Maizuru Festivals INFO Kyoto

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Maizuru Festivals


. Maizuru Daruma Festival ... 舞鶴だるま祭
Beginning of November

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初日の出（五老ケ岳公園） [節句・年中行事]
First sunrise
Januaray 1

松尾寺の仏舞 [伝統芸能・舞踊]
Buddha Dance at Temple Matsuo
May

大森神社まつり　大名行列 [行列・パレード]
Festival at Shrine Omori Jinja
July

みなと舞鶴ちゃったまつり [花火大会]
Harbor Festival Maizuru, Fireworks
August

吉原の万灯籠 [火と灯の祭り]
Yoshihara Lantern Festival
August


白糸濱神社神輿巡行
Shiraito-Hama Shrine Autumn Festival


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穴観音秋の大祭
Autumn Festival at Cave Kannon
Memorial for the Dead, where parishioners sing Buddhist pilgrim's hymns (goeika, go eika 御詠歌).
September 14
(the corresponding spring event is on April 14)
穴観世音菩薩 Ana Kanzeon Bosatsu



At the temple Eishunji 永春寺 at Kanzaki town 神崎 at the foot of Mount Makiyama three is a cave with three statues of Kannon Bosatsu made of stone, where people go to pray for fulfilling of just one wish about having a child and bringing it up safely. Others they pray for passing an examination.
Women also come here on any 14th of a month. It is customary to make an offering of one raw egg.

Legend has it:
Once upon a time, there was a mother in the Tanba region who had lost her sight. She was desperate to see again and went with her three daughers to the forest to search for herbal medicine and went to temples and shrines to pray for her sight.
One day in her dream she saw three stone statues of Kannon in a cave. A voice whispered:
"At the mouth of the river Yuragawa 由良川 in Tanba there are three statues of Kannon. Go there and pray to get your eyesight back!"
Soon she went there with her three daughters and asked about the cave, but the local villagers did not know anything about it. But all helped here and so they found the cave with the statues.
There she prayed and her wish was fulfilled 祈願万願, she could see again.



Since then people have been coming here, making just one very sincere wish and pray for its fulfilling.

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まいづる魚まつり
Maizuru Fish Festival
October

地頭太鼓 [伝統芸能・舞踊]
Jizo Daiko Drummer Festival and Dance
October



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由良のとを わたる舟人 かぢをたえ
行く方もしらぬ恋の道かな

Yura no to o Wataru funabito Kaji o tae
Yukue mo shiranu Koi no michi kana

Like a mariner
Sailing over Yura's strait
With his rudder gone:
Where, over the deep of love,
The end lies, I do not know.


46 - Sone no Yoshitada 曽禰好忠

. Ogura Hyakunin Isshu Poems 小倉百人一首 .


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Yoshida Shrine Kyoto

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Yoshida Shrine (Yoshida Jinja)

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

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Explanation

Yoshida Shrine (吉田神社, Yoshida jinja)
Yoshida Daigen Guu, Yoshida Daigengū 　吉田大元宮 Yoshida Daigen Gu
is a Shinto shrine located in Sakyō-ku in Kyoto, Japan.
It was founded in 859 by the Fujiwara clan.

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; and in 991, Emperor Ichijō added three more shrines to Murakami's list — including Yoshida.

From 1871 through 1946, the Yoshida 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. Yoshida Kanetomo, founder of Yoshida Shinto, is buried here.

At this Yoshida shrine, people can worship all the Kami of Japan (yaoyorozu no kami　八百万の神）in one visit.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !



More photos:
source :　kannnon.blog

The deity in residence is

Takemikatsuchi no mikado 健御賀豆知命

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observance kigo for the New Year

Yoshida kiyo harae 吉田清祓 (よしだきよはらえ)
purification ritual at Yoshida
Yoshida ooharai 吉田大祓（よしだおおはらい）
great purification ritual at Yoshida


onna setsubun 女節分（おんなせつぶん）
setsubun for women

From Fenbruary 2 to 4.On the 19th day of the first lunar month, the women got time to go for a special purification ritual.

京都市左京区吉田神社
"Yoshida san"　吉田さん is a friendly naming of the Kyoto people.

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. Setsubun Festival 節分 (February 3) .


The last day of the year (December 31, oomisoka) and the last day of the first half of the year (June 30, misoka) are specially celebrated with rituals of purification in the Shrines and Temples of Japan. The rituals of these two days are also called "Great Purification" ooharae 大祓.

追儺厄除け面 mask to ward off evil

. Summer Purification Rituals .


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. Fortune-telling Daruma だるまみくじ 達磨御籤 .
from Yoshida Shrine - in a set for setsubun.

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Yearly Festivals List
source : yosida/nenkangyouji.htm



Amulet for trafic safety and a safe family.



Amulet for Setsubun


Homepage of the shrine:
京都市左京区吉田神楽岡町３０番地
source : yosida



. Amulets and Talismans from Japan .　


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quote
Yoshida Shintō 吉田神道.
Academic school of Shintō widely propogated from the late 16th century to the beginning of the Meiji Restoration (1868). Also known as
Gempon Sōgen Shintō 元本宗源神道 (Fundamental, Elemental Shintō),
Yuiitsu Shintō 唯一神道 (One-and-Only Shintō), and
Urabe Shintō卜部神道.
source : - Mark Schumacher -


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quote
Yoshida Shintō (Yoshida Shinto)

A body of Shinto theory and a tradition that played a central role in kami matters from the late Muromachi through the early-modern periods.
The school was founded by Yoshida Kanetomo 吉田兼倶(1435-1511), who called his tradition yuiitsu shintō ("only-one Shintō"), sōgen shintō ("original Shintō"), and genpon sōgen shintō ("fundamental and original Shintō"), but today it is commonly referred to as Yoshida Shintō or Urabe Shintō.

