Showing posts with label July. Show all posts
Showing posts with label July. Show all posts

7/16/2011

Shidodera Festival

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- for Shido Kaido Highway, see below
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Shidodera Festival (Shidodera matsuri)

***** Location: Kagawa
***** Season: Late Summer
***** Category: Observance


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Explanation

Shidodera matsuri 志度寺祭 (しどでらまつり)
Ritual at temple Shidodera

Shidodera hakkoo 志度寺八講(しどでらはっこう) prayer ceremony at temple Shidoji
Shido mairi 志度詣(しどまいり)visit of temple Shidodera
juurokodo e 十六度会(じゅうろくどえ)
juurokudo ichi 十六度市(じゅうろくどいち)

July 16
At temple Shidodera (Shidoji) in Sanuki town, Kagawa.

This is temple 86 on the henro pilgrimage of Shikoku.
. Shido-Ji, Shidodera 志度寺 Henro Temple 86 .


Fujiwara no Fuhito 藤原不比等 (658 - 720), a polititian of the Heian court, fell in love with an AMA diver, who helped him regain his treasure.
This festival is held at her grave (bozen matsuri 墓前祭), with a market and the showing of the main statue of the temple.
It is more of a ritual or ceremony than a festival.

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quote
Shidoji : Statue of Jūichimen Kanzeon
The Temple of Fulfilling One's Wish


Goeika:
Igisaraba goyoi wa koko ni shido no tera inori no koe o mimi ni furetsutsu

Honzon Mantra:
On maka kyaronikya sowaka

One of the daughters of Fujiwara Kamatari went to China to become a concubine of the T'ang emperor Tai-tsung. Once there, she sent back three tiny but precious jewels for her brother's use in work on Nara's Kōfukuji. Unfortunately the boat sank near Shido Bay and the three jewels were stolen by the Dragon King.

Her brother, Fubito, disguised himself and married a female diver in the area in order to recover the jewels. Eventually the wife gave birth to a son and at that time promised to recover the jewels on the condition that the husband promise to make the son his heir. Through a heroic dive, the woman recovered the jewels, but at the cost of her life because the Dragon King saw her and she only got away by slitting herself and hiding the jewels inside. She was dead when she reached the surface. The son, Fusasaki, became the heir and the ancestor of the northern branch of the Fujiwara aristocracy. The jewels sit between the eyes of the Shakuson statue at Kōfukuji in Nara.

This temple was built by the son and by Gyōgi Bosatsu in the 694 as a memorial to her and remains dedicated to the spirits of the dead (hence a strong association with Emma, the King of Hell). However, the original temple dates from much earlier and the honzon dates from the time of Empress Suiko in the 6th century.

According to Starr, the buildings were rebuilt by Gyōgi and the honzon is by Kōbō Daishi. Some say it is the incarnation of Monju Bosatsu, some say Sonoko Ama. The main Buddha with the Fudō and Bishamon are all National Treasures.

This legend has been made famous the Noh drama called Ama. Of interest are the tomb of Ama, a landscape garden featuring flowing water which is the masterwork of Hosokawa from the Muromachi Period, a Hosokawa from the Muromachi Period, a Niōō gate,, the hondō, and the five-story pagoda (Go-jū-no-tō).
source : www.shikokuhenrotrail.com

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海人 (能) Ama - The Woman Diver

The highlight of this drama is definitely the scene where the diver brings back the jewel from the Dragon King’s Palace.
This scene is especially recognized as “Tama-no-dan (the Scene of the Jewel),” known for its great chant and dance. The woman diver holding a sword in her hand jumps into the Dragon King’s Palace, takes back the jewel, which is protected by the Eight Great Dragon Kings, from the sacred jewel tower, and cuts under her breast to hide the jewel in her gash.

Because of the Dragon’s Palace’s taboo to avoid the deceased, not even evil dragons approach her. Then, the woman diver pulls the safety rope... The zeal of the diver who is willing to cast her life aside for the sake of her son and her mission is dramatically expressed through the chorus and dance. You might have an impression that the whole piece was created for the sake of showing this “the scene of the jewel.

It is tragic that the son is bereaved of his mother. However, the somber atmosphere is changed by the short, up-tempo development of the story in the second half of drama. Ultimately the piece reaches a bright ending with the blessing of Buddha. This drama cherishes the climax and is artfully woven.
source : www.the-noh.com


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Ama no Tama-tori Monogatari 海女の玉取り物語
The Story of the diver woman getting the treasure




Dragon decoration of a festival drum float.

. The Dragon Art Gallery – 2012 .

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Hana no ue no homare no ishibumi
花上野誉石碑
The Stone Monument of Glory




A joruri Bunraku play from 1789.

The story of Tamiya Botaro 田宮坊太郎 from Marugame, who as a boy had succeeded in avenging his father, the victim of a murder, in 1642.
He made a vow in front of Konpira Gongen in Shikoku.
There is one famous scene in the play called
Shidoji no ba 志渡寺の場, at Temple Shidoji
Botaro's wetnurse O-Tsuji お辻 had taken cold water ablutions here to pray for the boy, who could not speak when young and througher deed gained the power to speak.
Some say it was his real mother.



source : kabusk/shasin32
In the compound of the temple there is the "well of O-Tsuji" お辻の井戸.

