Showing posts with label Autumn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Autumn. Show all posts

10/26/2011

Suhotei Yamaguchi

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Suhotei Festival (Suppootei matsuri )

***** Location: Yamaguchi
***** Season: Early Autumn
***** Category: Observance


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Explanation

Suppootei Matsuri 数方庭祭 (すっぽうていまつり)
Suhotei Festival

also read
zuootei ずおうてい / suhooden すほうでん / suhootei すほうてい

at the shrine Iminomiya Jinja in Yamaguchi
忌宮神社, 山口県下関市長府宮の内町1-18

August 7 to 13



This is the oldest shrine in the city of Chofu.
Chofu is about 8 km northeast of Shimonoseki.
The shrine was built in 646, when the local government was set up in this region.
The whole region was under the governance of the Mori family of Yamaguchi for a long time to come in the Edo period.




This is the most important and remarkable festival in Chofu town.

Rituals are held every night during the festival in August. The participants balance long bamboo poles of more than 20 meters with attached banners around a large stone (demon stone 鬼石 oni ishi ) in the shrine compound.


source : iminomiya.htm

Accompanying musicians with drums and gongs provide the rythm and sound, while the carriers shout "Wawassei, wawassei" ワワセイ ワワセイ.


quote
This "Jinja" has a long history. It is said that the historic shrine was built around 200 A.D. by the legendary Empress Jingû to commemorate the death of her husband, Emperor Chûai.


Innomiya Jinja hosts a unique festival "Suhôtei Matsuri" which was designated by Yamaguchi Prefecture as intangible cultural property. Every year, between August 7 and 13, local people gather at the shrine to walk around a giant stone with very tall bamboo labrums attached to their body. This year, about 200 people participated the festival (besides a lot of spectators) and the tallest labarums was 30m high, and weighed 100kg...

... the matsuri also dates back to the 2nd century. The curious rite is said to imitate the victory dance after central Japan-based Yamato government's win against allied forces of south Japan-based Kumaso and then eastern Korea-based Silla, which attacked from the air, riding black cloud.
The emperor Chûai played the central role in that war, legend says. People used to use pikes and fauchards, but they were replaced by bamboo at the end of 18th century by order of the feudal lord.
source : kyokuyoshipyard.com


The land of Kumaso 熊襲 today Kumamoto Prefecture.
古代九州西南部 -〈熊曾の国〉

. Kumamoto Prefecture - 熊本県 and haiku .

- quote
... a new post “New Research on the Kumaso, Hayato” in which it says the Austronesian theory of origin for Hayato and Kumaso is wrong. The poster writes that “the Yamato who were genetically linked to the Kumaso and Hayato invaded Kyushu to expand their empire”.
Citing Dr. Ryu Otani’s book “The Kumaso”, we read:
“There is absolutely no evidence, genetically, to show the Kumaso or Hayato were separate in lineage or language from the rest of Shikoku or Honshu. They were simply the indigenous people of Kyushu. Both the Kumaso and Hayato inhabited areas all over the island of Kyushu… The Kumaso were generally highlanders and the Hayato were generally lowland dwelling people. Kumaso and Hayato were brothers of the Yamato.” The blog also says that “Archaeology and testing show a definite link to Hayato and Kumaso being influenced at the same times as the rest of Japan’s archipelago by the Sinic people of China and Korea. … It also shows the Hayato and Kumaso were genetically linked to the rest of Japan, barring the Ainu of Hokkaido who are actually the sole people of Japan that are genetically different from the rest of the Japanese people. (92)

- source : heritageofjapan.wordpress.com


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Main festivals at Iminomiya Shrine:
January 15th: Bushasai Festival
March 28th: Sanshu-sai Festival
April 3rd: Island Festival
August 7th-13th: Suhoteisai Festival
November 3rd: Mikka-sumo
December 7th-15th: Oimi-sai Festival

source : www.iminomiya-jinjya.com


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source : encoo.fc2web.com

Ema votive tablet for Shichi-Go-San
Festival for Children in November



kootsuu anzen 交通安全ステッカー Amulet for traffic safety



kaiun yakuyoke 開運厄除御守 for good luck
and avoiding evil influence





hada mamori 肌守り amulet to keep on your skin
for protection from evil

MORE amulets from this shrine
source : iminomiya-jinjya.com


. Amulets and Talismans from Japan . 


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Festivals of Shimonoseki Town
source : www.city.shimonoseki


Summer Events in Shimonoseki
source : pref.yamaguchi.lg.jp


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Related words

***** . Shichigosan (shichi go san) Seven-Five-Three Festival  


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10/22/2011

Heian Matsuri

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Heian Festival (Heian matsuri)

***** Location: Kyoto
***** Season: Late Autumn
***** Category: Observance


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Explanation

Heian matsuri 平安祭(へいあんまつり)Heian festival
Jidai matsuri 時代祭 (じだいまつり) "Festival of the Ages"


October 22

The central event in the festival is the Jidai Gyoretsu, a resplendent procession. In the procession, participants wear costumes representing the styles of each historical period starting with 1868 when the capital was transferred from Kyoto to Tokyo and going backward to 794 when the capital was moved to Kyoto.