The Yoshida house was a branch of the Urabe clan, court specialists in tortoiseshell divination, which originated with Urabe Hiramaro (807-881) from Izu Province. His great-grandson Kanenobu was appointed vice-intendent (jingi daisuke) of the Department of Divinities (Jingikan), and afterwards the Urabe began to occupy this position on a hereditary basis. Subsequently, the Urabe clan split into the Yoshida and the Hirano branches; both specialized, in addition to traditional tortoiseshell divination, in the exposition of classics such as the Nihon shoki (Nihongi) and ancient ritual practices.

The Hirano house became particularly active during the Kamakura period with Kanebumi and Kanekata, and came to be called "the Nihongi house" (Taiheiki, fasc. 25). However, the Hirano began to decline in the period of North-South courts (ca. 1336-1392), and in its stead the Yoshida house came to the fore.

In the mid-Muromachi period, Kanehiro (1348-1402) was referred to with the honorary title of "elder of kami matters" (jindō no genrō ) (according to Yoshida-ke nichiji-ki); he received the support of the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and was appointed to one of the highest court ranks. Kanetomo, four generations after Kanehiro, developed his own original Shintō doctrine based on the traditional teachings transmitted by his family over the centuries.

Yoshida Kanetomo was born in 1435 as the son of Kanena. In 1467 he was granted access to the imperial palace and was appointed assistant vice-intendent of the Jingikan (jingi gon-daisuke). That year, the Ōnin Disturbance began: the residence of the Yoshida family in the capital was destroyed by fire, and the following year the Yoshida Shrine (present-day Yoshida Jinja) was also burned down during a military operation. But it is likely that Kanetomo began to formulate his Shinto doctrines from around this time; they were first organized in his Sōgen Shintō seishi of 1470, and from the following year he began to perform a Shintō initiation ritual (shintō denju) for several aristocrats.

During this time, he built the Saijōsho　斎場所, a ceremonial hall at his residence and transmitted to the imperial court a petition from the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa. In 1473 he received authorization to collect a transit tax (called Banzatsu ichigei ichiyaku) to finance the Saijōsho; in the meantime, Kanetomo claimed that the hall would be in charge of the ritual celebrating Emperor Jinmu's establishment of Japan, and was thus the origin of all shrines in the realm. In 1473, Kanetomo likewise chanted a sacred scripture entitled Shinmei sangen godaiden jinmyōkyō, which is now believed to have been authored by him. At this point, his doctrinal system had already taken on a considerable degree of organization.

Moreover, beginning from about this time, Kanetomo became very active lecturing on Nakatomi no harae and Nihon shoki, and performing related initiation rituals; in this way, he gained a wide following among the aristocracy, the military, and the Buddhist clergy. In 1476 he even began referring to himself as "the head of Shintō" (Shintō chōjō). Thanks to the support of his followers, he was able to build the Daigengū ceremonial hall on the top of Mount Yoshida in 1484.



斎場所大元宮

Around this octagonal edifice he placed replicas of the two Grand Shrines of Ise, the Hall of the Eight Kami (Hasshinden), and other structures containing the more than one-thousand shrines listed in the Engishiki. This marked the completion of Yoshida's doctrinal and ritual Shinto system.

An outline of Kanetomo's doctrines can be found in his main work, the Yuiitsu shintō myōbō yōshū, which was probably written around this time. According to this text, the form of Shintō prevalent at the time was characterized by theories of an interrelationship between the "original essences" of sacred entities and their "manifest traces" as kami, (honjaku engi), and by combinatory practices based on the two fundamental mandalas of Shingon esoteric Buddhism (Ryōbu shūgō Shintō; see Ryōbu Shintō); in contrast, Yoshida Shintō claimed to be the original and fundamental form of Shinto (genpon sōgen Shintō), taking for its main deity Kunitokotachi no mikoto, the original and primordial kami (daigen sonshin).

The teachings of Kunitokotachi, transmitted exclusively to Tenshō Daijin and Ame no koyane, refer to the primordial condition of the cosmos before the distinction of yin and yang (onmyō fusoku no gengen) and before the generation of the first thought (ichinen mishō no honpon). These doctrines explain the original deity before the separation of the single universal material force (ikki mibun no genshin) and the subsequent process of manifestation of the sacred in this world (wakō dōjin no shinka). The Yoshida Shintō teachings are divided into exoteric and esoteric. The exoteric teachings (kenrokyō) are based on texts such as the Sendai kuji hongi, the Kojiki and the Nihon shoki; they discuss the separation of heaven and earth, the Divine Age, and the genealogies of sovereigns and subjects.

These teachings also include the worship of the deities of heaven and earth (tenjin chigi) and human spirits (jinki), as well as rituals of external purification. In contrast, the esoteric teachings (in'yūkyō, or on'yūkyō) are based on three scriptures, the Tengen jinpen jinmyōkyō, the Chigen jinzū jinmyōkyō, and the Jingen jinriki jinmyōkyō; these explain the spiritual force of the three entities (sansai no reiō), the three wondrous empowerments (sanmyō no kaji), and the three kinds of sacred treasures (sanshu no reihō); the practices they presuppose aim at internal purification. Furthermore, Shinto is divided into substance (tai), function (yū), and appearance (sō); from these, the following series of classifications arises: three principles (sangen, i.e., the previous three items), nine wondrous altars (kubu myōdan, i.e., the combination of the above three with the three elements heaven, man, and earth), and eighteen kinds of Shinto (jūhachi Shintō, i.e., a further, more detailed articulation of the previous nine meant to encompass all existing phenomena). These doctrines are all used to explicate Yoshida Shintō's fundamental principle that Shinto permeates the three entities (heaven, earth, and humans).

Kanetomo stressed the originality of the Shinto teachings of his house, and boasted that he "did not drink even one single drop of the three teachings" (namely, Buddhism, Confucianism, and conventional Shinto).