- Reference -


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Fujiwara no Fuhito 藤原 不比等
(659 – September 13, 720)




was a powerful member of the imperial court of Japan during the Asuka and Nara periods. Second son of Fujiwara no Kamatari (or, according to one theory, of Emperor Tenji), he had sons by two women, and those sons were the founders of the four principal lineages of the Fujiwara clan: the South, North, Ceremonial, and Capital lineages.
Also, he had four daughters by two other women. three by Kamohime, one by Tachibana no Michiyo. One daughter by Kamohime became Emperor Mommu's wife Miyako, who in turn gave birth to Emperor Shōmu. The daughter by Michiyo became the empress of his grandson Shōmu, Empress Kōmyō.
. . . . .
In 697 Prince Karu, the son of Prince Kusakabe and therefore grandson of Emperor Temmu and Empress Jitō, was appointed to the crown prince. Fuhito supported this appointment strongly and got the favor of Empress Jitō. Since then his promotion in the court began. In 701 Prince Obito, later the emperor Shōmu was born by Miyako. He succeeded to make Obito the crown prince and made his other daughter a wife of Obito. Until then only a royal lady could be promoted to the empress, but he succeeded his daughter the empress of Obito, the emperor Shōmu. It was the first empress who didn't derive from the imperial household.

He moved Yamashina-dera, the Buddhist temple which was the main temple his clan supported, to Nara and renamed it Kōfuku-ji. After his death, Kasuga shrine, the main temple of the Fujiwara clan was settled near to Kofuku-ji in 768.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !


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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way


When lord 佐藤継信 Sato Tsugunobu (1150 - 1185) died and gave his life to save his Master, Yoshitsune came to his grave to mourn for him.
He also gave his beloved horse 太夫黒 Tayuguro, Tayu-guro , which was a gift to Yoshitsune from the Emperor. The priest Kakua 覚阿上人 cared for the horse at the temple 志度寺 Shidodera, but after the events at Hiyodori Pass, it was given to 極楽寺.
And there is also a grave mound for Yoshitsune's Taiyu-guro.

. Yoshitsune 義経 and his horses 義経の馬 .

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. kaidoo 街道 Kaido highways in Shikoku .

The old Shido road 志度街道 Shido Kaido
Now Route 11 国道11号

One of the main roads of the Takamatsu Domain in the Edo period.
The starting point was the South Gate of Takamatsu Castle.

also called

Higashi Sanuki Hama Kaido 東讃浜街道
or simply
Hama Kaido 浜街道 Road along the Beach

From Takamatsu along the beach, passing Shido Town, toward Tokukshima.

東浜 Higashihama
志度 Shido
(17 km from Takamatsu)
鴨部 Kamobe
西村 Nishimura
引田 Hiketa (famous for Japanese Sugar, Wasanbon)
(30 km from Shido)
阿州 Ashu - Awa no Kuni, Tokushima.
(32 km from Hiketa)



source and more photos : matinami.o.oo7.jp

The town of Shido was active as a "temple town", thanks to the temple Shidoji.


. The old Kaido roads of Japan .


. Sake Legends and Buddhist Temples 酒とお寺 .


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Related words

***** . OBSERVANCES – SUMMER SAIJIKI .


. Shikoku Henro Temple List .


. Woman divers (ama 海女 (あま) .

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6/01/2011

Kifune Shrine Festivals

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Kifune Shrine and its festivals

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


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Explanation

Kifune matsuri 貴船祭 (きふねまつり) Kifune festival
... Kifune shinji 貴船神事(きふねしんじ)Kifune Shinto ritual
gokoosai 御更祭(ごこうさい)"changing the robes of the deity"
itadori matsuri 虎杖祭(いたどりまつり "knotweed festival"
kigo for mid-summer

Kifune, sometimes read Kibune (きぶね).

June 1
The most important yearly festival at Kifune Shrine 貴船神社 in the Kurama mountain region.
Its official name is gokoosai 御更祭.
It used to be held twice a year, on the first day of the fourth and eleventh lunar month.
Kibune shrine belongs to the Kamo Shrines of Kyoto (sessha 摂社).

In the forests around the shrine there grow a lot of itadori, Japanese knotweed.
People pick this plant and compare its length.


. WKD : itadori いたどり Japanese knotweed
Polygonum cuspidatum, looks like a kind of rhubarb.


quote
Kibune matsuri
Formerly this festival was held on the first day of the fourth and eleventh months at Kibune Jinja in Sakyō Ward, Kyōto City, Kyōto Prefecture.
Prior to the Meiji Period, when this shrine had an auxiliary shrine relationship to Kamowakeikazuchi Jinja (also known as Kamikamo Jinja, Upper Kamo Shrine), the festival was observed on a grand scale. In the past, on the day before the festival there used to be a kitchen knife ceremony, and shinsen (sacred offerings) were placed in a chest (karabitsu).
Then, together with birds (kakedori), people presented these to the kami on the day of the ceremony.
After the ritual offering (hōbei) of nusa (sacred paper strips/streamers) and the intoning of norito (prayers) by the shinshoku (priests) they visited the branch and hilltop shrines and performed hōbei, then returned wearing flowers taken from the mountain peak in their hair.

