Showing posts with label Kumamoto. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kumamoto. Show all posts

11/29/2014

Hassaku Kumamoto

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Hassaku Festival (hassaku matsuri)

***** Location: Kumamoto
***** Season: Mid-Autumn
***** Category: Observance


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Explanation

hassaku matsuri 八朔祭 Hassaku festival


- quote
This is a traditional festival with a 240-year history. It is said this festival started in 1757 under the order of the Hosokawa clan, concerning the bad harvest around the Yabe area. The main attraction is the giant creations skillfully made by individual communities, with pinecones and other wild plants that grow in Yabe. These express the society and people’s wishes with a sense of humor.

During the festival, these creations march through the town streets with musical accompaniment as well as a fancy-dress parade, to wish for an abundant harvest and prosperity. Tsujunkyo Bridge also releases water during the Hassaku Festival, and there is a fireworks display at night.

- Look at a video here :
- source : japan-attractions.jp


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takes place in 上益城郡山都町浜町商店街一帯

約240年の歴史をもつ伝統的な祭りです。この祭りは、1757年(宝暦7年)に、矢部郷一帯の不作を心配した細川藩の命令で始められたと言われています。目玉は、矢部の山野に自生する松笠などの植物を材料にして、各町内が趣向を凝らして作る巨大な造り物です。世相を風刺したものや願望など、洒落を交えて表現されています。



各町内自慢の造り物が、お囃子や仮装行列とともに練り歩き、豊作と繁栄を祈ります。八朔祭の時は、通潤橋の放水も行われ、夜には花火大会も行われます。
- source : kumanago.jp/event


. hassaku no iwai 八朔の祝
Harvest Festival, Hassaku sai 八朔祭 .

hassaku 八朔 (はっさく)
first day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar
kigo for mid-Autumn

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This 作り物, constructed entirely from natural materials (except for the eyes, which light up) won the annual contest in Yamato this year.
- shared by Kit Nagamura, fb

. Fudō Myō-ō, Fudoo Myoo-Oo 不動明王 Fudo Myo-O
Acala Vidyârâja – Vidyaraja – Fudo Myoo .



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. Kumamoto Prefecture Festivals - 熊本県 .


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HAIKU




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***** . OBSERVANCES – AUTUMN SAIJIKI .


. Amulets and Talismans from Japan . 

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12/11/2011

Kumamoto prefecture

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. Regional Festivals - From Hokkaido to Okinawa .

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Kumamoto Prefecture - 熊本県

located on Kyushu Island.
The capital is the city of Kumamoto.

Former Higo Province 肥後国 Higo no Kuni

© More in the WIKIPEDIA !


. Kumamoto - Entries of this BLOG .


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


- quote
Hoshinaga Fumio:
Selected Haiku from Kumaso-Ha
Along with research interests in Japanese language and history, Hoshinaga has been concerned with the local history and deep tribal past of central Kyushu, a concern which frames his latest effort, Kumaso-Ha, a ninth haiku collection published by Honami Shoten in autumn 2003. The creativity of the haiku in Kumaso-Ha are striking: many are innovative in approach, presenting social and philosophical perspectives with deeply humane insight.
... You know, here in Kyushu, the Kumaso, the ancient tribe of central Kyushu, have been conquered and eradicated, but in my haiku, I want to rebuild, revive the Kumaso world—the era of the Kumaso and the essential nature of the Kumaso.
- source : www.modernhaiku.org/essays
- source : gendaihaiku.com/hoshinaga

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. Aso Shrine Festivals .
Aso jinja 阿蘇神社


. hassaku matsuri 八朔祭 Hassaku festival .
in the Yabe area

Hinokuni Festival
August 11 - 13


Fujisaki Hachimangu Shrine Grand Festival
September 11 - 15

. Kato Kiyomasa 加藤清正 .
Kato Kiyomasa Festival
Kumamoto, July


Kumamoto Castle Festival
October


. Yamaga Lantern Festival 山鹿灯籠まつり .



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External LINKS :

- Reference -

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Related words





. Regional Folk Toys from Japan - GANGU . 

. Regional Dishes from Japan - WASHOKU .


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8/15/2010

Yamaga Lantern Festival

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Yamaga Lantern Festival

***** Location: Yamaga, Kumamoto
***** Season: Early Autumn
***** Category: Observance


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Explanation

Yamaga Tooroo Matsuri 山鹿灯籠まつり
August 15 and 16

CLICK for more photos

This festival dates back to an ancient legend. The emperor and his followers were walking in deep fog and the villagers, carrying pine torches, helped them to find their way to safety.

