JULY calendar

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. Kigo Calendar - the 12 Months .

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July - shichigatsu　七月　





.................... 01 .................................................................................

. Gion Festival begins 祗園祭（ Kyoto .

. Canada Day .


.................... 03 .................................................................................

. Franz Kafka カフカ　フラン Birthday Memorial .



.................... 04 .................................................................................

. Independence Day - USA .

. Memorial Day for Madame Curie キュリー忌 .


.................... 05 .................................................................................

. Memorial Day for Eisai Zenji 栄西忌 .


.................... 06 .................................................................................

. Sumiyoshi Shrine Rice Planting Festival 住吉の御田植 .


.................... 07 .................................................................................

. Star Festival 七夕 Tanabata .

. shoosho 小暑 Shosho, small heat .
one of the 24 solar sections 二十四節気

. Haguro Festival 羽黒花祭 Festival of the Three Mountains of Dewa .

. Nippon fukushasai 日本福者祭 canonization day of Japan .



.................... 14 .................................................................................

. Fire Festival at Nachi 那智の火祭り Kumano .

. Paris Festival パリ祭 .
The Storming of the Bastille, Le quatorze juillet


.................... 15 .................................................................................

.
Middle third of the year begins 中元 chuugen, Chugen presents .



.................... 17 .................................................................................

. Miyajima Itsukushima festival 厳島祭 .

.................... 20 .................................................................................

. Ramadan begins in the year 2012 .
It ends on August 18, 2012.


.................... 21 .................................................................................

. Ocean Day 海の日 umi no hi .
Marine Day, Sea Day, Marine Memorial Day

. Belgian National Day - Fête nationale de la Belgique .


.................... 23 .................................................................................

. taisho 大暑 great heat .
one of the 24 solar sections 二十四節気


.................... 24 .................................................................................

. Tenjin Festival 天神祭 for Sugawara Michizane .

. Memorial Day for Akutagawa Ryunosuke 芥川 龍之介 .
Gaki ki 餓鬼忌, Kappa ki 河童忌, Chookoodoo ki　澄江堂


.................... 27 .................................................................................

. Oyama festival 大山祭 at shrine Afuri Jinja, Kanagawa .


.................... 29 .................................................................................

. Feast of Saints Peter and Paul 聖ペトロ・パウロ祭 .


.................... 31 .................................................................................




. WKD : July - a Haiku Month .



onbe matsuri　おんべ祭り　Onbe Festival
and ayu uranai 鮎占い divination with trout sweetfish
first Sunday in July.


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. WKD : World Days in July .

. Ceremonies, festivals, rituals - July .

. Memorial Days of Famous People - July .



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For the worldwide approach to kigo,
we must differentiate between the "Haiku Season" and the natural phenomenon and human activites occuring at a certain season at a certain place.

To complicate our endeavor, we also have to deal with the Asian Lunar Calendar and the 24 seasons (periods), which were applied in Japan before the introduction of the Western Calendar, when kigo were already used in Japanese poetry.

Study the details here, please:

. The Japanese Haiku Calendar.


. Seasons beginning .

. Seasons ending .


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. WKD : the complete SAIJIKI list .

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Itsukushima Shrine Miyajima

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Sanki Daigongen 三鬼大権現 . see below
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Itsukushima Shrine (Itsukushima Jinja)

***** Location: Miyajima, Japan
***** Season: Various, see below
***** Category: Observance

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Explanation



厳島神社

quote
A Shinto shrine on the island of Itsukushima (popularly known as Miyajima 宮島) in the city of Hatsukaichi in Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan.
The shrine complex is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The shrine is dedicated to the three daughters of Susano-o no Mikoto, Shinto deity of seas and storms and brother of the great sun deity, Amaterasu (tutelary deity of the Imperial Household). Because the island itself has been considered sacred, in order to maintain its purity commoners were not allowed to set foot on Miyajima through much of its history. In order to allow pilgrims to approach, the shrine was built like a pier over the water, so that it appeared to float, separate from the land, and therefore existed in a liminal state between the sacred and the profane.

The shrine's signature red entrance gate, or torii, was built over the water for much the same reason. Commoners had to steer their boats through the torii before approaching the shrine.

The first shrine buildings were probably erected in the 6th century, and the shrine has been destroyed many times, often by typhoons.
In 1168, Taira no Kiyomori　平清盛 had it rebuild.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !


I visited many times, is is truely an amazing place.
The reflections of the shrine in the water on a bright evening or moonlit night are superb.

There are many shrines of this name in other parts of Japan.



source : facebook - Japan Dream


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. The White Shrine Horse at Miyajima 宮島白馬　 　

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kigo for the New Year

Itsukushima jinja no toshikoshi sai 厳島神社の年越祭
(いつくしまじんじゃのとしこしさい)
Crossing into the new year at Itsukushima shrine

January 6
One of the three great ceremonies at the shrine.