At the midpoint in route between the Kibune and Upper Kamo Shrines a designated person chanted a secret song to which the other priests responded in a repetitive manner. Formerly, during the fourth month festival worshippers used to collect the Japanese knotweed that grew profusely on the mountain near the shrine in a competition for size and amount, thus leading to the popular name itadori matsuri ("Knotweed Festival"). Vestiges of this ancient festival remain in the annual shin'yo (portable shrine) processional held on June 1, and in the festivals for the changing of the kami's robes (gokōisai) held on April 1 and November 1.
source : Mogi Sakae, Kokugakuin Uni


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Kibune Shrine (貴船神社, Kibune Jinja),
also known as Kifune Jinja, is a Shinto shrine located at Sakyō-ku in Kyoto, Japan.
It was founded more than 1600 years ago.
Legend tells us that the goddess Tamayori-hime appeared on a yellow boat in Osaka Bay and said, "Build a sanctuary at the place where this boat stops and deify the spirit of the locality, and the country will prosper." The boat floated up the rivers of Yodogawa to the river Kamogawa, stopping at the beginning of the stream.
The deities enshrined here are Takaokami-no-Kami and Kuraokami-no-Kami. They are the gods of water, and people pray to them for rain during times of drought, and to stop the rain during floods.
One emperor offered a black horse in a drought, and a white horse during a prolonged spell of rain. This is why people now offer up votive plates with the image of a horse.
The shrine became the object of Imperial patronage during the early Heian period.In 965, Emperor Murakami ordered that Imperial messengers were sent to report important events to the guardian kami of Japan. These heihaku were initially presented to 16 shrines including the Kibune Shrine.

From 1871 through 1946, the Kibune Shrine was officially designated one of the Kanpei-chūsha (官幣中社), meaning that it stood in the second rank of government supported shrines.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !

京都市左京区鞍馬貴船町180


. Kuraokami, Takaokami 高おかみ神 , Kuramitsuha .
Deity of Rain



Amulets from Kibune Jinja


chinowa omamori ちのわ守り for summer purification





龍神札 Dragon God amulet

. The Dragon Art Gallery - 2012 .



御神水せっけん soap from sacred water
清砂 purifying sand
kajitori 梶取守



何事もうまくいく絵馬 - may everything go well - amulet

all kinds of ema votive tablets and more
source : www.kibune.or.jp/jinja/omamori


tsuri yuki anzen 釣行安全 safety when fishing
ruaa mamori ルアー守 luer amulet
. Amulet for fishing from Kibune Shrine .

. Summer Purification (nagoshi, harae) .



むすび守袋型 Musubi bag form
むすび守文型 Musubi letter form

. Enmusubi 縁結び to find a good partner .




貴船神社船土鈴
clay bell of the yellow boat of Tamayori-Hime

A play of words with the name of the shrine, 黄船 "yellow boat".

. Kyoto no dorei 京都の土鈴 clay bells from Kyoto .

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Suzuka Valley and Waterfall, 鈴鹿谷
The Main Shrine, 貴船神社本宮
The Rock Garden, 石庭

Page with many thumbnails of the places within the precincts.
http://www.kibune.or.jp/meisho/

. . .

Kibune Jinja / Kifune Homepage
http://www.kibune.or.jp/jinja/

Festivals
http://www.kibune.or.jp/jinja/event/
http://www.kibune.or.jp/jinja/kibune/saijiki.html


. . . . . every month:
tsukinamisai 月次祭 monthly festival
hatsu tatsusai 初辰祭 festival on the first day of the dragon
masshasai 末社祭 festival of the subordinate shrine

. . . . . Saijiki Events:
hatsu tatsu taisai 初辰大祭
. Grand Festival on the first day of the dragon in January
tondo とんど Tondo fire, January 15
amagoi matsuri 雨乞祭 Rain Ritual, March 9
Kifune matsuri 貴船祭 Grand Festival, June 1
Minazuki no oharae 水無月大祓
. Great Purification ritual in June, June 30
Kifune no mizu matsuri 貴船の水まつり
. Water Festival, July 7
Kikka shinji 菊花神事
. Chrysanthemum ritual, Spetember 9
Meiji sai 明治祭 Meiji festival, November 3
Kifune momiji matsuri 貴船もみじ祭
. celebrating red leaves, November 7

. . . . .


quote
In Kyoto, Kibune Shrine deifies Takaokami-no-kami, who is worshiped as a rain god. It is described in the Shoku-nihongi, the Nihon-koki, the Shoku-nihon-koki , the Montoku-tenno Jitsuroku, and the Sandai Jitsuroku that from 765, the seventh year of Tempyohoji, people prayed almost every year to Niu-Kawakami and Kibune for rain. They are said to have offered a black horse when they wanted the rains to start and a white horse when they wanted the rains to end because it was believed that the spirit of the gods descend to earth on a horse. Black is the color for casting a rain spell as it symbolizes dark clouds bringing rain. In contrast, white is the symbol of the bright sun.
These prayers were held as national events.
Sacred Water in Japan
Iwai Hiromi




The Sacred Water 御神水 goshinsui
Even Murasaki Shikibu was aware of the powers of the water at Kibune Shrine. She came here to pray for the love of her husband, and her prayer was granted. Now the shrine is also worshipped by lovers, praying to the "god of good marriage". Workers also pray for a good relationship with their employers.

Even special soap is sold at the shrine.

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Oku no Miya 奥の宮

In the compounds, at the back of Kibune shrine, there is one of the three sacred

ryuuketsu 龍穴 dragon holes

This dragon hole inhabited by a white dragon, who brings prosperity to those who worship him.
It is a great "power spot" of Japan.