Now during the night about 1000 ladies in summer yukata dance around a center stage, all wearing shining lanterns of gold and silver on their head, this is the "festival held throughout the night". They have a special song, the Yoheho-bushi, which makes it possible to do very slow elegant movements.
The men in ancient costumes line up the street with pine torches, like the ancinet folk, welcoming the emperor.

The festival is now held at the shrine Omiya Jinja 大宮神社 , as an offering to the deities at midnight of August 15.

On August 15, there is a great firework display along the river Kikuchigawa 菊池川, with about 4000 bangs of colorful fireworks.




The lanterns are made of gold and silver paper, pasted together with natural glue only. There are few craftsmen in the town who can make these special lanterns, which must be extremely light to bear on the head for a long time.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


A group of specially trained women dancers form the center of the dance circle. These unmarried girls practise twice a week throughout the year, and train how to move their hands most elegantly.


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The town of Yamaga is located along the old road of Buzen, Buzen Kaido 豊前街道 in Kumamoto prefecture.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


The town of Yamaga is also famous for the Kabuki theater YachioZa,where Tamasaburo Bando 坂東玉三郎  performs regularly since many years.



quote
Sanga-yachiyoza 山鹿八千代座 Yachiyo-za Theater

Yachiyo-za Theater in Yamaga City, Kumamoto Pref.
is a designated Important Cultural Property.

This playhouse has the features typical of a Kabuki theater in the Edo period such as box seats and the revolving stage. It has a history of 80 years but various performances are still played on the stage now.

In 1910, several wealthy merchants and businessmen in Yamaga City founded the Yachiyo-za Union to establish the theater and bought the stocks at the price of 30 yen per share. The first performance was played in January the next year, in which the greatest actors and actresses of the time such as Matsui Sumako, Okada Yoshiko, Hasegawa Kazuo, and Kataoka Chiezo played enthusiastically.

In the Yumekogura (museum) opposite the theater, precious documents and materials preserved at this theater are displayed, among them are the costumes that Bando Tamasaburo wore on the stage and the stage properties used then, leaflets of the plays, and the old cinema projection.

The theater was renovated as it was in 1923, when the theater was at its peak. Visitors can take a guided tour and see around the theater including the backstage mechanism of the revolving stage.
source : nippon-kichi.jp


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The other two great fire festivals of summer in Kumamoto:
Hi-no-Kuni Matsuri, or the Land of Fire Festival
(mid-August), in Kumamoto City

Kikusui-machi Kofun Matsuri,
the Kikusui-machi Burial Mounds Festival
first weekend in August, in Kikusui-machi, Tamana-gun

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HAIKU


after the dance -
a sip of lemonade
in style


Nakayama Ishino



Lemonade bottles with the lanterns as decoration.


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. Fudo Rock at Yamaga Town 不動岩 Fudoo Iwa


Yamaga choochin 山鹿灯籠 Yamaga lanterns
. Folk Craft from Kumamoto .



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3/16/2010

Aso Shrine Festivals Kumamoto

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Fire-swinging festival (hiburi matsuri)

***** Location: Kumamoto, Japan
***** Season: Mid-spring
***** Category: Observance


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Explanation

CLICK for even more photos CLICK For more photos
Click on all thumbnails for many more photos !


hiburi matsuri 火振り祭 (ひぶりまつり)
"fire-swinging festival"


March 16

This festival revolves around the Shinto shrine dedicated to Mount Aso in Kumamoto, where festivals with prayers for a good harvest are held every season.

Aso jinja 阿蘇神社 Aso Shrine
Ichinomiya village
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

quote
Aso-no-Ōkami 阿蘇大神, the kami or spirit who dwells at Aso Shrine has been worshipped from early times as the guardian deity of safety in navigation, and today, Aso-no-Ōkami is popular as a god protecting worshippers from traffic accidents and other untoward events.

Yabusame is an annual festival which brings together horse-mounted archers, special arrows and targets, and Shinto ritual at Aso Shrine.

The Aso no Himatsuri festival has its origin in the month of March festivals such as
Aso no Noyaki (the first burning in Aso) and
Aso jinja no Hifuri shinji (the fire ritual of Aso Shrine).

Although rarely performed today, ceremonies which honor ancestors who settled near the Aso caldera do continue to be associated with the Aso jinja.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !


