 　
"hitting with bamboo poles", take uchi 竹打ち
during the : Ota Fire Festival 太田の火まつり, Daisen, Akita


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Hodare matsuri 越後のほだれ祭 Hodare festival of Echigo

Hodare in English is "male genitals", but if the character HODARE are used, the meaning then becomes "the ripening of rice ears".


TBA

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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way


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HAIKU

大寒に神輿を担ぐ奇祭かな
daikan ni mikoshi o katusgu kisai kana

carrying the mikoshi
in the great cold -
this special festival


at Sosogi Coast, Wajima 曽々木海岸
Purification in sea water in January on the
day of the great cold (daikan)

The young men carrying the palanquin are only wearing a loincloth.

Toneokijime 刀祢沖〆
source : toneokijime.net


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