Once a carpenter lost his chisle, as it fell into the hole.
But to his surprize, a strong wind blew out of the whole and his chisle fell back on the ground in front of his feet.



Shrine Muro Ryuketsu Jinja 室生竜穴神社
Nara
. The Dragon Art Gallery – 2012 .

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Water festivel in Kifune
(貴船の水まつり) Kifune no mizu matsuri


at Kifune Shrine, July 7



quote
The origin of this festival is rain-making rituals.
Now is more like for showing our gratitude to water.

The festival consists of offering tea ceremony, dancing and cooking ceremony in front of the Gods. Tea cremony, of course, cannot be done without water, so it's the symbolic ceremony of this festival. And the cooking ceremony is offered by the special cooking school called Ikuma school.

Ancestors of the Ikuma school used to be cookers for the Imperial family. It is said that the current master is 29th-generation of the family.

At the ceremony, he cooks a fish in front of the god without touching it by his hands at all. (The fish is altarage for Gods, so it shouldn't be touched by men.)
source : see-u-in-kyoto.blogspot.com


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. Amagoi Matsuri 雨乞祭 Rain Ritual
March 9
Horses offered to the gods in rain rituals.
水の祀



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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way




quote
Kifune Festival held in Manazuru-cho,
真鶴 貴船まつり

Ashigara-shimo-gun, Kanagawa pref. is counted as one of Japan’s three largest marine festivals and a designated National Significant Intangible Folk Cultural Asset. The origin of the festival is dated back to the middle of the 17th century, when people began to put Mikoshi (portable shrine) on a ship to pray for purification of fishing boats and stone carrying boats in the harbor and then carried it around the village.

This old, traditional and pious festival is held on July 27th to 28th, filling the whole town of Manazuru with air of excitement. As the festival is composed of a lot of exciting spectacles such as the colorfully carved Kobaya-bune boat, Manazuru-bayashi (traditional band playing music) lively cheering up the town, reverent Kashima-odori dance, and flower floats and Kaidenma (the towing boat) for which masculine strength is fully expressed, a lot of tourists from all over the country visit the town of Manazuru.
On these two days, the citizens of Manazuru all pull together to make this festival a great success.
source : nippon-kichi.jp



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HAIKU


CLICK for more photos

新緑や人の少なき貴船村 
shinryoku ya hito no sukunaki Kifune mura

fresh green -
there are few people
in Kifune village


Hatano Soha (Sooha) 波多野爽波 (1923-1991)
source : weekly-haiku.blogspot.com


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Related words

***** . 貴船神社 Kibune Shrine, Buzen Kagura
Iwado Kagura of Buzen, 岩戸神楽 in Kyushu
Autumn, O-Bon

***** . Kibunegiku 貴船菊 (きぶねぎく) wild aster from Kibune
shuumeigiku 秋明菊(しゅうめいぎく) "bright autumn chrysanthemum"
Anemone japonica
kigo for mid-autumn

***** . kawadoko ryoori 川床料理
food served on a riverbed veranda  

In Kyoto, near shrine Kibune Jinja 貴船神社 served in the forest restaurants along the clean river.
kawayuka 川床(かわゆか)riverbed veranda



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5/06/2011

Kamo Shrines Kyoto

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Festivals at the Kamo Shrine complex

***** Location: Kyoto
***** Season: Various, see below
***** Category: Observance


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Explanation


Miyako Meisho Zue 都名所図会,
vol. 6 巻之六 後玄武再刻, 上加茂社 (上賀茂神社)



The Kamo Shrine complex:
Shimogamo Shrine 下鴨神社 and
Kamigamo Shrine 上賀茂神社 are both recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. They are two of the most important shrines in Kyoto.
They are two of the oldest shrines in Japan.

CLICK for more photos

Kamo Shrine (賀茂神社, Kamo-jinja)
is a general term for an important Shinto sanctuary complex on both banks of the Kamo River in northeast Kyoto. It is centered on two shrines.
The two shrines, an upper and a lower, lie in a corner of the old capital which was known as the "devil's gate" (鬼門, kimon) due to traditional geomancy beliefs that the north-east corner brought misfortune. Because the Kamo River runs from the north-east direction into the city, the two shrines along the river were intended to prevent demons from entering the city.

Kamo-wakeikazuchi Shrine
賀茂別雷神社, Kamo-wakeikazuchi jinja)

(賀茂御祖神社, Kamo-mioya jinja)

The Kamo Shrine is so named because its rituals and festivals are designed to assist in the veneration of the Kamo family of kami and other associated deities; and Kamo kami (kami-no-Kamo) is referenced in other Shinto contexts. In the "Congratulatory Words of the Chieftain of Izumo," the "sacred grove of Kamo" is mentioned along with other wooded Shinto sanctuaries at Ō-miwa, Unade and Asuka:

Then, Ō-namochi-no-mikoto said:
"The Sovereign Grandhild will dwell peacefully
in the land of Yamato."
Thus saying, he attached his peaceful spirit
To a mirror of large dimensions,
Eulogizing it by the name
Yamato-no-Ō-mono-nushi-Kushi-mika-tama-no-mikoto,
And had it dwell in the sacred grove of Ō-miwa.