In reality, his doctrines included a combination of elements taken from esoteric Buddhism, Onmyōdō, and Taoist thought and religion. Kanetomo continued a tendency already present in Ise Shintō and Ryōbu Shintō, but he carried it out on a much larger scale than his predecessors, to the point of creating a comprehensive compilation of medieval Shintō doctrines through a combination of numerous religious and philosophical positions. This is also true of Yoshida rituals, such as Shintō goma, sōgen gyōji, jūhachi shintō gyōji (collectively known as sandan gyōji), and Hokuto-sai, Anchin-sai, and Tenku-sai, all of which are characterized by numerous elements taken from esoteric Buddhism and Onmyōdō. Finally, Kanetomo had the exclusive authority to confer to the title of kami on humans, and to establish rankings for kami, and also to appoint Shintō priests—authority he exercised by issuing special authorization certificates (Sōgen senshi, Shintōsai kyojō).
This authority facilitated the diffusion of Yoshida Shintō throughout Japan.



Yoshida Kanemigi 　吉田兼右　(1516-1573), who became head of the Yoshida house one generation after Kanetomo's death, began to spread Yoshida Shintō among minor shrine priests in the provinces by issuing many more authorization certificates than his predecessors, and by visiting regional shrines himself. His sons Yoshida Kanemi (1535-1610) and Bonshun (1553-1632) joined the entourages of Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Yokugawa Ieyasu, and tried to strengthen the position of their lineage.

Their efforts were rewarded later in the Edo period, when the Shosha negi kannushi hatto [Ordinances for shrine priests], issued in 1665, placed all shrines under the control of the Yoshida. However, the Edo period also saw the revival of Ise Shintō and the formation of Yoshikawa Shintō and Suika Shintō, and Hayashi Razan, Deguchi Nobuyoshi, Amano Sadakake, Usui Masatane and others began to criticize the Yoshida version of Shinto. In response to these developments and criticisms, the Yoshida house appointed the Suika scholar Matsuoka Yūen (1701-1783) as head of its academy in an effort to incorporate elements of Suika Shintō; apologetic texts such as the Nihon jingi seitōki and the Shingyō ruiyō were also published to rebut criticism.

Yoshida Shintō could not, however, avoid being excluded from the newly arising Shintō trends central to the period; in addition, from the mid-Edo period onwards frequent disputes were encountered with the Shirakawa Jingi Hakke house concerning the control over Shinto shrines. The Yoshida nonetheless preserved their authority throughout the early-modern period until the traditional system of shrine supervision was abolished by the Meiji government in 1868.
source : Ito Satoshi, Kokugakuin, 2006


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Butsumyo-E ceremony

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Buddha's Name Ceremony (butsumyoo-e)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Late Winter
***** Category: Observance

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Explanation

butsumyooe 仏名会 (ぶつみょうえ)
Ceremony of chanting of the Buddhas' Names
"depictions of the Buddhas", Butsumyo-E, Butsumyo Ceremony
..... o butsumyoo 御仏名（おぶつみょう）

kazukewata, kazuke wata 被綿（かずけわた）"covering cotton"
Kaenashi no kenpai 栢梨の献盃（かえなしのけんぱい）
a ritual drink of sake brewed with the juice of Japanese pears (nashi) from the village of Kaenashi in Settsu province 摂津国栢梨.
Used for a toast to the New Year.

A special ceremony held at many Buddhist temples throughout Japan.

For three days from the 19th of the 12th lunar month a memorial service is held.
The 11.093 names of the Buddhas of past, present and future (butsumyoo) are read out.
While the priests read out the names, the visitors may sit in another room and drink riutal sake.

People pray for forgiveness of the sins of the passing year and hope to purify the heart for the coming year.

At the imperial court, this ceremony has been held since the year
775, Hooki 5 宝亀五年.


The priests clad themselves in white cotton robes to express a pure heart.

As with many ceremonies, the placing of the season is problematic.
This is a ceremony for the New Year, on the last lunar month of the year. But now it falls in January.
Some saijiki place it in "early spring".


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chanting the names of Buddha



names of the Buddha


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HAIKU

板敷に光るつぶりや仏名会
itajiki ni hikaru tsuburi ya Butsumyoo e

all these shaven heads
shining on the floor panels -
Butsumyo Ceremony

. Miyake Shoozan 三宅嘯山 Shozan (1718 - 1801) .

(Priests with their shaven heads lean over to read the names from their scrolls. Their reflection can be seen in the polished panels.
Nowadays they sit on tatami mats and we can not see this any more.)


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仏名会腰のぬけたるおはしけり　
Butsumyooe koshi o nuketaru ohashikeri

Butsumyo Ceremony -
some honorable priests
unable to stand up　

Yukifusa 之房

(Maybe some of the participants had a bit too much
of the good ritual ricewine . . . )

ohashi keri, owashi keri . owasu 御座す . polite language
御座けり


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***** . Namu Amida Butsu　
南無阿弥陀仏 the Amida Prayer 　

***** . kiku no kisewata 菊の着綿 Chrysanthemum covers .


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Chishaku-In Kyoto

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Temple Chishaku-In 智積院

***** Location: Kyoto
***** Season: See below
***** Category: Observance

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Explanation

Chishakuin rongi 智積院論義 (ちしゃくいんろんぎ)
public ceremonial debate at temple Chishaku-In
kigo for early winter

from December 10 to 13, sometimes only for 2 days

rongi is difficult to translate into English. They were ritual formal ceremonial Buddhist public debates (disputes, disputations, discussions), where the monks had to show their understanding of the Buddhist sutra scriptures.
Now also called
fuyu hoo-on koo 冬報恩講 debates in winter
"honorable preaching ceremony" in winter

During the two or three days, torches are put up from the entrance to the main hall. Many priests come from all the affiliated temples in Japan to take part in the rituals.