People involved in farming come to the shine to pray for a good harvest.
Ritual dance performance and later a feast and talks about farmwork and crop prices held.

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Itsukushima no on yumi hajime
厳島の御弓始 (いつくしまのおんゆみはじめ)
first shooting with bow and arrow at Itsukushima

kisha 鬼射（きしゃ）"hitting the demon"
onyumi shinji 御弓神事（おんゆみしんじ）
honorable ceremony of the bow

On January 20



The target with the character 鬼, called the "demon target" 鬼的 and shot at with bow and arrow to prevent evil for the coming year.

Now held at the shrine Oomoto Jinja at Miyajima
宮島の大元神社 Omoto shrine ceremony
Oomotesai 大元祭.


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Itsukushima Shrine New Year Ceremonies
Jan 1
御神衣献上式 Go Shin-i Kenjo-shiki Ceremony (offering new clothes to deities)
歳旦祭 Saitan-sai Festival Ceremony starts at noon. Bugaku traditional dance performance starts at 5:30am.
Jan 2
二日祭り Futsukasai Ceremony 09:00 Bugaku performance 13:00
Jan 3
元始祭 Genshisai Ceremony 09:00 Bugaku performance 13:00
Jan 5
地久祭 (Chikyuusai) Chikyusai Ceremony and Bugaku performance 05:30 Includes Batoh (Sunrise Dance) only performed once a year on this day.

source :　eventful.com/events



source :　fb
cap for bugaku dance


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kigo for late summer

Itsukushima matsuri 厳島祭 (いつくしままつり)
Itsukushima festival
Itsukushima kangensai 厳島管絃祭（いつくしまかんげんさい）
17th day of the sixth lunar month.
Now on the 17th day of July.

The main festival of the shrine.



Special gozabune ships are made for the procession toward the gate in the water.

Bugaku dance performance and gagaku tradtional music are part of the festival.


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kigo for early autumn

Itsukushima Ennen sai
厳島延年祭（いつくしまえんねんさい）
Ennen Festival at Itsukushima
Ennen "life prolonging" dance performances are held at many shrines in Japan.



tamatori matsuri 玉取祭 (たまとりまつり)
"festival of grabbing the bead"

On the 14th day of the seventh lunar month, now in mid-August on a Sunday of high tide.
On a boat in front of the main hall is a boat with a large rosary and young men of the island try to grab a bead of about 20 cm diameter for good luck.


clay bell replica of the TAMA bead

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kigo for early winter

Itsukushima chinza sai
厳島鎮座祭 (いつくしまちんざさい)
Shrine dedication festival
oshimeshi, o shime shi 御燈消（おしめし）"turning off the lights"

yamaguchi toji no matsuri 山口閉の祭（やまぐちとじのまつり）
"closing down mountain roads" festival
After the shrine is closed down for the winter, it will be re-opened the next year for "openening the mountain road" 山口開. Loggers are not allowed to go to the forest and cut down trees during the closed time.

On the ten days from the first day of the wild boar in the tenth lunar month to the day of the monkey in the eleventh lunar month.
Nowadays on the first day of the monkey in November.

During these 10 days it is not allowed to make a loud noise on the island.
Things that produce lound and high noises are covered with blankets to keep them quiet. The lids of rice cookers had to be closed especially carefully.
On the last day, the day of the monkey, all lanterns and lights on the island are turned off and rituals are carried out in the dark.

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Miyajima in the snow


夏の月 Summer Moon at Miyajima
- reference : Tsuchiya Koitsu 　土屋光逸　(1870-1949) -


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quote
Sato Masato writes:
Due to belief in the "Three Female Kami" (sanjoshin) of Munakata at Itsukushima Jinja, the Itsukushima kami was worshipped as a protector of fishermen and boats.
Itsukushima is also known as a "military kami" (gunshin), as seen in this passage from the Ryōjin hishō:
"To the west of the [Ōsaka] checkpoint (seki) is the kami of the battlefield, Ichibon Chūsan (Kibitsu Shrine) and Itsukushima in Aki ..."
After becoming governor of Aki (Aki no kami 安芸守) in 1146, Taira no Kiyomori (1118~1181) often visited the shrine. Upon Kiyomori's recommendation, Goshirakawa-in and Kenshunmon-in visited the shrine in the third month of 1174, and Takakura Jōkō visited twice.

At the end of the Heian Period Itsukushima was worshipped by the entire Heike clan, and in 1168 the shrine's shaden structure was restored and expanded. This connection to the Heike clan may have originated in the trade and shipping in the Inland Sea that had flourished since the days of Taira no Tadamori (Kiyomori's father).