He caused the spirit of his son
Aji-suki-taka-hiko-ne-no-mikoto
To dwell in the sacred grove of Kamo in Kaduraki;
Caused the spirit of Koto-shiro-nushi-no-mikoto
To dwell in Unade;
And caused the spirit of Kayanarumi-no-mikoto
To dwell in the sacred grove of Asuka.

© More in the WIKIPEDIA !


Kamigamo Shrine (上賀茂神社, Kamigamo Jinja)
Upper Kamo Shrine
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !


source : Kamigamo Shrine HP


Shimogamo Shrine, Shimogamo Jinja (下鴨神社 / 下賀茂神社)
Lower Kamo Shrine (sometimes written with the Chinese character for duck.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !





sazare ishi さざれ石 boulder grown from pebbles

"Kimigayo" (君が代) is the national anthem of post-1868 Japan.

君が代は 千代に八千代に さざれ石の
いわおとなりてこけの生すまで

Kimigayo wa
Chiyo ni yachiyo ni
Sazare-ishi no
Iwao to narite
Koke no musu made

May your reign
Continue for a thousand, eight thousand generations,
Until the pebbles
Grow into boulders
Lush with moss

Thousands of years of happy reign be thine;
Rule on, my lord, till what are pebbles now
By ages united to mighty rocks shall grow
Whose venerable sides the moss doth line.
Tr. Basil Hall Chamberlain

© More in the WIKIPEDIA !

There are various sazare-ishi in Japan.
The one for the Kimigayo is most probably referring to 岐阜県揖斐川町春日, now a park with the stone さざれ石公園.


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According to the system of Shikinen Sengu, all shrines in the Shimogamo complex are meant to be rebuilt every 21 years. The purpose of this physical reconstruction is spiritual renewal.
Tadasu no mori, this lush, green forest is a hallmark of Shimogamo shrine.
source : Shimogamo Shrine HP



The name also refers to the ambit of shrine's nearby woods, which are vestiges of the primeval forest of
Tadasu no Mori 糺の森(ただすのもり、糺ノ森.

CLICK for more photos

Tadasu No Mori
which literally means "Forest of Correction," is a sacred grove associated with an important Shinto sanctuary complex known in Japanese as the Kamo-jinja, situated near the banks of the Kamo River just north of where the Takano River joins the Kamo River in northeast Kyoto city, Japan. The term Kamo-jinja in Japanese is a general reference to Shimogamo Shrine and Kamigamo Shrine, the traditionally linked Kamo shrines of Kyoto. The Kamo-jinja serve the function of protecting Kyoto from malign influences.

The ambit of today's forest encompasses approximately 12.4 hectares, which are preserved as a national historical site . It is today the last remnant of a primeval forest which is reputed to have never been burned down. The forest has, in fact, suffered some damage over the centuries when all of Kyoto was burned during successive revolts and wars but the forest growth has rebounded again and again. The forest is left to grow in its natural state. It is neither planted nor pruned.

The forest in ancient times comprised approximately 4,950,000 square meters of virgin forest. Due to wars during the Middle Ages and a supreme edict in the 4th year of the Meiji era, it was reduced to its present area of approximately 124,000 square meters.

The wooded area that is called by the name Tadasu-no-mori today lies on the grounds of Shimogamo Shrine, one of the seventeen historical sites in and around Kyoto which in 1994 were designated by UNESCO as Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto.
source : www.medical-answers.org


hotarubi no chakai 蛍火の茶会 tea ceremony and fireflies
in June

There are performances of court and other traditional music with ritual dancing, a demonstration of kimonos in 12 layers (juuni-e), tea ceremony and then fireflies are released to freedom. (This is a good deed said to improve one's karma in the next world.)
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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Busha Shinji (歩射神事, archery ritual) at Shimogamo Shrine (下鴨神社).
The arrow will overleap the huge gate at the left side


- Shared by Taisaku Nogi -
Joys of Japan, 2012

Busha Shinji
Shrine priests use bows and arrows to ward off evil spirits. Other arrow shooting rituals are also held.
source : www.kyotoguide.com




賀茂別雷神社(上賀茂神社)
text by 千玄室
source : www.kamigamojinja.jp/sengu


Kamo Wake Ikazuchi Jinja
賀茂別雷神社 (かもわけいかづちじんじゃ) 
source : www.kyoto.zaq.ne.jp


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yakuyoke no omamori 厄除けの御守り amulet to ward off evil

. . . CLICK here for amulet Photos !

. Yakuyoke - Amulets to ward off evil .

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kigo for early summer


賀茂の競べ馬 - Miyako Meisho Zue 都名所図会,

kurabeuma, kurabe uma 競べ馬 horse race

. Kamo keiba 賀茂競馬(かもけいば)
horse race at Kamo shrine

"The Ritual of the Racehorses"
kurabeuma, kurabe uma 競べ馬 (くらべうま) horse race
kisoi uma きそい馬(きそいうま)
koi uma きおい馬(きおいうま)
muda hashiri 空走り(むだはしり)"free run"
kachiuma 勝馬(かちうま)winning horse
makeuma 負馬(まけうま)loosing horse
hashiri uma 走り馬(はしりうま)running horse
ashizoroe 足揃(あしぞろえ) "getting the legs together"
May 5

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CLICK for more photos

. Aoi Matsuri 葵祭 Aoi Festival
May 15
Shimogamo and Kamigamo shrine in Kyoto
..... Kamo no matsuri 賀茂祭(かものまつり)

source : Kamo-sai (Aoi-matsuri)