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quote
Chishaku-in is the head temple of Shingon Buddhism Chizan Sect.
It is the first temple on the Kyoto Jusan Butsu pilgrimage.


painted by Hasegawa Kyuzo

This temple is less popular among tourists but it has excellent Shoheki-ga (fusuma-e) paintings on the sliding paper doors that are National Treasures, as well as a very good garden.



Chishaku-in was founded in the 14th century as a sub-temple of Daidenpo-in that was established in Koyasan, Wakayama Prefecture by Priest Kakuban (1095-1144), in the year 1130. The mother temple then moved to Negorosan in Wakayama prefecture ten years later.

In the year 1585, Daidenpo-in, including its sub-temples, was totally destroyed by the actual ruler of the country, Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-1598). Chief Priest of Chishaku-in, Genyu (Gen'yu, 1529-1605), who fled from the assault, had to wait until the Toyotomi family was destroyed and the Tokugawa family came to power. In the year 1601, the first Tokugawa Shogun, Ieyasu (1543-1616) gave a place to Genyu to revive Chishaku-in. Then, in the year 1615, Ieyasu gave them neighboring Shounzen-ji temple that had been founded by Hideyoshi in memory of his son Sutemaru who died in 1591 at the age of three.

The extant Shoheki-ga (or Fusuma-e) paintings (national treasures) were those displayed in Kyakuden building of Shounzen-ji. Chishaku-in suffered from several fires during its history and about half of the paintings were lost.
source : kyoto.asanoxn.com


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Vegetarian meal served at the temple lodgings.


. Vegetarian Temple Food
(shoojin ryoori 精進料理) .

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Yearly festivals and ceremonies

Every month on the 21 is a meeting to copy the sutras
shakyoo no tsudoi 写経のつどい



１月 - January
1日 修正会
15日 新年祝祷会・お昆布式
21日 写経のつどい

２月 - February
3日 節分会 Setsubun
15日 常楽会
21日 写経のつどい

３月 - March
6日～12日 伝法大会／伝法灌頂（非公開）
春分の日 春季彼岸会法要
21日 正御影供
21日 写経奉納法要・写経のつどい
30日 得度式（非公開）

４月 - April
8日 仏生会（はなまつり）
21日 写経のつどい

５月 - May
21日 写経のつどい

６月 - June
15日 青葉まつり
21日 写経のつどい

７月 - July
21日 写経のつどい
31日 得度式（非公開）

８月 - August
12日 総本山施餓鬼会
21日 写経のつどい
24日 地蔵盆会 Jizo Bon
30日 永代・納骨・日月牌総供養法要

９月 - September
10日 運敞僧正忌
21日 写経のつどい
秋分の日 秋季彼岸会法要

１０月 - October
3日 戦没者慰霊法要
4日 玄宥僧正忌
21日 写経のつどい

１１月 - November
21日 写経のつどい

１２月 - December
8日 成道会
11日・12日 冬報恩講
21日 写経のつどい
31日 除夜の鐘




Homepage of the temple
source : www.chisan.or.jp


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HAIKU

智積院論義すみたる掛うどん
Chishaku-in rongi sumitaru kake-udon

after the debate
at Chishaku-in
a bowl of udon noodles

Kawasumi Sugekatsu 川澄祐勝, priest of the Shingon sect
智山派別格本山高幡不動尊金剛寺




We can imagine the monks after the debate, sitting around the long tables and slurping their hot soup in silence.
Slurping noodle soup is customary in Japan, and considered good manners.

. Kake udon noodle soup .


quote
... the public rongi custom arose during the medieval period, when there were a lot of sects and doctrinal disputes arising within Shingon Buddhism and that the debates were aimed at overcoming misunderstandings of the "true" Shingon Buddhism of the founder, Kukai.
... in the medieval period a number of unorthodox monks were expelled from Mt. Koya, the Shingon headquarters, for doctrinal reasons. Probably there were all sorts of disputes, including material ones as well! I believe several monks were declared heretics, and one whole new sect of Shingon, the so-called Tachikawa Sect of left-handed Tantric Buddhists, was vigorously disputed and opposed, and its texts and mandalas were destroyed.

The secular warrior authorities also actively suppressed the "heretical" Tachikawa Sect. Like Tendai, Shingon is an older sect in Japan, so for a while it was a crucible of dissent and dissenting sects, so the 'rongi' at Chishakuin may reflect some of this very vigorous verbal disputation during the period when new sects were challenging orthodoxy and branching off.

'Rongi' also includes debates/doctrinal disputes between sects outside Shingon. The Lotus (Nichiren) sect and the Pure Land sect were noted for their strenuous debates and verbal disputes, which sometimes turned into fights. You can see a pale reflection of how vigorous 'rongi' were in the medieval period if you read the No play 'Sotoba Komachi' ('Komachi on the Stupa'), in which Komachi verbally defeats her Shingon monk challengers.

During the Edo period fighting (with either weapons or fists) between sects was no longer acceptable, so 'rongi' must have become more subdued, but it would be interesting to know just how disputational the present-day debates at Chishakuin are.
source : Chris Drake

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***** . hooonkoo, hoo-on koo 報恩講
Ho-onko, service for Shinran .


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Kozan-Ji and Saint Myoe

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Kozanji (Koozanji 高山寺)

***** Location: Kyoto
***** Season: See below
***** Category: Observance

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Explanation

This temple is most famous for the autumn leaves.



quote
Kozan-ji Temple, being also called as Toganoo-san, belongs to the Shingon school of Buddhism and is dedicated to Shaka Nyorai Buddha. It was registered as one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Kyoto in 1994.

Primary attraction of this temple would be a national treasure, Sekisui-in building. Replicas of national treasures are displayed in the building. Those are the "Choju Jinbutsu Giga 鳥獣戯画巻", a series of animal caricatures said to have been drawn by Toba Sojo (1053-1140), and
a painting called "Myoe Shonin Jujo Zazen-zu 明恵上人".