Led by a gallet fife and drum corps, the sumptuous and gorgeous procession comprises about 2,000 people and extends for about 2 km (1.24 miles). The spectacle also includes the charming junior geisha (maiko) and women dressed in the beautiful kimono of the imperial court. Proceeding along a 4.5km (2.8 miles) route (Miyako-Oji) from the Kyoto Imperial Garden to Heian Shrine, the parade lasts for nearly five hours.
source : web-japan.org


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The Heian period (平安時代, Heian jidai)

is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185.[1] The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyōto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Taoism and other Chinese influences were at their height. The Heian period is also considered the peak of the Japanese imperial court and noted for its art, especially poetry and literature. Although the Imperial House of Japan had power on the surface, the real power was in the hands of the Fujiwara clan, a powerful aristocratic family who had intermarried with the Emperor of Japan.
Heian (平安) means "peace and tranquility" in Japanese.
Buddhism began to spread throughout Japan during the Heian period, primarily through two major esoteric sects, Tendai and Shingon.

Literature
Although written Chinese (Kanbun) remained the official language of the Heian period imperial court, the introduction and wide use of kana saw a boom in Japanese literature. Despite the establishment of several new literary genres such as the novel and narrative monogatari (物語) and essays, literacy was only common among the court and Buddhist clergy.

The lyrics of the modern Japanese national anthem, Kimi ga Yo, were written in the Heian period, as was The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu, one of the first novels ever written. Murasaki Shikibu's contemporary and rival Sei Shōnagon's revealing observations and musings as an attendant in the Empress' court were recorded collectively as The Pillow Book in the 990s, which revealed the quotidian capital lifestyle. The Heian period produced a flowering of poetry including works of Ariwara no Narihira, Ono no Komachi, Izumi Shikibu, Murasaki Shikibu, Saigyō and Fujiwara no Teika.
The famous Japanese poem known as the Iroha (いろは), of uncertain authorship, was also written during the Heian period.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !




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quote
Kyoto holds "Festival of the Ages"
October 22, 2011

A parade of 2,000 people wearing Japanese costumes from various historical periods was held in Kyoto on Sunday.
A crowd of about 50,000 watched the procession along a 4.5-kilometer course from the Kyoto Imperial Palace to the Heian Shrine.
The Jidai Matsuri is one of the city's 3 biggest festivals. It started in 1895 when Kyoto celebrated the 1,100th anniversary of its founding in the Heian period.
Sunday's parade was led by a military band dressed in the style of the Meiji era in the late 19th century. The next group represented the popular revolutionaries who helped organize the Meiji Restoration in the closing days of the Edo period, which ended in 1867.
At the end of the parade were women in elaborate costumes from the Heian period.

Survivors of the March 11th disaster who are living in Kyoto were invited to watch the parade.
A woman said she had to evacuate her hometown in Fukushima Prefecture because of the accident at the Fukushima nuclear plant, but the beautiful parade made her feel less homesick.
source : NHK news 2011

. Japan after the BIG earthquake March 11, 2011 .


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Heian Jinguu 平安神宮 Heian Jingu Shrine

Heian Shrine in Sakyō-ku, Kyoto ...
In late January, a festival celebrates the memory of Emperor Kōmei; and in early April, a festival in honor of Emperor Kammu is a yearly occurrence.[

On October 22, Heian-jingū hosts the Jidai Matsuri, which is one of the most important festivals of Kyoto. The procession of this festival begins at the old Imperial palace, and includes carrying the mikoshi (portable shrines) of Emperors Kanmu and Kōmei to the Heian-jingū.

The Shrine is used for traditional Japanese weddings as well as concerts. It is popular but rare for a modern concert to be held at a historic site like the shrines, but merging modern and old culture in Kyoto has become a trend.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !

- - - - - English HP of the Shrine - Heian Jingu Shrine

source : www.heianjingu.or.jp

. Japan - Shrines and Temples .


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HAIKU





腰細の時代祭のやっこかな
koshiboso no jidai matsuri no yakko kana

the slender waist
of a court lady -
Festival of the Ages






時代ごと衣の変わりゆく秋の暮れ
jidai goto i no kawari-yuku aki no kure

with each period
the robes also change -
end of autumn


And some more by Kusa Wakaba
source : 草若葉


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Related words

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. The Heian Period 平安時代 Heian jidai (794 - 1185) .
- Introduction -

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2/14/2011

Degawari for servants

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Migrating servants (degawari)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Mid-spring and mid-autumn
***** Category: Observance


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Explanation

After the New Year ceremonies, the old servants were replaced by younger ones.
The old ones had to leave their employers and return to their home villages.
The young ones traveled toward the nearby towns to find employment.

CLICK for more photos

degawari 出代 (でがわり) migrating of the servants
exchange of the servants
..... 出替(でがわり)
igasane 居重ね(いがさね)、inari 居なり(いなり) staying as a servant
shinzan 新参(しんざん)newcomer, new hand
gozan 古参(こさん)an old-timer, senior servant
choonen 重年((ちょうねん)senior staff

o-memie 御目見得(おめみえ) probation time of the new servants


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kigo for mid-autumn

nochi no degawari 後の出代 (のちのでがわり)
migrating of the servants in autumn

.... aki no degawari 秋の出代(あきのでがわり)


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not kigo
People from the countryside went to the towns to make a bit of money during the slow seasons.


degawari is short for 出替り奉公人
servants employed for a short time, less than one year
degawari hookoonin

zue, hanki-i 半季居(ずえ) for half a season
ikki-i hookoo 一季居奉公 for one season

fudai hookoo 譜代(ふだい)奉公 servants for a longer time
nenkiri hookoo 年切(ねんきり))奉公 servants for one year

shiyoonin 使用人 servant

bukebookoo 武家奉公 servant of a samurai
dechibookoo, detchibookoo 丁稚(でっち)奉公 servant of a merchant

kogai 子飼(こがい) child in employment

nenkibookoo 年季奉公 servant for a special time,
where his owner (parents) got money

degawari was often done by the oldest son or daughter of a family to learn something in Edo or a nearby town.