阿蘇神社の火振り神事

hiburi shinji 火ぶりしんじ Shinto torch ritual
hifuri shinji. Aso Fire Festival

Large ropes of about one meter length are made from kaya reedgrass, which are then bound to hemp ropes of two meters lenght. The reed grass is then set on fire and the rope wrung in a large circle around its holder, forming a circle of fire. With so many people participating in this ritual, the shrine looks like on fire itself or like a huge fireworks celebration.

click for more photos  !


The origin of this ritual goes back to welcoming the god of the fields back in spring, to greet his wife (goze mukae 御前迎え(ごぜむかえ) .


. Ta no Kami 田の神さま God of the Rice Fields  




source : www.asoict.jp/bokin/


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. WKD : Mount Aso in Kyushu 阿蘇山  
Read this entry for more information about this huge volcano mountain.

including

Aso matsuri 阿蘇祭 (あそまつり) Aso festival
gotaue matsuri, go taue matsuri ごたうえまつり . 田植え祭り
rice-planting festival
Aso no Onda Matsuri 阿蘇の御田祭

observance kigo for late summer
July 28 and 29



quote
The onda matsuri for Aso Jinja in Ichinomiya Town, Aso County, Kumamoto Prefecture, occurs on July 28 and 29. As the otaue matsuri and the shinkō have been merged, the correct name for this festival is otaue shinkō shiki.

On the day of the festival, a procession of nearly one hundred attendants, beginning with a person wearing a mask of the kami, Sarutahiko, followed by saotome, fourteen unari (young women) carrying rice chests, lion dancers (shishi), dengaku, field laborers, oxen, and four sacred palanquins (shin'yo), proceeds to the first temporary shrine (ichi no angū ) and ceremonially present offerings of food (kensen) and norito.

Then a ritual rice planting occurs and the procession moves to the second temporary shrine (ni no angū). In the evening, the procession returns to the main shrine (kangyo) where all of the shrines are ceremonially visited (miya mawari shiki), and another ritualized rice-planting is held in the shrine grounds (keidai).
source : Kokugakuin University.


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at Shimo Jinja  霜神社  "Frost Shrine" :

. 霜宮火焚(ひたき)神事 Shimomiya hitaki gyooji  
making fire to keep the deities warm
from August 13 till October 29



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Aso Shrine, Fukuoka
Haki Hosaka, Asakura-shi, Fukuoka
泥打祭り(福岡県・杷木町)


Doro-uchi matsuri 泥打祭 どろうちまつり mud-throwing festival

observance kigo for mid-spring

March 28

CLICK for more , original at fuhkemon.exblog

quote
The Mud Throwing Festival is a unique festival held at Aso Shrine on March 28 of every year. People throw mud at a priest who acts as the god of rice fields in an attempt to foretell whether they will have a bountiful or lean harvest.

On the day of the festival, the priest (who is selected annually by lottery) changes into pure white shrine ritual robes and sits in a sacred area of the shrine grounds. After that, 12 children (parishioners) accompanying him simultaneously douse the priest in mud, and as he makes his way towards the traveler’s deity statue about 500 meters (1,640 feet) away, people grab mud that is prepared along the route and throw it at him.
It is said that the more mud sticks to his body, the more bountiful the year’s harvest will be!
source : www.crossroadfukuoka.jp


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April 15, 2016 - Kumamoto Earthquake 熊本大地震



Asojinja shrine: 2 billion yen needed to repair quake damage
Kumamoto Prefecture--Asojinja shrine here said it will need 10 years and 2 billion yen ($18.65 million) to restore buildings and facilities, including culturally important properties, that were damaged or destroyed in the recent earthquakes.

The shrine will set up a support group and collect donations for the reconstruction project.
According to shrine officials, the “romon” two-storied gate, a government-designated important cultural property, was destroyed in the magnitude-7.3 earthquake on April 16.

The shrine’s three main halls, as well as the Miyukimon and Kangyomon gates, all of which are also listed as important cultural properties, were severely damaged.

“The romon, the symbol of the shrine, collapsed, and other facilities in the precincts were also damaged, but we will work hard to prevent the traditional Shinto ceremonies that we have preserved from being terminated,” said Harutaka Aso, 63, chief priest of Asojinja. ...
- source : Asahi Shinbun May 15 2016 -


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HAIKU



swinging fire -
grandmother holds hands
with the new bride

Nakayama Ishino 中山石野, 2005


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Related words

***** . Fire Festivals of Japan  


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