Kamo Mikage Matsuri
賀茂御蔭祭 (かもみかげまつり)
"honorable shadow festival" mikage matsuri

mi-aregi 御生木(みあれぎ)
shibakiri shinji 芝切神事(しばきりしんじ)
"Lawn Cutting Ceremony"
May 15
(during the Aoi Matsuri Festival)

. . . . .


kigo for late summer

. Shimogamo no misogi
下賀茂の御祓 (しもがものみそぎ)
Shimogamo purification rituals

visiting for the Mitarashi festival, mitarashi moode
御手洗詣 みたらしもうで
Tadasu no suzumi 糺の納涼(ただすのすずみ)
coolness of the Tadasu forest
mitarashi dango 御手洗団子(みたらしだんご)
rice dumplings
Nagoshi-no-harae
June 30


Maybe related to Christian baptism rituals?

. The Hata Clan 秦氏 Hata Uji .
and the Christian connection


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kigo for early autumn

CLICK for more photos

. yatori shinji 矢取り神事
Shimogamo Shrine Arrow Ceremony

Beginning of August


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kigo for the New Year

. hatsumari 初鞠 first kick-ball bame
..... kemari hajime 蹴鞠初め

January 4 at Shimogamo Shrine in Kyoto. 

. . . . .

Kamigamo Nentoosai
上賀茂燃燈祭 (かみがもねんとうさい)
"Lantern Festival at Kamigamo"
hatsune no tamabooki
初子の玉箒(はつねのたまぼうき)
"precious broom on the first day of the rat"

A broom (brush) used to clean the silkworm room for the first time on the first day of the rat. The broom was made of Chinese lespedeza, Lespedeza cuneata (medohagi蓍萩) and first pine seedlings.


source : unokanda


. Pulling Pine Seedlings (komatsu hiki)


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Kamigamo otana kazari
上賀茂御棚飾 (かみがもおたなかざり)
shelf decorations at Kamigamo shrine

January 14
This ritual dates back to the Heian period.

After making donations to the four districts, they were divided into six districts.
On this day, offerings from the six districts were made.
Lately on one shelf offerings of fish, foul, rice and other food items are made and ritual music is played.

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Karasu-zumo "Crow Sumo (wresling celemony)"
烏相撲(からすずもう)
karasu sumoo
September 9, Kamigamo Shrine

CLICK for more photos

In this very unusual ritual, shrine officials imitate the voice of crows and their manner of jumping to the side, then children perfom sumo for the entertainment of the Kami. It has been designated by the city of Kyoto as an "Intangible Cultural Property".
source : www.kamigamojinja.jp

. . . . .

More festivals at Shimogamo Shrine


New Year's Festivities
Kinensai Matsuri (Toshigoi Matsuri)
Mitarashi Matsuri
Meigetsu Kangen Sai
Ohitaki Sai
Yakushu Wakamizu shinji “medicine wine, young water.”
source : www.shimogamo-jinja.or.jp

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Dragon Ema for 2012



Shared by Promenade in Kyoto
Joys of Japan


. Dragon Ema votive tablets - 2012 .

. The Dragon Art Gallery .


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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way



. "Kamo Dolls (kamo ningyo 加茂人形)
Willow Dolls (yanagi ningyo 柳人形)



. Kannabi 神奈備 "purified place"


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HAIKU


御座をはけこよひ初子の玉箒
goza o hake koyoi hatsune no tamabooki

cleaning the mats
tonight with a precious broom
on the first day of the rat


In the Haiku Collection Enoko Shuu 犬子集(1633)


Enokoshu, part of the Shoki Haikai Shu 初期俳諧集
江戸初期の俳諧集
17 maki in 5 volumes


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黄昏に孫と散歩の鴨の川

Twilight stroll
Old couple and a grandson
Along Kamo river


Esho Shimazu
Joys of Japan, February 2012


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Related words

***** . Kyoto (Hana no Miyako)  


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3/09/2011

Zama Ikasuri Shrine Festival

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Zama festival (Zama matsuri )

***** Location: Osaka, Japan
***** Season: Late summer
***** Category: Observance


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Explanation

Zama matsuri 座摩祭 (ざままつり) Zama festival
Zama no misogi 座摩の御祓(ざまのみそぎ) Zama purification

Zama jinja 座摩神社 shrine Zama jinja, 坐摩神社 Ikasuri Jinja
July 21 until 23
3 Watanabe, 4-chome, Kyutaro-machi, Chuo-ku, Osaka City


quote
Ikasuri Shrine
beloved by the public under the nickname Zama-san, and worshipped as an ancient deity of residence protection, travel safety, and safe delivery.
It is said that the shrine was established when Empress Jingu enshrined Ikasuri-no-kami 座摩の神 at the mouth of the Yodo River when she returned from overseas.



On the other hand, according to the Engishiki (the classical compendium of rules), Hideyoshi Toyotomi moved the shrine of the guardian god of Settsu Nishinari-gun, formerly located on the south end of the Watanabe Bridge around Temmabashi, to this new location along with its name in the 11th year of the Tensho Period (1583), in order to build Osaka Castle.