Later they were called

wakatoo 若党(わかとう)
chuugen 中間(ちゅうげん)
komono 小者(こもの)
zooritori 草履取(ぞうりとり)(keeper of the straw sandals of his master)

The story of young Hideyoshi, who kept the sandals warm in his busom pocket for the lord Nobunaga and later made a career as the shoogun of Japan is quite well known.


bantoo 番頭 head clerk
at a mercantile establishment
He was the leader of all the servants in a merchant home and had to take all the responsibility of a manager, doing the bookkeeping as well.
In Samurai estates, he was also called bangashira.
If there were more than one bantoo in a store, one was the "Big bantoo" oobantoo 大番頭. He also worked as a leader for the neighbourhood security forces.


hyakunin bantoo 百人番頭 "bantoo leading 100 servants"



. yakko 奴 simple workers in a daimyo estate
yakko shoogatsu 奴正月(やっこしょうがつ)
New Year holiday for the yakko servants
kigo for the New Year




ashigaru 足軽 (あしがる) "light on the feet"
lightly armed warrior-servants
They had to carry the spears, bows and arrows and other weapons.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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ashigaru bentoo 足軽弁当 lunch for an ashigaru
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


"dechi yookan, detchi yookan 丁稚ようかん (でっちようかん)" "jelly for servants"
from Fukui prefecture


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Some haiku by Kobayashi Issa
(Tr. David Lanoue)


出代の市にさらすや五十顔
degawari no ichi ni sarasu ya gojuu kao

a laid-off servant at market--
his fifty year-old face
exposed



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haiga by Nakamura Sakuo


出代や江戸の見物もしなの笠
degawari ya edo no kembutsu mo shinano-gasa

migrating servants -
in Edo, too
Shinano's umbrella-hats


Issa's home province was Shinano.




大原に出代駕の通りけり
oohara ni degawari kago no toori keri

across the wide plain
a migrating servant
in a palanquin



Palanquin, sedan chair (kago 篭 or かご)




門雀なくやいつ迄出代ると
kado suzume naku ya itsu made degawaru to

gate's sparrow singing--
until when
a migrating servant?



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出代や六十顔をさげながら
degawari ya rokujuu-zura o sagenagara

looks sixty
but proud of his latest
temporary job

Tr. Chris Drake


This hokku is from Issa's own handwritten collection of his hokku that contains hokku from many years. It must be a spring hokku, since the shogunate mandated that job changes for one-year temporary workers should take place in the third month (April) and for six-month temporary workers in the third and ninth months (April, October), and only the spring and summer sections of Issa's handwritten collection remain. There were many kinds of medium-length temporary work, with the two most common being a worker in a wholesale or retail business or a low-ranking live-in household servant. The pay was very low, though living costs were covered, and in businesses there was the possibility of promotion to a semi-permanent or permanent position. Since there was a constant influx of people from poor farming areas into the city of Edo looking for work, wages stayed low, and usually those who did find work either remained for several years in order to save up a little money before they returned to their hometowns or became Edoites and settled in the big city.

The man in Issa's hokku seems to be a migrant who has settled down and is now an Edo resident. For many years he's been working for one employer after another, changing either once or twice a year. He's never been able to find a permanent job, and he seems to have no special skill to sell, yet he is content to keep on changing and accepting pitiful wages the way a desperate young man would. To many people he appears shameless and thick-faced, since at sixty he should be dignified or at least above doing unskilled manual labor, but the man has learned not to be bothered by the negative opinions of others. Apparently his sixtyish face even looks a bit happy or at least relieved at finding a new job as an odd jobs man or a servant, though his nonchalance and lack of concern for social status make some people feel uneasy.

Issa himself was sent to Edo at fourteen by his father, presumably to become an apprentice or servant for several years, and he knew how hard and unrewarding such work was. For example, there were only two regular one-day vacations a year, around New Year's and during the early fall O-Bon festival of returning souls. In this 1822 hokku Issa evokes someone who wishes he (or she) could enjoy life in Edo a little bit:

de-gawari ya edo kembutsu mo shinano-gasa

changing jobs again --
he wears a country hat
but can't see the sights


The broad-rimmed rush or straw hat of the part-time worker from the country is actually a "Shinano hat," since the man is from Issa's home province. Unlike short-time visitors to Edo from Shinano and other rural areas, this part-time worker has no time to see the sights of the city, many of which are especially beautiful in the third month, when the cherries and other trees and plants are in bloom. As soon as his contract is up at one place, he must go to the temporary-job market and hustle to find a new employer. The man lives in Edo, yet he knows little more than the insides of the houses or shops in which he's lived and worked. And he can't even afford a stylish new hat of the type popular in Edo. Surely Issa marvels at the persistence and endurance (and cheerfulness?) shown by a man who continues to do this hard, demanding work past sixty, something he couldn't do himself. Luckily he discovered haikai instead.

Chris Drake

. Kobayashi Issa 小林一茶 in Edo .


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Related words

***** yabuiri, yabu iri, yabu-iri 薮入 servant's holiday
Sainichi 斎日, さいにち Fasting day, sixteenth day
kigo for the NEW YEAR



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kigo for early autumn

***** nochi no yabuiri 後の薮入 (のちのやぶいり)
"next holiday for the servants"

aki no yabu-iri 秋の薮入(あきのやぶいり)
servant holidays in autumn

It used to be the 16th day of the 7th lunar month, related to Tanabata and O-Bon.