Due to Heike devotion, the Heike Nōkyō scrolls 平家納経 (a National Treasure) were originally donated to the shrine in 1164. In the medieval period Itsukushima was supported by the Ōuchi and Mōri clans, and the Shingon temple Suishōji 水精寺 became the shrine's administrative temple.

Also a legend began that Kūkai founded (kaisan) the temple Misen. The "original Buddhist deity" (honji) of Itsukushima was believed to be the Eleven-faced Kannon (Ekadasamukha Avalokitesvara) or Mahâvairocana.
Among commoners, a cult of Ebisu-gami developed, and Itsukushima was also worshipped by fishermen and merchants.
source : Kokugakuin University. 2006



. Shrine Munakata Taisha 宗像大社 .
Fukuoka

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The Deer are seen as messengers of the deity of Miyajima and roam freely, sometimes as a nuisance for the tourists.

Legend knows that when Mori Motonari and Sue Harukata fought their battle in 1555, Harukata had his troops near the shrine, while Motonari landed on the other side of the island, trying to get over the mountains and through the dense wild forest to make a surprize attack.
His troups almost lost their way in the dark night, but then a deer showed them the small path.
(The deer was MAYBE the priest of the shrine,　disguised as a deer, trying to help his friend and sponsor Motonari.)


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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way

Miyajima hariko 宮島張子 papermachee dolls


CLICK for more images !

. Regional Folk Toys from Japan .


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. WASHOKU
Anagomeshi あなごめし Rice with eel
Station lunchbox from Miyajima
The great rice paddle shamoji in Miyajima 宮島しゃもじ



The island is also famous for its red maple leaves in autumn.



. momiji manjuu もみじ饅頭
rice dumplings in the form of red maple leaves 　

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Festivals calendar at Miyajima

Most rituals are accompanied by bugaku dance on the stage above the water.
厳島神社舞楽




. . . . . January
Shin-i Kenjo-shiki Ceremony (offering new clothes to deities)Saitan-sai Festival
Futsukasai
Genshisai
Chikyusai
Momotesai

. . . . . February
Setsubun Festival
Miyajima Oyster Festival

. . . . . March
Memorial Service for Kitchen Knives
Kiyomori Shrine Festival
Miyajima Hina Doll Presentation

. . . . . April
Hiwatari . Walking Over Fire Ceremony
Toukasai
Satsuki Festival

. . . . . May
Memorial Service for Empress Suiko

. . . . . June
Japan's Ancient Martial Arts Performance
Kobo Daishi's Birthday Celebration
Great Benzaiten Festival of Itsukushima
(Daiganji Temple)
. Itsukushima Hime 厳島姫命
as Benten, Benzaiten 弁財天 　


. . . . . July
Seven Gods of Fortune Festival (Daishoin Temple)
Itsukushima Shrine Kangen Festival

. . . . . August
48,000-day Kannon Festival
Miyajima Floating Fireworks Festival
Kinseki Jizo - son Festival (Tokujuji Temple)

. . . . . September
Tanomosan (small boats filled with dolls and fruit that are set adrift from Itsukushima Shrine to sail toward the Otorii Gate.)
Mantoo-e . candle light memorial

. . . . . October
Akiyo Tomoeda Noh Performance
Kikkasai
Sanno Shrine Festival
Tea Dedication Ceremony, Omote Senke

. . . . . November
Fudo Myo-o Festival, including
Walking Over Fire Ceremony (Daiganji Temple)
Maple Festival . Momiji Matsuri

. . . . . December
Tenchosai
Chinka-sai (Festival for prevention of fire disaster)

http://www.miyajima.or.jp/english/event/calendar01.html



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HAIKU

Matsuo Basho wrote (Nozarashi Kiko)



年暮れぬ 笠きて草鞋はきながら
. toshi kurenu kasa kite waraji hakinagara .

wearing my travelers hat
and my straw sandals
the year comes to an end

(Other sources place this haiku in 1684,
when he returned to his home village in Iga Ueno.)


source : 宮島かわら版


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行く春や経収めにと厳島
yuku haru ya kyoo osame ni to Itsukushima

spring is passing -
I bring copied sutras
to Itsukushima

Natsume Soseki 夏目漱石


Heike Nokyo 平家納経
The famous sutras copied by the Heike




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Related words

***** WKD : Copying sutras (shakyoo)


. Hiroshima Prefecture Festivals 　

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. Tengupedia - 天狗ペディア　- Tengu ABC-List.

Sankiboo 三鬼坊 Sankibo, Sanki-Bo
厳島三鬼坊 Itsukushima



Sanki Daigongen 三鬼大権現
The local people call them 三鬼さん Sanki San.
Sanki Daigongen are three fierce guardian gods of 弥山 Mount Misen.