From then on, merchants and entertainers gathered and the region thrived, and this resulted in second-hand shops and ceramic wholesale shops gathering around the area. Within the premises is the Toki (ceramics) Shrine, and the Toki Ceramics Festival (tooki matsuri 陶器祭り) is held on July 23 of every year.
source : www.osaka-info.jp/en


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amulet for the winter purification
人形と蘇民将来子孫門の御札

paper dolls hitogata and Somin Shorai

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Amulets from 陶器神社 Toki Jinja:

For the Jizoo-E 地蔵会 Jizo Festival on July 21 - 23.
A gourd to prevent fire is hung from a Sasa reed branch.
kaboo no hyootan mamori 火防の瓢箪守 gourd amulet to prevent fire

This Jizo is a Shogun Jizo from Atago 愛宕山将軍地蔵, who comes to extinguish fires with the water from his gourd.
A small clay bell is also hung from the twig.

another amulet for the festival is a clay figure of
sekku kazari no tora 節供飾りの虎 Tiger decoration for the Seasonal Change


. Atago Jinja 愛宕神社  Atago shrines .

. Amulets and Folk Art from Osaka .

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Ceramic Shrine 陶器神社せともの祭 and Ceramic Festival


5柱を総称して坐摩大神(いかすりのおおかみ)
Ikasuri no Ookami
The five deities protect the home,
and are helpful for a safe travel and easy childbirth.




The crest of the shrine is a heron
sagimaru, sagi maru 鷺丸(さぎまる)


When Emperess Jingu looked for a place for this shrine, a group of white herons from Tamino no shima 田蓑島 (now near Tenmanbashi bridge 天満橋) came with pine twigs in their beaks to show her the place.


懸鳥祭  Festival on December 2 
offerings of animals, fish and birds, are made


Homepage of the Shrine 坐摩神社
source : www.ikasuri.or.jp
大阪市中央区久太郎町4丁目渡辺3号


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. Somin Shorai 蘇民将来  .


People prepare paper dolls (hitogata 人形, katashiro 形代 ) and float them on small paper ships to take away bad fortune.

. Summer Purification .


. Amulets and Talismans from Japan . 


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Ceramic Lantern at Ceramic Shrine  陶器神社





Osaka Setomono Matsuri 大阪せともの祭り
Setomono Festival



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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way



quote
Jichinsai 地鎮祭
"Ground-purification rites."
Also read "tokoshizume no matsuri."
At the commencement of civil engineering or architectural projects, this ritual is performed to pray that the project proceeds safely and smoothly, and to pray that no structural problems arise after its completion.
Other names for this ritual include jikanjō, shizume, jibiki, jimatsuri, chinsai, and chinsha.

This ritual is performed before the preliminary foundation-laying stage of a given project. At the Grand Shrines of Ise, the pre-construction jichinsai rite is called chinchisai and is also repeated after a project is finished, a rite referred to as kō-chinchisai ("post-completion chinchisai").

The saijin, or kami being petitioned in the rite, were once
the five ikasuri-no-kami (protectors of court lands):

生井神 Ikui no kami, Protector of life
福井神 Sakui no kami, Bringer of good luck
綱長井神 Tsunagai no kami, Luck for fishing
波比岐神 Hahiki no kami, Protector of home and garden
阿須波神 Asuwa no kami, Protector of legs and travelling


In most cases today, however, the rite refers obliquely to "the kami who controls this land," thereby directing the prayer to the specific kami of a given land without specifying the kami's name.

There are also several cases in which the saijin is
Ubusunakami
("Protector kami of the life-giving land") or
Ōjinushigami
("Great protector kami of the land").

Generally, a hand washing ritual precedes the ceremony. The ceremony itself begins with a purification rite and a rite beseeching the kami to descend. After that, the shinsen, or offering of food and drink, is made to the kami and the ritualist(s) recites a norito liturgy. Then they purify the site and scatter more offerings. Thereafter, the following three rituals performed in succession, the hallmark of the jichinsai ritual.

First, a young girl performs the kusakarihajime (first ground-clearing) using a ritually pure sickle to start cutting the grass.
Next, the girl performs the rite of ugachizome (first ground-breaking) using a ritually pure hoe to dig a hole.
Third, the assistant ritualist performs the ritual burial of the izumemono (article of enshrinement) in the hole, but in fact the actual izumemono is buried after the ritual is over.

These days, the article buried is usually an iron human figurine, an iron mirror, or a small iron dagger, but on occasion an iron spear, iron shield, or jewel may also be used. The ceremony concludes with a bow of thanksgiving, the scattering of more sacred food and drink offerings, and the performance of the rite for the kami's ascent.
source : Endo Jun, Kokugakuin, 2007


jubatsu 修祓(しゅばつ)
kooshin 降神(こうしん)
kensen 献饌(けんせん)
norito soojoo 祝詞奏上(のりとそうじょう)
shihoo harai 四方祓(しほうはらい)
jichin 地鎮(じちん)
tamagushi hooten 玉串奉奠(たまぐしほうてん)
tessen 撤饌(てっせん)
shuushin 昇神(しょうしん)
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !