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10/14/2010

Nada Kenka Matsuri

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Nada Fighting Festival (Nada no Kenka Matsuri)

***** Location: Himeji, Hyogo
***** Season: Late Autumn
***** Category: Observance


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Explanation

October 14th and 15th
Matsubara Hachiman Shrine
Shirahama-cho Ko, Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture

姫路 松原八幡神社


灘のけんか祭り

This is the biggest "fighting festival" in Japan.

The night of the tenth lunar month was the full moon night of Autumn in the Asian lunar calendar.

CLICK for more photos

quote
Portable shrines fiercely jolted against one another produce breathtaking scenes befitting a 'Fighting Festival'

It came to be called by this name, Kenka Matsuri or 'Fighting Festival' because the mikoshi (portable shrines) are jolted against one another when carried on the shoulders of the men in the parade.

There are no detailed rules or opponents for the vehement collisions of the portable shrines. As soon as the portable shrines are set properly on the men's shoulders and everyone is ready, they are knocked against one another at random, and the moment a portable shrine is hoisted on top of another, the contest is over.

The greatest attraction is the struggle among 3 portable shrines when men over 35 wearing white headbands, those of 26-35 with yellow headbands and youths under 26 marked by red headbands, holding bamboo poles in their hands, join in the fight. A vehement struggle unfolds but this is in no way a fight between the men. This festival, which is the largest of the numerous fighting festivals held nationwide, is not only famous in Japan but is also becoming widely known overseas.

The highlight of this festival is Yatai-neri, the parade of "yatai", festival floats, gorgeously decorated with wood carving, gold and silver handiwork and embroidered curtains. The yatai are carried on the shoulders of men and are surrounded by the men holding "shide" (bamboo poles decorated with colorful paper) in their hand. As dusk sets in, illuminations on each of the yatai are lit.
source : www.jnto.go.jp


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There are seven districts of the town which carry their own highly decorated portable shrines (yatai 屋台) in the procession. The shrines are very heavy and are pulled and pushed on wheels. More than 3000 men take part in the various processions, and all children are proud when they are allowed to participate for the first time.
A famous group of lion dancers and drums accompany the procession.
The yatai come from 木場、松原、八家、妻鹿、宇佐崎、中村. The seventh village group does not participate, but carries the three large banners of the deities.
The yatai rub each other (neriawase 練り合わせ). When it gets dark, each yatai is decorated with lanterns.


CLICI for original link and more photos
三の丸・一の丸・二の丸 Boat three, one and two

The three portable shrines for the final fighting are much lighter and made for destruction. Every year before the festival it takes their bearers about one month to repair them, only to carry them out on the festival day to be destroyed again.
The three "boats" carry the three deities

Hondawake no mikoto 品陀和気命(ほんだわけのみこと)- Ojin Tenno (son of Jingu) in the center (later to be deified as Hachiman)

Okinagatarashi hime no mikoto
息長足姫命(おきながたらしひめのみこと)
- Emperess Jingu on the left

Hime Ookami 比咩大神(ひめおおかみ)- wife of Hachiman

The legend of the shrine tells about a fisherman from Mega, who found a plank on the shore with the inscription "Great Bosatsu Hachiman"
八幡大菩薩 and a shrine was erected to honor this plank, which was supposed to come from Usa Jingu. (See Jingu, link below.)

. . . . .


The origin of these fighting mikoshi, which are counted boats (maru) in this shrine, dates back to the Emperess Jingu Kogo 神功皇后 (Jinguu Koogoo), who was on a war expedition against Korea when she passed Himeji. The boats of her entourage were covered with oyster shells and she thought a quick way to remove them would be to bang and rub the boats against each other.
Today's "fight" is in memory of this legend.




On the evening before the main festival (yoi miya 宵宮, yoi no miya 宵の宮), all the portable shrines are paraded around town and to the main shrine. Before participating, the men have to take an ablution in the cold waters of the sea at Shirahama 白浜町.


On the second day of the festival (honmiya 本宮) the portable shrines first carried around to "wipe off the dew" (tsuyu harai 露払い), together with the lion dancers and drums.


CLICK for more photos

Then they are carried up a steep slope in the west of the compount, to a "travel station" 御旅山 with the main Hachiman Shrine as an offering for the deities.
When coming back they have to pass the Sakura Gate of the Shrine, which is so low that part of the roof decoration has to be taken down before they can pass and get the blessing of the Shinto priest.

When they are back in the shrine compound, the real fight of the three boats begins, often lasting until late in the night, until all the boats are brought to fall on the ground. The men are quite exhausted from carrying the heave loads all day long, but they never give up.


CLICK for more photos

The portable shrine bearers are called "neriko 練り子. They wear a special amulet in the color of their group around their arms 腕守り, given to them by mother or wife, for protection against injuries in the heavy battles. A nearby hospital is on stand-by just in case. There have been two cases of death by being crushed in recent years.



CLICK for more photos

Many visitors are lined up in seats around the main "arena" in the temple ground and along the roads.


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. Emperess Jingu and the Hachiman Cult  

. Jingu Kogo 神功皇后 and Japanese Dolls .