- 追帳鬼神 Tsuicho Kishin ：福徳 Good Fortune - 大日如来 Dainichi Nyorai
- 時眉鬼神 Jibi Kishin：知恵 Wisdom - 虚空蔵菩薩 Kokuzo Bosatsu
- 魔羅鬼神 Mara Kijin ：降伏 Surrender - 不動明王 Fudo Myo-O



- - - - - Amulet bell of Sanki-Bo


With the separation of Buddhism and Shinto during the Meiji period, they were moved to the 三鬼堂 Sankido Hall from their shrine 御山神社 Miyama Jinja.


source : amakara tosan
- 徳、智恵、降伏 -

大小の天狗 Big and small Tengu, long-nosed goblins, are their servants. Many people visit here to pray for the happiness of their family and the success of their business.
The first Prime Minister of Japan, 伊藤博文 Ito Hirobumi is said to have been an earnest devotee. He contributed a large amount to construct the climbing path.
A special hall is dedicated to this deities:
Sankodoo 三鬼堂 Sankido



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Osorezan Festival

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Osorezan Big Festival (Osorezan taisai)

***** Location: Aomori
***** Season: Late summer
***** Category: Observance

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Explanation



Osorezan Taisai 恐山大祭 (おそれざんたいさい)
Great Festival at Mount Osorezan
Osorezan Grand Festival

itako いたこ Itako medium, female shaman
itako ichi いたこ市（いたこいち） Itako market

July 22 to 24

During the main festival in summer, many people come to get in contact with their lost loved ones through the blind Itako shamans.

The Osorezan access is open from May 1st to the end of October.
This region is one of the three most sacred places in Japan,
with Koyasan and Heizan.

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I visited Osorezan many years ago.
I will try to tell you more about our encounter with the Itako in my report below.

. The Hot Spring (onsen 温泉) at Osorezan .





Lake Usorisan 宇曽利山湖
. Look at more of my photos !


Pilgrims also come here in autumn

Osorezan Aki Mairi 恐山秋参り.

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Mount Osore (恐山, Osorezan)
is a region in the center of remote Shimokita Peninsula of Aomori Prefecture, Japan.

According to popular mythology, Mount Osore (literally "Mount Fear") marks the entrance to Hell, with a small brook running to the neighboring Lake Usorisan that is equated to the Sanzu River, the Japanese equivalent to Styx. The reputation is not surprising, given that the very volcanically-active site is a charred landscape of blasted rock filled with bubbling pits of unearthly hues and noxious fumes.



The Bodai temple (菩提寺, Bodaiji) presides over it all and organizes the area's main event, the twice-yearly Itako Taisai festival. The grand festival is held over a period of five days beginning on July 20. In a ritual called kuchiyose (口寄せ), blind mediums known as itako claim to summon the souls of the dead and deliver messages in their voices.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !


People lining up for the kuchiyose.
口寄せ = Geisterbeschwörung,
„Herbeirufung des Mundes“.

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Here are more of the details, please read Mark first and then come back:

Sai no Kawara, the Limbo for Children
The Role of Jizo Bosatsu in Saving Lost Souls
Mountain of the Dead, 霊場恐山
Hotoke-ga-Ura
source : Mark Schumacher

Some literature

Schattschneider, Ellen. "Buy me a Bride: Death and Exchange in
Northern Japanese Bride Doll Marriage." American Ethnologist 28.4
(2001): 854-80. - Wedding Dolls

"Family resemblances: Memorial Images and the Face of Kinship."
Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 31.1 (2004): 141-62.

"The Bloodstained Doll: Violence and the Gift in Wartime Japan."
Forthcoming in the Journal of Japanese Studies.

See also "The Mystery of the Mascot Dolls"at
http://www.pacificwrecks.com/history/doll/


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remote sai no kawara in Tohoku

In Shinto mythology
the story goes that between life and death there flows a river.
This river is called Sai no Kawara 賽の河原 (translated it means Sai [Childrens Limbo; Limbo means a region on the border of hell or heaven, serving as the abode after death of unbaptized infants.] Kawara [riverside].
According to Shinto belief, children do not go to heaven or hell, but the souls of the dead babies play on the banks of this river, Sai no Kawara. And one of the things they have to do as their Duty (penance) there, is to stack up pebbles, and build little towers.

However, while doing so, a naughty, horrible devil usually appears who disturbs their playing, breaks their towers up, and scares them. And, it is here where the long sleeves of Jizos robe comes in handy. Because Jizo is the god who protects children, and he does not fail to protect them there on the banks of the Sai no Kawara. So when scared by this devil, they all jump into the sleeve of Jizos robe, where they hide and feel safe and warm. It is said that in the old days, some of the Jizo statues were covered in pebbles from people who stacked the pebbles in front of the Jizo, because it is believed, that for every tower of pebbles you build on earth, you help the souls of the dead children to perform their duty there on the Sai no Kawara.


Wedding Dolls for the Dead

Kokeshi and Infanticide in Japan

. Sai no Kawara, the Limbo for Children .