Kozan-ji holds a large number of treasures, including about 10,000 Important Cultural Assets as well as eight National Treasures including those mentioned above.

Tradition has it that Kozan-ji was founded in 774 by the order of the Emperor Konin (709-782 光仁天皇), at which time the temple was named "Shingan-ji Togaobo 貞観寺". It is said that the name was changed to Kozan-ji after the temple was revived in 1206 by priest Myoe (1173-1232) as a training hall for reviving the Kegon school of Buddhism by the order of the retired Emperor Gotoba (1180-1239).

Priest Myoe was given a few seeds of tea plant by Zen master Eisai (1141-1215) and planted them in the temple's ground at the beginning of the Kamakura Period (1192-1333), launching the spread of tea cultivation throughout the country. In recognition of this history, tea producers from Uji make an offering of new tea in front of the temple's Shoninbyo mausoleum each year on November 8th.
source : takao/kozanji.htm

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Kozan-Ji, Golden Hall

Jingo-ji houses a diagram of Kōzan-ji that was drawn in 1230, some 20 years after it was constructed. The diagram is registered as an important cultural property, because it shows the original layout of the temple. From the diagram, we know that Kōzan-ji originally consisted of a large gate, a main hall, a three-storied pagoda, a hall dedicated to Amitabha, a hall dedicated to Lohan, a bell tower, a scripture hall, and a Shinto shrine dedicated to the tutelary deity of the area. However, all of these buildings have since been destroyed, save for the scripture hall, which is now known as Sekisui-in.

In addition to Sekisui-in, today's Kōzan-ji also contains a main hall (originally part of Ninna-ji, relocated to Kōzan-ji) and a hall dedicated to the founding of the temple, which houses an important carved wooden bust of Myōe. Both of these buildings, however, are modern reconstructions.
- 　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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observance kigo for early winter

Toganoo mushi kuyoo 栂尾虫供養 (とがのおむしくよ)
memorial service for the bugs at Toganoo

On the 12th and 13th of the tenth lunar month (now November)

The farmers from the region would offer prayers to Amida (nenbutsu 念仏講) for the souls of the bugs they had to kill during the rice-growing season.

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Myoe Shonin 明恵上人 (1173-1232)
Saint Myo-e
was a high-ranking monk of the Kegon Sect of Buddhism and was active in the beginning of the Kamakura period. He was much admired as a priest of virtue for his profound learning and noble deeds. Myoe Shonin was born to a distinguished family in Kii Province (present-day Wakayama and Mie Prefectures). He lost his parents as a child, and went to Kyoto to live with his uncle Jogaku, who was a monk at Jingoji Temple in Mt. Takao. At age 16, he renounced the world and was initiated into Buddhism at Todaiji Temple in Nara, whereupon he took the name Myoebo Joben. From the age of 36, he became known as Koben.

Myoe then returned to his homeland to leave the worldliness of this world and led a rigorous life of religious training in the Yuasa Bay area. During this time, it is said that Myoe attempted to go to India for the love of Buddha, but the deities enshrined in Kasuga Shrine prohibited him from embarking on this trip. With the slogan "Return to Buddha," he tried to proselytize people to the Kegon Sect. In 1206, the retired Emperor Gotoba granted him land in Toganoo that belonged to Jingoji Temple, where he built Kozanji Temple. He was benevolent and loved nature and all living beings. Myoe was a capable calligrapher, too.
A Zen priest named Eisai gave Myoe some tea seedlings, with which Myoe successfully cultivated tea in the hills of Toganoo.

He recorded his dreams for forty years from the age of nineteen through fifty-eight (1191-1230), because he believed that dreaming is a type of learning. The record that he made is
Yume no ki 夢記 (Records of Dreams).

Yume no ki is also known as On-yume no ki or On-yume on-nikki. Originally, Yume no ki comprised 17 scrolls, seven books, and 28 sheets of unbound pages, but two scrolls came to the attention of the public, subsequently called Yume no ki, which are especially treasured.


夢記切（夢記断簡）明恵上人筆

The present piece was written on the 25th day of the tenth month of 1229, when he was 57 years of age. The strokes are vigorous, and white light emanating from a flower vase, symbolizing a goddess of India, is drawn in the margin. Typically he used waste paper back, and illustrated pieces such as the present work are highly valued.
source : Miho Museum

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Monastic Regulations promulgated by Myoe

In the wooden tablet at Kōzan-ji Temple mentioned above, Myoe listed the following regulations to all monks, divided into three sections:

As Appropriate
Etiquette in the Temple Study Hall
Etiquette in the Buddha-Altar Hall
- - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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Statue of Myoe, Seated

Annual Festivals:





The oldest tea house of Japan




The famous scroll of the frolicking animals.
Choojuu-giga scrolls (choju giga) 鳥獣戯画


- Map of the Temple Compound

Homepage of the Temple
source : www.kosanji.com ...

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Choju Giga Scroll Slide Show
http://www.kokingumi.com/ChojuGiga/

Here is our FROG in an archery contest
http://www.kokingumi.com/ChojuGiga/17.html
http://www.kokingumi.com/ChojuGiga/18.html

Carrying offerings
http://www.kokingumi.com/ChojuGiga/26.html

Frog and wild boar
http://www.kokingumi.com/ChojuGiga/37.html

Chasing the Monkey
http://www.kokingumi.com/ChojuGiga/43.html

Wrestling with the Rabbit
http://www.kokingumi.com/ChojuGiga/53.html
http://www.kokingumi.com/ChojuGiga/56.html

Finally Frog Buddha and the Monkey
http://www.kokingumi.com/ChojuGiga/66.html

This scroll is one of the fore-runners of Japanese Manga !