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灘けんか祭 Nada Kenka Matsuri



秋晴を来る総代の黒羽織
akibare no kuru soodai no kuro haori

in autumn sunshine
the representatives in their
formal black coats

Asazuma Chikara 朝妻力
source : 俳誌のsalon


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Related words

***** WKD : Autumn Festival (aki matsuri)


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10/09/2010

Otsu Matsuri

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Otsu Festival (Ootsu matsuri)

***** Location: Otsu, Japan
***** Season: Autumn
***** Category: Observance


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Explanation



Ootsu Matsuri 大津祭 Otsu festival, Otsu Matsuri

Nishi no miya matsuri 四宮祭(しのみやまつり)
Festival of shrine Nishi no Miya


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Otsu matsuri poster


quote
One of Shiga's major festivals featuring thirteen ornate floats displayed and paraded around central Otsu over two days before Sports Day, a national holiday around Oct.

The first day of the festival has the floats parked and displayed on the streets and lit up at night. The first day of the festival is called Yoimiya . 宵宮

During the first day, the karakuri mechanical puppets are removed from the floats and displayed on street level. The karakuri ningyo puppets are a major highlight of the floats and festival. The puppets perform on the floats during the procession. karakuri ningyoo からくり人形

The Otsu Matsuri has thirteen floats called hikiyama. Each one belongs to a different neighborhood in central Otsu. Each float has a name and features ornate carvings, tapestries, paintings, and other art work. 曳山


In 1596, Shiouri Jihei (塩売 治兵衛) wore a tanuki mask and danced during a Tenson Shrine festival. People liked his dancing so much that they built a float two years later and Jihei danced on it.

Tapestry designated as an Important Cultural Property.
The Trojan War (from Greek mythology) is depicted.

The second day of the Otsu Matsuri Festival is called the Honmatsuri, featuring a procession of the thirteen floats as the festival climax. The highlight are the performances by the karakuri mechanical dolls on the floats. 本祭り

They also threw chimaki to the crowd. Chimaki are small bundles of straw wrapped with a thin hand towel. They were all blessed by Tenson Shrine. ちまき

With many splendid photos
source : photoguide.jp


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On each float, there are three types of musical instruments.
The gong is played by young schoolchildren, the big drum is hit by older schoolchildren and the flute is played by students and grown-ups.

The mechanical devices are moved by four young boys, who crawl inside the doll and move the spear or the water, for example.

To turn such a large float in the small streets of Otsu, the float is stopped and then the front part lifted to drag it around at an angle to reach the next small street.

The floats are constructed each year from the parts, it takes about one week to finish them, like a puzzle with wooden joints only.


shrine Nishinomiya 四宮神社 / Tenson 天孫(四宮)神社
shrine Tenson Jinja 天孫神社


. . . CLICK here for Photos !



Reference : Otsu Matsuri


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Otsu Hikaru-kun おおつ光ルくん

In memory of Hikaru Genji, the hero of the Tales of Genji.
He is even on pudding and other food items.


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Otsu Chimakichi ちま吉 for good luck
chimaki are a food item for good luck in the coming year, rice wrapped in gree leaves. In Otsu, even the tramway is green.


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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way



. Otsu-E 大津絵 Illustrations from Otsu    



. The Tale of Genji, Genji Monogatari ... and haiku  

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Ootsu matsuri no dashi 大津祭りの山車 festival float



They are made from strong cardbord (ボール紙), like the float toys from Nagahama.
But they are not made any more.


. Shiga Prefecture Folk Art - 滋賀県 .

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HAIKU




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Related words

***** . Karakuri ningyoo からくり人形 mechanical dolls .


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8/15/2010

Governor promotion (tsukasameshi)

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Governor promotion

***** Location:
***** Season: Spring and Mid-Autumn
***** Category: Observance


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Explanation


kigo for the New Year / Spring

agatameshi no jimoku 県召除目 (あがためしのじもく)
Giving first orders to local governors

..... 県召の除目
..... agatameshi 県召(あがためし)
..... haru no jimoku 春除目(はるのじもく)governor promotion in spring

Usually from the 11 to the 13th day of the first lunar month.

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kigo for mid-autumn

tukasameshi 司召 (つかさめし)
governor promotion (in autumn)

aki no jimoku 秋の除目(あきのじもく) governor promotion in autumn
kyookan jimoku 京官除目(きょうかんじもく)governor promotion in Kyoto


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At the imperial court of the Heian period, new orders of appointment for governors to the provinces were given twice a year, at New Year (spring in the lunar calendar) and autumn.
The Minister of the Left (Sadaijin 左大臣) was responsible for these appointment ceremonies.

It was quite an honor for an official to be appointed governor of a province, even if it was far away from the capital of Kyoto.



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Things found on the way



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HAIKU


CLICK for more photos

拝すとて烏帽子落すな司めし
haisu tote eboshi otosu na tsukasa meshi

at the audience
don't drop your official hat -
governor's promotion


Tan Taigi 炭太祇 (たんたいぎ)


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司召家庭のおしいかほりけり  
tsukasameshi katei no oshii kahori keri

Koshu 古洲

source : satoyamanokai.blog


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Related words


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4/10/2010

Suwa and Misayama

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. 諏訪神社 Suwa Shrines and their Legends .
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Suwa and Misayama

***** Location: Nagano, Japan
***** Season: See below
***** Category: Observance


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Explanation

Suwa Shrine 諏訪大社 Suwa Taisha and the
Lower Suwa Shrine, Misayama 御射山
Shinano, now Nagano prefecture

There are seven wonders in the area, relevant for our kigo is this one:

Hoya-no no Sanko 穂屋野の三光:
The three rays in Hoyano


It is believed that the three rays from the sun ,the moon and a star are to be seen at the same time from the former Misayama Shrine (旧御射山社).
See below.