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The female Itako Shamans of Osorezan イタコ

They are a phenomen in themselves during the festival.
I have had one of these itako shamans call up my dead father from Germany. After a long preparation with prayers and incense, she got the contact. But my father talked through the medium, but in the almost non-understandable dialect of Tsugaru. We did not dare interrupt her. After about 30 minutes all was over.
We got the advise to take good care of his grandchildren (we do not have any children), and I should take care to take a cold in the coming winter.


That is me in front of her tent, you can even see the tip of our car.

The itako later told us, she once had foreigners asking for her service, but they interrupted her twice to ask for a translation into normal Japanese ... by the time the spirit had left her and no advise from the other realm was given to them.

It took her a long time of apprenticeship to become an itako, with water ablutions in the middle of the cold Tohoku winter while she was only 12 years old, and studying with the priests at this temple, on how best to soothe the pain of the living, who lost a loved family member. She has a set of "advise" for the most common losses, like father, mother or a child. Also her "advise" through the kuchiyose seance depends on the time between the loss and the visit to her. She has a home on the Tsugaru peninsula where she spends a quiet winter and sits in her tent here in Osorezan during most of the summer, living a frugal life in the temple compound.


The itako play an important role in connecting the dead with their grieving relatives and provide relief by telling them the dead soul wants this or that, which the relatives can provide as an offering in the temple and feel much better afterwards. The provision of brides as wedding dolls for young men, who were lost at sea or during other accidents, is one example of solace for the berieved parents.




quote
Daily Yomiuri: Why are most itako women?
Sasaki:
There are various explanations. While male shamans are common in China and Southeast Asia, female shamans are more prevalent in India, North and South Korea, and Japan, where societies are based on patriarchal values. I think shamans tend to be female in societies where women are suppressed or discriminated against as an inferior gender. By associating themselves with the gods, women are able to balance their power with men in such societies.

Japanese used to believe that the gods offered mercy to those in misery, especially Kannon, the Buddhist goddess of mercy. She is one of the most commonly believed-in gods among itako. I have seen noseless yuta shamans in Okinawa Prefecture. Such physical defects used to be interpreted as symbolic of supernaturalstigmata.

The oldest reference to female shamans in Japan appears in the Wei Zhi, a Chinese chronicle of the third century. A woman called Himiko, who is described as a shaman, ruled an early Japanese political federation known as Yamatai using a divine power to converse with the gods.
The first reference to female shamans in Japanese writing dates backto the 11th entury.

What religion do itako believe in?
How is the initiation ceremony carried out?
Why haven't itako been respected in the same way as priests?
How can you verify that an itako has really entered a trance?

Daily Yomiuri: Can itako contribute to the well-being of modern people?
Sasaki:
Shamanism can help make up for weaknesses of modern culture by providing relief for people in extreme suffering and pain, making fuller use of people's daily lives and keeping society and culture intact. Shamanism fills some of the spaces left open by modern rationalism and science.

Read the details here :
source : Miki Fujii for The Yomiuri Shimbun


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イタコ　中村タケ Itako Nakamura Take
She was born in 1932.



This publication "Itako Nakamura Take" consists of two DVDs with subtitles both in Japanese and English, six CDs and detailed explanatory book including the texts of all prayers in Japanese with excerpts in English.
The explanatory book is written by Komoda Haruko 薦田治子 et al. and translation by Kimura Mika.

「声の力」とういうものに魅せられて、長年、音楽や伝統芸能の分野で数多くの「声の音楽」の記録・保全に携わってきた者たちがチームを作り、ひとりのイタコ、中村タケさんに的を絞って、タケさんが記憶・伝承する唱えごとの全てを音響映像によって記録しようとしたのが、この記録集です。

This publication contains 61 chants and prayers that Nakamura Take chants in the various shamanic rituals, such as praying for the family's safety and prosperity, conjuring the dead and spell casting to cure a disease.
It received the Prize for Excellence, Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Arts Festival, 2013.
- source : www.heibonnotomo.jp

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Hotoke-ga-ura　仏が浦


seen from above, on the way down

This is the most western part of the Osorezan Buddhist world, from here the souls take off directly to the Paradise in the West. The rough mountains look like Buddha statues and a huge area is reserved for the dead children.










cliffs like Buddhas




a cave for the final prayer


. More photos in my album .


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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way



quote
Zu den mizuko, bzw. den mabiki-ko, den umgebrachten Säuglingen, und ihren roten Lätz­chen habe ich in einem Tempel folgende Er­klärung gehört: Jizō hat gelobt, alle Kinder aus der Vor­hölle zu retten. Weil Kinder noch keine Sünden be­gangen haben, kommen sie nämlich nicht direkt in die Hölle, das wäre ja un­ge­recht. Aber sie müssen am Grenz­fluss warten und während dieser Zeit Steine auf­einander schichten. Das ist ähnlich wie Sisyphos. Sie warten so lange, bis keiner mehr um sie trauert. Die Mutter bindet also eines der Kinder­lätzchen zu einem Jizō und bittet, durch den Geruch des Lätzchens das Kind in der Vorhölle zu identi­fizieren und zum Paradies zu bringen.