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Worldwide use

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Things found on the way



Myoe the Dreamkeeper:
Fantasy and Knowledge
in Early Kamakura Buddhism
George Tanabe

In the Kamakura period, Myoe Shonin (1173-1232) was a leader of Nara Buddhists who sought to revitalize traditional Buddhism in Japan. In his teaching, Myoe specially emphasized the value of the visions that could be achieved through meditation; and in his practice, he kept and occasionally illustrated a diary of his own visions and significant night dreams. The autograph copy of this remarkable document still exists, although some pages have been scattered among collectors.
George J. Tanabe, Jr., here presents in English the most comprehensive compilation of the diary in any language. Moreover, his study of Myoe's life and teachings provides both a context within which the diary can be understood and a view of the often doctrinally contentious world of Kamakura Buddhism.
source :　www.amazon.com

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source :　hiori-note


あかあかやあかあかあかやあかあかや
あかあかあかやあかあかや月

aka aka ya
aka aka aka ya
aka aka ya
aka aka aka ya
aka aka ya tsuki

bright so bright
bright bright so bright
bright so bright
bright bright so bright
bright so bright moonshine


source :　kakinumaism.jugem.jp

The poem by Myoe is not about the redness of the moon,
but about the bright, light moonshine.

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HAIKU



高山寺楓の芽吹きはじまれり
Koozanji kaede no mebuki hajimareri

temple Kozan-Ji -
the maple trees just beginning
to bud

Fujisaka Komeko 藤坂込め子

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石段をよぎる雉子あり高山寺
ishidan o yokogiru kiji ari Koozanji

there is a pheasant
crossing the stone steps -
temple Kozan-Ji

Nomura Hakugetsu 野村泊月 (1882 - 1961)


More haiku about this temple

お茶の実がしんしん冷ゆる高山寺 高澤良一 宿好
ハンケチを捩ぢて憩へり高山寺 川崎展宏
一頻り萩刈る音か高山寺 高澤良一 宿好
子鴉の今日から鳴くや高山寺 大峯あきら 宇宙塵
旅びとに斎の柚味噌や高山寺 水原秋櫻子
水引がすいと目に入る高山寺 高澤良一 宿好

老鶯や峯より晴れて高山寺 川澄祐勝
萩萌えて戯画の鳥獣親しくす(高山寺) 河野南畦
虫たべに来て鳥涼し高山寺 宇佐美魚目 天地存問
雛の軸かけて栂尾高山寺 大石悦子 群萌

高山寺ちひさき蛇にあひにけり(栂尾) 細川加賀
高山寺夏の雨きて縁ぬらす 安養白翠
高山寺雲の下り来し茶を摘めり 河前 隆三

source :　HAIKUreikuDB

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observance kigo for the New Year

Shari-Ko 舎利講 Prayer Meeting for Buddha's bones

January 15
At temples of the Shingon Sect. It was introduced by Saint Myoe.

SAIJIKI – NEW YEAR OBSERVANCES

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Myōan Eisai, Myooan Eisai 明菴栄西 Myoan Eisai
(May 27, 1141 – July 2, 1215)

was a Japanese Buddhist priest, credited with bringing the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism and green tea from China to Japan. He is often known simply as
Eisai Zenji (栄西禅師), literally "Zen master Eisai".
-　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

. Cha no Hijiri 茶の聖 Eisai, the Saint of Tea .

. Seiganji 清岩寺 Seigan-Ji - Fukuoka .
Founded by Eisai

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Related words

***** . Saints and their Memorial Days . 　

. Amulets and Talismans from Japan .　

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Governor promotion (tsukasameshi)

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Governor promotion

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

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Explanation


kigo for the New Year / Spring

agatameshi no jimoku 県召除目 (あがためしのじもく)
Giving first orders to local governors
..... 県召の除目
..... agatameshi 県召（あがためし）
..... haru no jimoku 春除目（はるのじもく）governor promotion in spring

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

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kigo for mid-autumn

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


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

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



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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way


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HAIKU



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

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

Tan Taigi 炭太祇 (たんたいぎ)


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

Koshu 古洲

source : satoyamanokai.blog


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Related words


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Gion Festival

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Gion Festival (Gion matsuri)

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

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Explanation

Gion matsuri　祇園祭り　(ぎおんまつり)
Gion Festival in Kyoto


quote
Gion (祇園)
is a district of Kyoto, Japan, originally developed in the Middle Ages, in front of Yasaka Shrine. The district was built to accommodate the needs of travelers and visitors to the shrine. It eventually evolved to become one of the most exclusive and well-known geisha districts in all of Japan.


The Gion Festival (祇園祭 )
takes place annually in Kyoto and is one of the most famous festivals in Japan. It spans the entire month of July and is crowned by a parade, the Yamaboko Junkō (山鉾巡行) on July 17.

Kyoto's downtown area is reserved for pedestrian traffic on the three nights leading up to the massive parade. These nights are known as yoiyama (宵山) on July 16th, yoiyoiyama (宵々山) on July 15th, and yoiyoiyoiyama (宵々々山) on July 14th. The streets are lined with night stalls selling food such as yakitori (barbecued chicken skewers), taiyaki, takoyaki, okonomiyaki, traditional Japanese sweets, and many other culinary delights. Many girls dressed in yukata (summer kimono) walk around the area, carrying with them traditional purses and paper fans.

During the yoiyama eves leading up to the parade, some private houses in the old kimono merchant district open their entryways to the public, exhibiting valuable family heirlooms, in a custom known as the Byōbu Matsuri, or Folding Screen Festival. This is a precious opportunity to visit and observe traditional Japanese residences of Kyoto.


by Iwase Matabei 岩佐又兵衛　(1578 - 1650)

History
This festival originated as part of a purification ritual (goryo-e) to appease the gods thought to cause fire, floods and earthquakes. In 869, the people were suffering from plague and pestilence which was attributed to the rampaging deity Gozu Tennō (牛頭天王).
Emperor Seiwa ordered that the people pray to the god of the Yasaka Shrine　八坂神社, Susanoo-no-mikoto. Sixty-six stylized and decorated halberds, one for each province in old Japan, were prepared and erected at Shinsen-en, a garden, along with the portable shrines (mikoshi) from Yasaka Shrine.