quote
Suwa taisha (諏訪大社), or Suwa Grand Shrine, is a Shinto shrine in Nagano prefecture, Japan. Over 1200 years old, it is one of the oldest shrines in existence, and is mentioned in the Kojiki, an 8th century text. It consists of four building complexes, the Maemiya (前宮, lit. old shrine), the Honmiya (本宮, main shrine), the Harumiya (春宮, spring shrine), and the Akimiya (秋宮, autumn shrine).
source : wikipedia

南方刀美神社 Minakatatominokami no yashiro

- - - Enshrined deities:
Tateminakata no Mikoto 建御名方命
Yasakatome no Mikoto 八坂刀売命


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kigo for early spring

Suwa no onbashira matsuri
諏訪の御柱祭 (すわのおんばしらまつり)
festival of the Suwa shrine pillars

onbashira matsuri 御柱祭(おんばしらまつり)"Suwa Pillar Festival"
Suwa matsuri 諏訪祭(すわまつり)Suwa festival
onbashira satobiki 御柱里曳(おんばしらさとびき)


CLICK for more photos

quote
Onbashira (御柱祭) is a festival held every six years in the Lake Suwa area of Nagano, Japan. The purpose of the festival is to symbolically renew the Suwa Taisha or Suwa Grand Shrine. "Onbashira" can be literally translated as "the honored pillars".

The Onbashira festival is reputed to have continued, uninterrupted, for 1200 years. The festival is held once every six years, in the years of the Monkey and the Tiger in the Chinese Zodiac, however the locals may say "once in seven years," because of the traditional Japanese custom of including the current year when counting a length of time.

Onbashira lasts several months, and consists of two segments, Yamadashi and Satobiki.
Yamadashi traditionally takes place in April,
and Satobiki takes place in May.


"Yamadashi" literally means "coming out of the mountains." Before this portion of the festival, huge trees are cut down in a Shinto ceremony using axes and adzes specially manufactured for this single use. The logs are decorated in red and white regalia, the traditional colors of Shinto ceremonies, and ropes are attached. During Yamadashi, Teams of men drag the logs down the mountain towards the four shrines of Suwa Taisha. The course of the logs goes over rough terrain, and at certain points the logs must be skidded or dropped down steep slopes. Young men prove their bravery by riding the logs down the hill in a ceremony known as "Ki-otoshi."

"Satobiki" festival involves the symbolic placement of the new logs to support the foundation of the shrine buildings. The logs are raised by hand, with a ceremonial group of log bearers who ride the log as it is being raised and sing from the top of the log to announce the successful raising. This ceremony was performed as part of the opening ceremonies of the Nagano Olympics in 1998.

After two festivals, there is an important event "Building of Hoden". This event isn't generally famous, and few people know that the event is held even among people who live nearby and participate in Yamadashi and Satobiki. The end of this event marks the end of Onbashira.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !

The origin of this festival goes back to ancient times.
In the forest region of Suwa lived the Jomon people, off the woods with wild animals and plants gathered for food, praying to a deity of hunting and gathering.
Then came the Yayoi folks from the continent, bringing the rice cultivation and field management and a deity of agriculture.
The two clashed at Suwa but then the stronger Yayoi appeased the deity of the Jomon and venerated it in the pillars around their shrines.

- quote -
- snip -
Suwa shrines across Nagano Prefecture hold the "Pillar-raising festival" known as the Onbashira Matsuri in years of the Monkey and of the Tiger (i.e. every six years), in which shrines ceremonially raise four pillars (some shrines only erect one). Suwa Taisha is the first to raise the pillars, after which other Suwa shrines raise theirs. There are various explanations as to the symbolism or purpose of the four columns. Some suggest they were "vehicles" (yorishiro) for the kami to inhabit, others that they marked off the four corners of a sacred area. Still others explain them as substitutes for periodic shrine renewal ritual or as magical implements of the kami. There are many rituals at Suwa Taisha, and seven out of ten scrolls of the Suwa Daimyōjin ekotoba are devoted to ceremonies. ...
- source : Nogami Takahiro kokugakuin 2007 -


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source : genjin.cool.ne.jp
with more photos


kigo for early autumn

Misayama matsuri 御射山祭 (みさやままつり)
Misayama festival

hoya 穂屋(ほや)"hut with a thatched wall"
hoya matsuri 穂屋祭(ほやまつり) Festival of the thatched hut"

on the 27th of the 7th lunar month,
now on August 27 - 28.


Shrine Misayama Jinja 御射山神社 and the "Lower Shrine 下社" of Suwa.
The mountain was the hunting ground of the Suwa area.
Misayama, lit. "Honorable Mountain for Shooting".

A hut with thatched walls from pampas grass was erected for the shrine priest and young men of the village to stay over night. They had to participate in various purifying rituals, Then they had to perform hunting acrobatics like shooting from horseback 遠笠懸 and falconry. Now there are also shooting performances.
御射山御狩神事



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kigo for the New Year

kawazugari no shinji 蛙狩の神事 (かわずがりのしんじ)
ceremony of hunting for frogs

Frog Hunting Shrine Ritual
..... kawazutobi no shinji 蛙飛びの神事(かわずとびのしんじ)
frog-jumping ritual

On the morning of January 1, three or four frogs hibernation along the river bank of the river Mitarashigawa 御手洗川 are dug up and shot at with a small ritual bow and arrow made from willow wood.
This helps to predict the harvest of the coming year. Sometimes the frogs jump away and this direction a lucky direction.