Wenn die Mutter früher, in der Edo-Zeit zu lange trauerte, konnte sie nicht genug im Haus und am Feld arbeiten. Daher wurde ihr eine Periode von 7 Tagen nach dem Tod eines Kindes (nicht bei Abtreibung, aber bei mabiki, dem Töten eines weib­lichen Säuglings) ge­gönnt. Danach musste sie die Sachen des Kindes, Lätzchen und Spiel­zeug, bei Jizo „abgeben“ und die Trauerzeit war vorüber, Mutter musste wieder arbeiten gehen! Eine recht diesseitliche Religionsbenutzung.

Um den Iwaki-san in Nordjapan werden verstorbene Kinder zu ihrem 20. Ge­burts­tag verheiratet. Die Tempel verkaufen ca. 50 cm große Puppen von Bräuten oder Bräutigamen, die dann mit dem toten Kind „verheiratet“ werden. Das macht die Eltern froh und die Tempel reich. Es ist er­staun­lich, dort in so einer Halle mit tausenden von Hoch­zeits-Puppen zu stehen! Die Itako-Shamaninnen am Osore-Berg reden den Eltern auch noch manch anderes ein — so werden Tennis­schuhe und Fahr­räder oder Frack und Regen­mantel gespendet, manche Tempel sehen aus wie Altwarenhändler.

Dr. Gabriele Greve
source : www.univie.ac.at


presents for the dead


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HAIKU


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Related words

***** . Hanayome ningyoo　花嫁人形　 bride dolls .
and a famous folk song


. Sanzu no Kawa 三途の川 River Sanzu, on the way to hell .


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Kuwana Festival

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Kuwana Festival (Kuwana matsuri)

***** Location: Mie, Japan
***** Season: Late Summer
***** Category: Observance

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Explanation

Kuwana matsuri 桑名祭 (くわなまつり) Kuwana Festival
ishitori matsuri 石採祭（いしとりまつり）Ishitori Festival
lit. "stone bringing festival"
ishitori shinji 石採神事（いしとりしんじ）
hiyoori matsuri 比予利祭（ひようりまつり）

First Saturday in August, at the shrine
Kasuga Taisha 春日神社 in Kuwana town.
It starts on the last day of July, Midnight, hence a late summer kigo.


quote
Ishidori Matsuri (石取祭) can be literally translated from Japanese as "stone bringing festival."
It is a festival in Kuwana, located in Mie Prefecture. The festival starts on the first Saturday of August, at midnight, and runs throughout the weekend. Every town within the central part of the city has its own 3 wheeled, highly decorative festival cart. Each cart has a large taiko drum at the back and several kane along the sides. Each town has a particular sequence for each of those instruments, creating a unique and identifying sound.

Another identifying feature is the placement of the kakegoe, or shouts. Over the course of the weekend, the carts are pulled toward Kasuga Shrine for presentation, performing along the way. With over 30 carts with distinct rhythms, it has been said that the Kuwana festival is the loudest festival in Japan.

The festival originally started in the Edo period (1751-1764). It is believed to have originated from the custom of local worshipers selecting stones from the Machiya River to take to the local shrine. The stones were ceremoniously transported to the shrine on carts, while taiko and kane were played.

In 1981, the festival was designated as an asset of intangible culture for Mie Prefecture. In 2007, it was designated as a national asset of intangible culture.

Typically the towns are separated by age.
There is a children's group, young adult group, older adult group, and senior adult group.



Schedule of Events
March 6
The order of the carts is determined by lottery.

July 15-20th
This is the practice time with the festival carts. On the 20th, some carts will gather together in one particular town to end the practice session in camaraderie. They can not touch the carts again until Tatakidashi (叩き出し), which is at midnight between Friday night and Saturday morning before the First Sunday of August. Around this time, there is a gender-specific competition between the young adults of each town, though not all towns choose to compete.

July 20
There is a Kawarabarai Ceremony (川原祓式) at Machiya River to pray for a safe festival.

Weekend before the Festival
Each town readies its carts; polishing, cleaning, and setting up components. They also mark the festival path with streamers hanging from telephone lines, and otherwise prepare for the festival, though there is no drumming until Tatakidashi. 3 days before the Festival (Thursday)
Bamboo is gathered to decorate the festival meeting places.

2 days before the Festival (Friday)
Each age group attends their local shrine for the Okattsan Ceremony (お勝さん), which includes singing and praying. The children and adults, with the exception of the young adults, move the cart to its festival position, as was determined in March. Much later, the young adults return to the group after much drinking.