This practice was repeated wherever an outbreak occurred. In 970, it was decreed an annual event and has since seldom been broken. Over time the increasingly powerful and influential merchant class made the festival more elaborate and, by the Edo Period (1603-1868), used the parade to brandish their wealth.

In 1533, the Ashikaga shogunate halted all religious events, but the people protested, stating that they could do without the rituals, but not the procession. This marks the progression into the festival's current form. Smaller floats that were lost or damaged over the centuries have been restored, and the weavers of the Nishijin area offer new tapestries to replace destroyed ones. When not in use, the floats and regalia are kept in special storehouses throughout the central merchant district of Kyoto in the care of the local people.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !


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There are many kigo related to the Gion Festival

Most of the festival floats are kigo and come with their own interesting history.


Gion-e 祗園会 (ぎおんえ) Gion Ceremonies
Gion matsuri 祗園祭（ぎおんまつり）Gion Festival

ushi no gion 牛の祗園（うしのぎおん）"Gion of the Bull"
see below, Gozu Tenoo

Gion daiko 祗園太鼓（ぎおんだいこ）Gion drum
Gion yamagasa, Gion yamakasa 祗園山笠（ぎおんやまがさ）Gion festival floats



Deity Susano-O
Gion goryoo-e 祗園御霊会（ぎおんごりょうえ）requiem for the repose of the souls of people who died from violence, disease and the pest.


shimo no matsuri 下の祭（しものまつり）
kami no matsrui 上の祭（かみのまつり）

Gion bayashi 祗園囃（ぎおんばやし）Gion festival musicians
nikai bayashi 二階囃（にかいばやし）festival musicians on the second floor (of a float)

mikoshi arai 神輿洗（みこしあらい）purification of the mikoshi
hokodate 鉾立（ほこだて）preparing the floats and kenboko
hokomachi 鉾町（ほこまち）ward with a kenboko helbard

. Kenboko 剣鉾 （けんぼこ）
and the Goryo Festival 御霊祭 Goryo Matsuri　　



yoiyama 宵山（よいやま）
night before the grand parade (17th day)
yoimiya moode 宵宮詣（よいみやもうで）
yoi kazari 宵飾り（よいかざり）decorations on the night before the parade
In the night of yoimiya the spirits of the deities are transported into the protable shrines on the floats.





byoobu matsuri 屏風祭（びょうぶまつり）folding screen festival
The rich merchant homes display the folding screns which are usually hidden with the family treasures in the special storehouses.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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yamaboko 山鉾（やまぼこ）Gion Festival floats
(yama and hoko)
The order of the floats is decided new for each year, using lucky lots.

LINK with phantastic photos of each float:
source : kyoto-k.sakura.ne.jp


hoko matsuri 鉾祭（ほこまつり）festival of the floats
hoko no chigo 鉾の稚児（ほこのちご）children on the floats
. naginata boko, naginataboko 長刀鉾（なぎなたぼこ）halberd float .

kakkiyo yama 郭巨山（かっきょやま）
hooshoo yama 保昌山（ほうしょうやま）
hakuga yama 伯牙山（はくがやま）
kangoku boko 函谷鉾（かんごくぼこ）
hakurakuten yama 白楽天山（はくらくてんやま）
torihoko 鶏鉾（とりほこ）
urade yama 占出山（うらでやま）
abura tenjin yama 油天神山（あぶらてんじんやま）
tokusa yama 木賊山（とくさやま）
kikusui boko 菊水鉾（きくすいぼこ）
tsuki hoko 月鉾（つきほこ）
moosoo yama 孟宗山（もうそうやま）Moso Yama
ashikari yama 芦刈山（あしかりやま）
hooka hoko 放下鉾（ほうかほこ）
iwado yama 岩戸山（いわとやま）
joomyoo yama 浄明山（じょうみょうやま）
funa hoko 船鉾（ふなほこ）
kita Kannon yama 北観音山（きたかんのんやま）(with a man)

minami Kannon yama 南観音山（みなみかんのんやま）(with a woman)
Hachiman yama 八幡山（はちまんやま）
kuronushi yama 黒主山（くろぬしやま）
koi yama 鯉山（こいやま）carp float
suzuka yama 鈴鹿山（すずかやま）

yamabushi yama 山伏山（やまぶしやま）
float of the mountain ascetics


arare Tenjin yama 霰天神山（あられてんじんやま）
for Tenjin-sama, Sugawara Michizane


hashi Benkei yama 橋弁慶山（はしべんけいやま）
for Musashibo Benkei and Yoshitsune
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



Taishi yama 太子山（たいしやま）
for Shotoku Taishi
. . . CLICK here for Photos !






En no Gyooja yama 役行者山（えんのぎょうじゃやま）
float of En no Gyoja
An actor of the mountain ascetic En no Gyoja makes a purificatin fire and prays for the safety of the festival. He then takes part in the parade.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !




funa hoko 船鉾（ふなほこ） boat float
- Shared by Taisaku Nogi -
Joys of Japan, 2012


The Yamahoko parade on July 17 -
The 17th day of the seventh month
is the day that Noah's ark drifted to Ararat!

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


Many yamahoko feature a special talisman for good luck, the
. chimaki 茅巻 Chimaki ritual rice cakes .
usually eaten on the Boy's Festival (now May 5).


CLICK for more photos!

quote
Each yamahoko has its own origin and talisman related it. You can buy these things at Yoiyama.