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Asuwa Jinja 足羽神社
is the other shrine enshrining Ikasuri-no-kami.
When Emperor Keitai (継体天皇) left Fukui to be the Emperor, he established the shrine and enshrined Ikasuri-no-kami and himself.

photo and text from
source : Taisaku Nogi - facebook


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HAIKU



座摩祭古き船場を思ふなり
Zama matsuri furuki Senba o omou nari

Zama festival -
I am reminded
of the old Senba


anonymous
source : www.jlogos.com


Senba, Semba

quote
Semba is a town of commerce and money surrounded by rivers on its three sides. The name Semba (ship's place) stems from the presence of a wharf there when canals were excavated and merchants were gathered to run Osaka, the then capital of a feudal lord's fief, in the 16th century.
The area has a grid of "Toori" (streets 通り) from east to west and "Suji" (avenues 筋) from south to north. The streets ("Tori") are lined with textile, sundry goods, cosmetic and other wholesalers, where the avenues ("Suji") form a business center clustered with banks, stockbrokers' offices and other business firms.

At Minami Semba on the north side of the subway station Shinsaibashi are many recently opened retail shops selling clothes, bags, stationery, tableware, sundry goods and other items. Not a few carries goods distinguished from what you find at department stores, attracting trend-conscious people.

Semba also has unique restaurants, coffee shops and bars around, with ethnic restaurants newly opened one after another where you can enjoy Thai, Vietnam, Indonesian and other Asian cuisines. The interiors of many restaurants are decorated in fancy design, and they serve foods of different countries so that they draw many, mostly young, people.
source : www.jnto.go.jp/eng


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Related words

***** . OBSERVANCES – SUMMER SAIJIKI .

***** . WKD : Ground-breaking ceremony (jichinsai ) .


. Amulets and Talismans from Japan . 

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- #zamashrineosaka #ikasurishrineosaka -
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7/21/2010

Arai Handheld Fireworks

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Arai Handheld Fireworks (Enshu Arai tezutsu hanabi)

***** Location: Arai, Shizuoka
***** Season: Late Summer
***** Category: Observance


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Explanation

Arai Hand Cannon Fireworks Festival
遠州新居手筒花火 enshu arai tezutsu hanabi
hand-held large fireworks

last saturday in July at shrine Suwa Jinja 諏訪神社

CLICK For more photos

This remarkable firework display dates back to the Edo period, Yoshida domaine, and has since been upheld by the wild menfolk of Arai town.

It is one of the special festivals along the old Tokaido road.

On the night of the fireworks, at the Shrine Suwa Jinja a special fire is lit, and the candles handed over to the main participants of each fireworks group. They carry it in lanterns to their followers and then carefully light the cannons.

The climax is the Sarutahiko enka 猿田彦煙火(さるたひこえんか) firework. One man clad like a tengu goblin with a long nose and 10th of others after him ignite their handheld firework cannons, jump around and dance in the sparks. Large columns of fire sparks brighten the night sky.

CLICK for more photos


Look at a video here:
source : www.mustlovejapan.com

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Enshuu-arai-tezutsu-hanabi 


source : nippon-kichi.jp

The participants take a whole year to prepare the cannons themselves, cutting bamboo, wrapping it in tatami mats, clearing the inside of the bamboo tubes, and finally, on the day before the fireworks, a specialist adds the chemicals for the firework. It is quite dangerous if not made properly, so each participants carries responsibility.

CLICK for more, original at charm.hamazo.tv
handheld firework cannons


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Things found on the way



CLICK for more photos
Hiroshige: Tokaido


Arai-juku (新居宿)
was the thirty-first of the fifty-three stations of the Tōkaidō. It is located in the city of Kosai, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. During the Edo period, it was located in Tōtōmi Province. The kanji for the post station were originally also written as 荒江 and 荒井 (Arai).

Arai-juku was located on the western shores of Lake Hamana (浜名湖, Hamana-ko). Travelers crossed the lake to reach Maisaka-juku, the previous post station on the Tōkaidō. Though there were many checkpoints along the Tōkaidō, the Arai Checkpoint is the only one that existed both on land and on the water.

Both the checkpoint and post station were often damaged from earthquakes and tsunami, which led to them both being moved to different locations. The current location was established after the earthquake of 1707. The existing checkpoint building was used as a school after the checkpoint was abolished at the start of the Meiji period. It is now preserved as a museum dedicated to the history and culture of the post stations.

The Kii-no-kuni-ya (紀伊の国屋, a preserved hatago (旅籠) still remaining today, served as a rest spot for official travelers coming from Kii Province further south. It is now a local history museum.

The classic ukiyoe print by Ando Hiroshige (Hoeido edition) from 1831-1834 depicts a daimyo procession on sankin kotai crossing between Maisaka-juku and Arai-juku by boat. The daimyo is in a large vessel with his family crest, while his retainers follow in a smaller boat with the baggage.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !


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my Daruma
has many strange friends -
firework cannon



CLICK for original . araiso.info

Daruma in Arai, beside a firework cannon
だるまと手筒花火


Daruma Museum

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Handheld fireworks bento at Toyohashi station
壷屋弁当部 : 手筒花火
Mikawa Bento

. EKIBEN 駅弁 Station Lunch Box


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Manhole with the fireworks
Toyohashi Town







. Manholes with Daruma だるま模様のマンホール  


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Yaramaika Music Festival, Hamamatsu
やらまいか浜松
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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HAIKU


CLICK for more photos


確と抱く手筒花火や男意気
shika to daku tezutsu hanabi ya otoko iki

they firmly hold on
to the firework cannons -
such brave men

Tateno Masao 楯野正雄

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Related words

***** . The 53 stations of the Tokaido  

***** . Firework Display (hanabi 花火)  


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