Look at more photos here:
source : suwataisya/sinj

This is a prayer for peace and a good harvest in the coming year and one of the seven wonders at the Suwa shrine.

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kigo for the New Year

Sakanbe no fuyu matsuri 坂部の冬祭 (さかんべのふゆまつり)
Winter Festival in Sakanbe (Sakabe)




In Sakabe, part of Tenryu Village near the Suwa Shrine, and in other villages relating to the shrine.
It used to be held on the last month of the lunar year, but now on January 4.
People from each village go to the River Tenryuugawa 天竜川 to get pure water and bring it to the shrine in the hills near the village.
It is a ritual of "boiling water divination" (yudate 湯立て). The hot water is scattered over the participants to purify them.
Afterwards, a fest is held, sometimes ritual dancing and other performances.

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Shakuji Jinja 社宮司神社 しゃくじじんじゃ(
Oshamoji sama おしゃもじさま)



"Mishakuji-sama" みしゃくじさま,
Mishaguji sama ミシャグジさま , ミシャグジ神
is the name for the local female deity of the Suwa lake and Mount Moriya 守屋山.
She is resident in the Suwa Maemiya Shrine 諏訪前宮神社. It is an ancient cult of Mother Earth.
She is probably an old form of a snake worshipped and shows herself as a white snake.
Or identical with 建御名方神 or 洩矢神(モレヤ神).
This deity is also known in other regions where matagi hunters roam the forests.

Mishaguji sha ミシャグジ社 / 御社宮司社 Shrine for Mishaguji sama

Cosmogonical Worldview of Jomon Pottery :
The Mishakuji Cult of Suwa
source : books.google.co.jp


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Things found on the way


The 7 wonders of
Lower Shrine of Great Shrines of Suwa

1
Omiwatari (御神渡: literally. God's Crossing )
Once upon a time, there were a goddess named Yasakatome-no Mikoto (八坂刀売命) and a god, Takeminakata-no Mikoto (建御名方命). When the Goddess alone moved to the Lower Shrine, the God missed her so much but found that Lake Suwa was too large to cross. Then, when Lake Suwa was frozen over, he took the chance and walked over the ice to her shrine. (Some say it was the messenger, kitsune 狐 a fox).
Today his footsteps are said to be Omiwatari. (This natural phenomenon is said to be caused as water expands with freezing in winter. The straight line of the sharp upheaval appears on the surface, and is called Omiwatari.) People used to regard Omiwatari as the sign which insured safety on the ice. When it came, they would step on Lake Suwa.

2
Misakuda-no wase (御作田の早稲: Early-ripening rice plants in Misakuda)
A rice-planting festival held on July 30th. The rice planted in the festival ripens in 60 days according to the old legend.

3
Gokoku no Tsutsu-gayu (五穀の筒粥: The porridge of five staple grains in the reed straws )
A ritual performed at Tsutsugayuden (筒粥殿: lit. the hall in which to cook the porridge in reed straws) in Haru Shrine. On the evening of January 14th. , rice and azuki-beans are cooked in a pot , into which a bunch of 42 reed straws are put .The next morning ,they perform auguries by the amount of porridge and azuki-beans trapped in the reed straws and “Divination never fails to be true”.

4
Yuguchi-no Seidaku (湯口の清濁: Purity and impurity of hot spring water from the spout)
Legend has it that the company of an unclean person in the public bath, Watanoyu (綿の湯), makes the hot spring water from the spout cloudy.

5
Neiri-no Sugi (寝入の杉: The cedar asleep)
The fabled tall cedar called Otakara gi (お宝木: lit. the treasure tree) on the premises of Aki Shrine.
It is still told to this day that the cedar falls asleep with its branches 10 cm lowered in the middle of the night, when its snoring can be heard.

6
Ukishima (浮島: The floating island)
An island on the Togawa (砥川: River To), which runs through the rear of the Haru Shrine. On the island is Ukishima sha (浮島社: a small shrine on Ukishima) Legend credits the island with the ability of surviving any floodwaters.

7
Hoyano-no Sanko (穂屋野の三光: The three rays in Hoyano)
It is believed that the three rays from the sun ,the moon and a star are to be seen at the same time from the former Misayama Shrine (旧御射山社).
source : Legends and folk tales of Suwa



. omiwatari 御神渡 (おみわたり) gods crossing the frozen lake  
kigo for late winter

Akenoumi 開けの海 means the lake does not freeze and there is no omiwatari in a year.
This happened in February 21, 2009, just before the ceremony before Yatsurugi Shrine 八剣神社 in Suwa City, Nagano Prefecture.

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kamiyu 神湯 "hot water of the deity", hot spring



with public bath, Kamiyu (open) and Shimoyu (half closed)

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HAIKU



御射山やけふ一日のはなすすき
Misayama ya kyoo ichi nichi no hana susuki

Misayama--
today, all day
blooming pampas grass


Kobayashi Issa 一茶
Tr. David Lanoue


More haiku by Issa about this area

御射山や一日に出来し神の里 

御謝山の晴にくねるか女郎花 

寝祭りや我御射山の初尾花 

花芒吹草臥て寝たりけり

みさ山の芒序や風祭り 

みさ山や見ても涼しきすゝき箸 

みさ山やこんな在所も女郎花 

野庵も穂屋の御役ニ立けり
noan mo hoya no o-yaku ni tachi-keri


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. WKD : Kobayashi Issa 小林一茶 in Edo .

misayama ya mite mo suzushiki susuki-bashi

Misayama Mountain --
I feel cooler just seeing
chopsticks of green reed

Tr. Chris Drake

This hokku is from the 7th month (August) of 1821.
Issa went to the large Suwa Shinto Shrine to see the Misayama Festival, held from 7/26 to 7/30, which was accompanied by sumo contests and many other events. On 7/27 (August 24th in 1821) priests and a group of believers go up the low mountain and build a hut walled and thatched with miscanthus, a kind of reed growing to 5-7 feet high, with striking tufts on the top. There they commune with the gods of the shrine and pray.