Name of Yama or Hoko	Talisman, Charm, Chimaki
Aburatenjin yama	for learning
Araretenjin yama	for thunder and fire
Urade yama	for easy delivery
Ennogyoujya yama	for epidemic and safe driving
Kakkyo yama	for mother's milk
Kikusui hoko	for eternal youth, longevity, rush of business
Kuronushi yama	for ridding bad luck
Koi yama	for advancement in life
Tokusa yama	for ridding stray child
Jyoumyou yama	for victory
Suzuka yama	for thunder, easy delivery, property loss
Taishi yama	for knowledge, scapegoat
Naginata hoko	ridding bad luck
Hakurakuten yama	for learning, good luck
Hachiman yama	for crying at night
Fune hoko	for easy delivery, abdominal bandage
Houshou yama	for love, marriage tie
Houka hoko	for ridding bad luck
Mousou yama	for filial devotion to parents

source :　kyoto.mirahouse.jp

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CLICK for more photos !

The miniatures are about 20 to 40 cm high. The smallest souvenir-type items are just 10 cm high.
They are made from wood and cardboard. The figures inside are made of clay.

. Kyoto Folk Art - 京都（府） .

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medama soodatsu 目玉争奪 fighting of the floats


mugon moode 無言詣（むごんもうで）"silent shrine visit"
Maiko pray at the otabisho places, but may not talk during their walk to and from the place.
This takes place from the 17th to the 24th day.

. Mugon Mode on October 20 .

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tsurumeso 弦召（つるめそ/ 弦売僧 / 弦女曽）
lit. "please buy bow-strings"
festival on day 24

This name refers to a group of lowly, untouchables in the old society (inu jinin 犬神人). Saint Shinran spread his teaching among them, they became a group of followers of the Gion Shrine 祇園社. They took care of dirty work during the festival, handling burials and cremation grounds. They were also called tsurusashi 弦差（つるさし) or tsurumese.

The painting from the Taisho period shows the Tsurumeso in a procession, dressed in armour of the Heian period. They were defeated warriours and began making arrows and bowstrings for a living and had to stay in the ward Yumiyacho 弓矢町 (bow and arrow ward). This procession had been abolished in later years, so we now only have this painting.
source : gyojibunka

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Heavenly King with an Ox-Head,
Ox-Headed Deva King
gozu tenoo, gozu tenno 牛頭天王
The Japanese god of plague



With the fusion of Shinto and Buddhism, Susa-no-O was identified with Gozu Tenno ("Bull-headed King of Heaven").

MORE
Gozu 牛頭 Deities with Ox-Heads


. Gozu Tennō Densetsu　牛頭天王　伝説 Legends about Gozu Tenno .


. Gion Festival . English Reference


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quote
Setsubun festival at Yasaka Shrine
Each Kyoto shrine has its own attraction for the Setsubun ritual. Some feature special demon costumes. Some invite celebrities. Some prepare extensive gifts and make sure that everyone gets beans. Yasaka Jinja offers dances by maiko (apprentice geisha) for the enjoyment of the gods.



Shared by Dougill John - green shinto
Joys of Japan, February 2012


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There are Gion festivals celebrated in other parts of Japan, for example in Hakata (kigo see below) or in Yamanashi


山梨 祇園祭り


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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way

Gozu Tennoo fuda 牛頭天王札 amulet for Gozu Tenno

. Nezu Jinja 根津神社　Nezu Shrine .
Tokyo




Namu Gozu Tenno　南無牛頭天王

牛頭天王社 at the temple 札林寺, Chiba
千葉県市川市大野町４－３０６４


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HAIKU


祗園会に羽化する少女まぎれゆく
Gion-e ni uka suru shoojo magire-yuku

at the Gion festival
this young girl grows up
as it walks along

Tsugawa Eriko 津川絵理子


uka refers to a change of an insect from a chrysalis to a butterfly, cicada or other.



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Hamo has two food seasons,
one is in summer, just after the rainy season is over. It is then eaten for the Gion Festival in Kyoto or the Tenjin Festival in Osaka (matsuri hamo).
The Gion Festival is sometimes even referred to as
"Hamo Festival".
***** Pike conger eel (hamo)


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Hakata no Gion matsuri
博多の祗園祭 (はかたのぎおんまつり)
Hakata Gion Festival
Hakata matsuri 博多祭（はかたまつり） Hakata festival
..... yamagasa 山笠（やまがさ）Yamakasa floats
oi yamagasa 追山笠（おいやまがさ）race of the floats
.... oiyama 追山（おいやま）

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The Hakata Gion Yamagasa festival is a religious ritual of Hakata's grand tutelary shrine, Kushida Shrine. It is concentrated on "Decoration Floats", Kazari Yamagasa, which are covered with beautiful Hakata dolls and set up in various places around the town.
As opposed to the elegant and feminine Kazari Yamagasa, the masculine "Kaki Yamagasa" is carried around the city from the 10th. The climax of the festival is the Oiyama race that starts from early morning on the 15th.

. WKD : Naked Festivals .


入港の汽笛のひびく飾り山笠
nyukoo no kiteki no hibiku kazari yama

the incoming boat
blasts its horn carrying
the Yamagasa float

Nagasaki Toosei 長崎島星 Nagasaki Tosei


. Yamakasa ningyoo 山笠人形 Yamakasa festival float dolls .
Hakata Gion Yamakasa Festival

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. Gozu Ten-O at Shrine Hiromine Jinja 広峰神社 　　

. Somin Shoorai Fu 蘇民将来符 Somin Shorai amulet .
and Gozu Tenno 牛頭天王

. Sannoo matsuri 山王祭 (さんのうまつり) Sanno Festival .
Hiyoshi matsuri 日吉祭（ひよしまつり） Hiyoshi shrine festival
sarumatsuri 申祭（さるまつり）monkey festival


. Gobelin tapestry, dragons and the Gion floats .


. Kesoobumi uri 懸想文売 vendor of love letters .
at shrine Suga Jinja 須賀神社


. Go-Oo Hooin 牛王宝印
sacred seal of the ox treasure .


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