1 day before the Festival (Saturday)
Friday night leads up to Tatakidashi. At midnight, all the towns are signaled to start drumming simultaneously. After playing into the early hours of the morning, the group will retire, typically meeting once more at 10am.
The festival carts are paraded through their towns on this day, and once again it leads up to silence, awaiting the next Tatakidashi.

Festival Day (Sunday)
At 2am, there is another Tatakidashi. The taikos and kane start playing simultaneously and the carts are paraded around their town for another long night of celebration. The day is very similar to the previous one. During the day on Sunday, the young adults drink while once again the others put the cart into its specific order. Later, the young adults join in, and each town makes its way to Kasuga Shrine.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !


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source :　www.kawashimaselkon.co.jp


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Kuwana Sooja 桑名宗社 Kuwana Sosha
天津彦根命 Amatsu Hikone no Mikoto
天久々斯比乃命

Including

桑名神社 Kuwana Jinja
三崎大明神

中臣神社 Nakatomi Jinja
春日大明神

Often called "Kasuga san" 春日さん by the locals.

Annual Events

一月一日 歳旦祭
一月三日 元始祭
一月第二月曜日 成人祭
二月三日 節分祭（厄除祈願祭）
二月十八日 祈念祭
二月下旬 初午祭
三月下旬 春分祭
四月 勤学祭
五月中旬 合祀社祭
六月第一日曜 御籖占祭（祭車抽籖）

六月三十日 夏越大祓式
八月第一日曜 石取御神事 Ishitori Jinji
八月十六日 前期桑名祭
八月十七日 （桑名神社列大祭）

九月十七日 後期桑名祭
九月十八日 （中臣神社列大祭）
十一月三日 明治節祭（文化祭）
十一月十五日 髪置祭（七五三神事）
十一月二十三日 新嘗祭
十二月三十一日 大晦日大祓式
十二月三十一日 除夜祭

月次祭桑名神社 毎月十七日
中臣神社 毎月十八日


Amulets from the shrine

御守 amulets
kootsuu anzen 交通安全御守 Traffic Safety
yakuyoke kaiun 厄除開運御守 Warding off Evil
gakugyoo jooju 学業成就御守 Success at School
gookaku 合格御守 Passing an Examination
enmusubi えんむすび ストラップ Finding a Partner
anzan 安産御守 Easy Birth

source : www.kuwanasousha.org

source : Photo Gallery of the Shrine


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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way

Yabusame sai 流鏑馬祭
at Riding Ground, Tado Taisha Shrine, Kuwana-shi.
November 23

11:30 A.M. A man on horseback equipped with a bow and arrow takes three consecutive shots at a target in accordance with Ogasawara School of etiquette.
. Tado-Taisha 三重 多度大社 .

. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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HAIKU


Visiting Kuwana, temple Hontooji 本当寺 / 本統寺 Honto-Ji, Hontoji
. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .


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Related words

***** . OBSERVANCES – SUMMER SAIJIKI .

. Grand Kasuga Shrine (春日大社, Kasuga-taisha) .


. Amulets and Talismans from Japan .　

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Tsuwano Festivals

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Tsuwano Heron Dance (Tsuwano no sagi mai )

***** Location: Tsuwano, Shimane
***** Season: Late Summer
***** Category: Observance

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Explanation

Tsuwano no sagimai 津和野の鷺舞 (つわののさぎまい)
heron dance of Tsuwano

at 弥栄神社 Yasaka Jinja
July 20 ご神幸の日 and 27 ご還幸の日.
Since 1542, when Daimyo Yoshimi Masayori 吉見正頼 (1513 - 1588) introduced it.

The decoration on the head weighs up to 15 kg.

12 children perform a dance 子鷺鉾.

Gion Matsuri 祇園まつり

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quote
Every year on July 20th and 27th
the Sagi Mai is performed as part of Tsuwano's Gion Matsuri.
Though known as the Heron Dance, the birds being imitated are in fact Egrets.

The dance, like the Gion Matsuri itself, was originally from Kyoto, but during the time that Kyoto was a burned out, war-destroyed, ghost town many aristocratic refugees fled to Yamaguchi, and it was from here that the dance was introduced into Tsuwano.



The people of Tsuwano faithfully kept the dance in its original form and in 1953 they went to Kyoto to teach the dance and it is now performed there again.

As well as the 2 dancers dressed as egrets, there is a full complement of other dancers, musicians, singers etc all dressed in period costume. The music accompanying the dance seems to be based on ancient Chinese-derived court music rather than any folk tradition.

Also performed is the Egret Chick dance, a recent invention of the town. The young girls didnt smile much, which may be due to the solemnity of the dance, or the summer afternoon heat.