Meanwhile the Misayama Shrine at the foot of the mountain distributes special chopsticks from the still green stalks of miscanthus reeds to believers, who then eat special rice with the chopsticks. People later take these reed chopsticks home and put them beside bowls of rice that they place in small shrines in their homes to the Suwa Shrine gods, who are believed to bring good harvests. Issa has received a pair of these chopsticks, and even before he eats with them and thereby symbolically shares his rice with the gods, the sight of the green stalks used as chopsticks makes him feel cooler on this probably hot early autumn day.

A little more than a year later a breeze blowing from Lake Suwa, about 80 miles from his hometown, causes Issa to write:

suzushisa wa kami-yo no sama yo susuki-bashi

this coolness
from the age of the gods --
chopsticks of green reed



The breeze seems to remind Issa of his experience at the Suwa Shrine, and the timeless time of the gods descends on him again for a few moments, cooling and refreshing him.

Basho also has a hokku about the Misayama Festival reed-thatched prayer hut in the first part of the Sarumino anthology. It evokes early winter:

yuki chiru ya hoya no susuki no kari-nokoshi

scattering snowflakes --
tufted reeds left uncut
for the thatched prayer hut


This hokku suggests loneliness because being cut to serve as part of a wall or the roof in the reed hut -- called the Tufted Hut -- into which gods descend on Misayama Mountain during the Misayama Festival was considered a great honor. The stalks that remain are therefore those that have been passed over and were unable to take part. Now, left behind, the dry, tufted reeds stand amid a snow flurry, accentuating with their astringent straightness the swirling of the flakes.

Some dictionaries give "Japanese pampas grass" for susuki reeds, but strictly speaking they are miscanthus reeds (Miscanthus sinensis). A look at Wiki photos will show that miscanthus is slightly slimmer than pampas grass and its tufts more like soft tassels than the long plumes of the pampas grass, with can suggest spearheads.




Here is a photo of chopsticks made from miscanthus reeds.
The stalks are still green, but in late autumn they turn completely light brown.

Chris Drake


Shrines visited by
. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .


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さをしかや社壇に角を奉る
saoshika ya shadan ni tsuno o tatematsuru

a stag offers
his old antlers
to a Shinto shrine

Tr. Chris Drake


This hokku was written in the 4th month (May) of 1824.
Issa's diary says he visited the local Suwa Shinto shrine on 4/15, so the hokku may be based on what he saw there. The Sino-Japanese word shadan (社壇) means a sacred building at a Shinto shrine, so the stag in the hokku seems to have shed his old antlers right in front of a hall of worship at a rural shrine near some woods inhabited by deer. Some Shinto shrines, including the Kashima Shrine, visited by Issa several years earlier, have sacred deer living on their precincts, but the shrine in this hokku seems to be an ordinary Shinto shrine. I take the image to be of a set of antlers left earlier near the steps or entrance to the shrine main building dedicated to the shrine's god or gods, since it seems unlikely the stag is shedding his antlers in front of many people. Deer hunting was widespread in mountainous Shinano, where Issa is living, so the stag would be putting himself in danger if he appeared in broad daylight in an area visited by many humans, even if hunters couldn't hunt within the precincts of the shrine. Issa obviously feels that the stag had some sort of awareness that the shrine was a sacred place and that his placement of his antlers is the result of that awareness, whatever the exact nature of that awareness is.

Although Issa attributes certain feelings to the stag, this hokku doesn't seem to be based on strong personification. It simply points to the location of the antlers as a sign that the stag instinctively wanted to offer something that once had great importance in a place that seemed peaceful and spiritual. In Shinto many gods are depicted as riding on stags or using stags as their assistants, so the fallen antlers would probably be treated with great respect and care by the shrine priests.

Chris Drake


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source : rakanneko.jp/buson


名月やうさぎのわたる諏訪の海
meigetsu ya usagi no wataru Suwa no umi

In harvest moonlight--
rabbits seem to be running
over the lake of Suwa.

Tr. Sawa/ Shiffert


. Yosa Buson 与謝蕪村 in Edo .

In former times, on a moonlit night, when the lake showed white waves, this was called "a rabbit is running" 兎が走る.


. WKD : The Hare (Rabbit) in the Moon .
pounding rice cakes


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The great shrine Suwa Taisha Kamisha (Upper Suwa Shrine) 諏訪神社上社 issued special amulet-permits and the chopsticks to eat "meat from the mountains", which took away the "spiritual pollution" when eating meat.
kajiki no men 鹿食之免料理
***** . kajikibashi 鹿食箸
chopsticks to eat "mountain meat"

from Suwa Shrine

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. Niino no yukimatsuri 新野の雪祭 (にいののゆきまつり)
snow festival at Niino .

Tenryu, Nagano

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Suwa Jinja, Nishi-Nippori, Tokyo

This shrine was built in the Kamakura period.
From its hill there is a good view to Mount Fujisan.


Kasamatsu Shirō 笠松紫浪 (1898-1991)


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