Look at many more photos here :
source : ojisanjake.blogspot.com


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Look at a videot here :
Tsuwano Heron Dance Sagimai
source : www.youtube.com


Text of the song

　　　　　橋の上におりた　鳥はなん鳥
　　　　　かわささぎの　かわささぎの
　　　　　ヤーかわささぎ　さぎが橋を渡した
　　　　　さぎが橋を渡した
　　　　　時雨の雨に　ぬれとりとり
　　　　　ヤーかわささぎ　さぎが橋を渡した
　　　　　さぎが橋を渡した



source :　www.tsuwano.ne.jp/kanko

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quote
Sagi-odori - "Heron dance."
This folk ritual performance is a type of furyū dance also known as sagimai. Sagi-odori originated from dances performed to musical accompaniment at Kyoto's Giongoryōe observances, which evolved into the festival of the city's Gion Shrine (now called Yasaka Jinja).
During the Muromachi period the dance spread around Japan as the national influence of the Gion Shrine grew and festivals based on the Gion gyoryōe were disseminated throughout the country.

A sagimai is performed as part of the July festival at the Yasaka Shrine in Tsuwano, Shimane Prefecture. The shrine was originally called Gion Shrine. The sagimai performed there is said to have come from the Gion goryōe of Yamaguchi during the Temmon era (1532-1555). It was subsequently discontinued, only to be revived in the seventeenth century on the model of the Kyoto observances.

The Tsuwano sagimai is performed by two dancers, both of whom wear wooden headdresses made to resemble the sagi (heron) and have wooden wings attached to their shoulders. The dance is performed to the accompaniment of music (flute, tsutsumi hand drum, taiko drum, and bells) and singing.
The dancers are accompanied by two baton twirlers and two players of small kakko drums. Decorative large and small umbrellas (kasaboko) are also brought out as part of the dance.
source : Yonei Teruyoshi, Kokugakuin


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弥栄神社 Yasaka Jinja
島根県鹿足郡津和野町後田

Deity in residence
Susano-O no Mikoto 須佐之男命



quote
Yasaka Shrine, Tsuwano
The Yasaka shrine in Tsuwano is a branch of the Yasaka Shrine in Gion. Originally known as Mototakimoto Gionsha, it was part of the importation of kyoto culture by the lords of Tsuwano.
Its located on the riverbank below the castle and the Taikodani Inari Shrine. For most of the year it seems to be abandoned and not much goes on there. There is a wonderful huge tree in the grounds though.

Photos are here
source : ojisanjake.blogspot.com


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. Heron Dance Clay Bell .




clay doll of the Heron Dance




famous washi paper dolls from Tsuwano
津和野の和紙人形

. Regional Folk Toys from Japan .


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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way


WASHOKU - FOOD

. mamecha 豆茶 "tea from beans" / zaracha ざら茶 .

. Genjimaki, Genji-maki 源氏巻 "Genji-Rolls" .

from Tsuwano town 津和野

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Tsuwano (津和野町, Tsuwano-chō)
is a town in Kanoashi District, Shimane Prefecture, Japan.
Tsuwano is remotely located and surrounded by hills. Though geographically closer to Yamaguchi, the capital of Yamaguchi Prefecture, it is situated in Shimane Prefecture.

Popularly called the "Little Kyoto of San-In," Tsuwano is known for its picturesque mainstreet, "Tono-machi," which is lined with Edo-era buildings and Koi ponds. It also boasts one of the oldest still in use "Yabusame" (horse back archery) ranges in all of Japan, and its annual Yabusame festival is a large tourist draw for the San-In region.

Tsuwano is somewhat unusually home to two Catholic churches. The Catholic church in Tsuwano itself is dedicated to Saint Francis Xavier, who visited Japan as a missionary in 1549–50, and is located on its mainstreet. The church at Otome Pass is part of a memorial for Christians persecuted and tortured in Tsuwano by the government during the Edo and Meiji periods.

Other notable locations and tourist attractions within Tsuwano include the ruins of Tsuwano Castle.

Novelist Mori Ogai was born in Tsuwano into a family of doctors, and the house of his birth is preserved.
His tomb is located in Yomei Temple in Tsuwano, which was built in 1420 and is known as one of two great Sōtō sect temples, the other being Daijo-ji Temple in Kanazawa city.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !




Tsuwano Yabusame Festival流鏑馬まつり
second sunday in April
鷲原八幡宮大祭　流鏑馬神事


. WKD : yabusame 流鏑馬（やぶさめ）Yabusame .


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Tsuwano Otome Toge Matsuri 乙女峠まつり
Christian festival at the Maria Church マリア聖堂
May


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HAIKU



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Related words

***** . Heron (aosagi) Egret (shirasagi) .


***** . OBSERVANCES – SUMMER SAIJIKI .


. Amulets and Talismans from Japan .　

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