Showing posts with label October. Show all posts
Showing posts with label October. Show all posts

1/03/2010

Hachiman Shrines Festivals

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Hachiman Shrines and their festivals

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Variuos, see below
***** Category: Observance


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Explanation

The Warrior Deity Hachiman 八幡神, deifiction of Emperor Oojin 応神天皇 Ojin,
is quite popular in Japan and there are many shrines in his name. Another reading of the Chinese characters is YAHATA or YAWATA.


僧形八幡神坐像 東大寺八幡殿蔵
Hachiman as a monk, soogyoo Hachiman
Temple Todai-Ji, Hachiman Hall


Today there are approximately 30,000 Hachimangū shrines nationwide, with the head shrine at
Usa Hachimangū 宇佐八幡宮 Usa Hachimangu in Ōita.

Read the details HERE
. Hachiman and the Hachimangu Shrines  
Mark Schumacher



The oldest Hachiman Shrine in Japan
. Konda Hachimanguu 誉田八幡宮 / 譽田八幡宮 Konda Hachiman . Habikino, Osaka 大阪府羽曳野市誉田三丁目2-8

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I lived close to the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu in Kamakura and practised archery (kyudo) in the training hall there for many years.
The annual Yabusame horseback riding and shooting was one of the most impressive events I have seen in Japan.




The dove (hato) in the shrine name board as hachi 八 .
The dove is the messenger of Emperor Ojin.
There are many doves kept in the shrine compound.


. hato 鳩 dove, pidgeon, Taube - in art and amulet .


. Legends about Hachiman Shrines 八幡宮 / 八幡神社 .


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Usa Hachimangu, Oita 宇佐八幡宮

quote
The faith of Hachiman began at Usa Hachimangū and the location of this shrine and five other Hachiman shrines (gosho betsugū) in the Kyūshū area (the five shrines are Chikuzen's Daibu Hachiman, Hizen's Chiriku Hachiman, Higo's Fujisaki Hachiman, Satsuma's Nitta Jinja, and Ōsumi's Shō Hachimangū) show that the faith developed in the Kyushu area in ancient times.

When the temple Tōdaiji's Great Buddha was constructed in the Nara period, the "shrine priestess" (negini) of Usa, Ōga no Ason Morime, traveled to the capital and received a "message" (takusen) from Hachiman saying that the kami would assist in the sculpture's construction, thus introducing the cult of Hachiman to the center of Japan. Being located close to the continent, Hachimangū was at the forefront for receiving cultural influences from there and because of this, "kami and Buddha syncretism" (shinbutsu shūgū) developed there quite early.

Temples related to Hachiman existed in the Hakuhō Period and these were consolidated into the "shrine temple complex" (jingūji) Miroku Temple, which was established in 725. The journey of Hachiman to the capital and the oracle (takusen) accelerated the tide of shinbutsu shūgō syncretism in the central regions. In 781 the imperial court awarded the kami the "kami title" (shingō) "Daibosatsu" (Gokoku reigen iriki jintsū daibosatsu) and images of Hachiman were produced depicting him as a monk. From this, we can see that compared to other shrines, the cult of Hachiman had particularly strong shinbutsu shūgō syncretic qualities. Thus there are many examples of Hachiman shrines "established" (kanjō) as the guardian shrines (chinjusha) of such temples as Daianji, Tōdaiji, Yakushiji, and Tōji.
Likewise, the Hōjō-e festival at Hachimangū originates from a Buddhist ritual of releasing living animals that is based on Buddhist prohibitions against killing.

In 720 there was an uprising of the Hayato people from the regions of Ōsumi and Hyūga and many Hayato people were killed during its suppression. It is said that Usa-Hachiman was established in order to expiate the sins of killing incurred during this suppression. This story is told at Hachiman shrines in various regions. In the late Nara Period, Wake no Kiyomaro received a takusen from Hachiman which thwarted the monk Dōkyō's scheme to usurp the throne. This incident strengthened Hachiman's character as a guardian kami of the imperial house.

In 860 according to the activities of the monk Gyōkyō of Daianji, an emanation of Hachiman was brought from Usa and established (kanjō) as the shrine Iwashimizu Hachimangū. This shrine became the focal point for the cult of Hachiman in the capital. The shrine was called Iwashimizu Hachimangū Gokokuji, and was structured as a "shrine temple system" (miyaderasei) in which "shrine monks" (shasō) such as kengyō or bettō took control of the shrine's management. Shinbutsu shūgō developed further at the shrine and the "original Buddha" (honji butsu) assigned to the kami Hachiman was the Buddha Amida (Amitābha).

Later Iwashimizu was included in the "twenty-two shrines" (nijūnisha) and was ranked just below Ise Jingū. At the end of the eleventh century Hachiman and Ise were called the "Two Imperial Mausoleums" (nisho sōbyō)and Hachiman attained the status of imperial ancestral kami. Based on this status, Hachiman also came to be regarded as the "clan kami" (ujigami) of the Genji clan. Thus Minamoto no Yoshiie had his coming of age ceremony (genpuku) at Iwashimizu Hachimangū and called himself Hachiman Tarō.

Hachiman's character as the ujigami of the Sewa emperor lineage Genji clan come to the forefront and at the end of the Heian Period the shrine Tsurugaoka Hachimangū was "established" (kanjō) in Kamakura. In the medieval period, Hachiman developed from the Genji clan's ujigami into the guardian kami of the warrior class, and many Hachiman shrines were established (kanjō) on estates (shōen) in various regions as the "tutelary guardian of those areas" (chinjugami).
source : Satō Masato, Kokugiakuin University, 2007




. Yusuhara Hachiman-gū 柞原八幡宮 Yusuhara Hachimangu .
Oita 大分県, Hamanoichi (Hama no Ichi) 浜の市


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A Hachiman shrine (八幡神社 Hachiman Jinja, also Hachiman-gū (八幡宮))
is a Shinto shrine dedicated to kami Hachiman.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !




< . Minamoto no Yoshiie Hachimantaro 源八幡太郎義家 .
(1039 – 4 August 1106)
- - - - - and his wife Akashi hime 明石姫

. Hidaka Jinja 日高神社 Hidaka Shrine .
- and Hachimantaro in Mizusawa, Iwate

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kigo for the New Year

Tomo Hachiman no on yumi shinji
鞆八幡の御弓神事 (ともはちまんのおゆみしんじ)
bow ritual at Tomo Hachiman
鞆八幡神社(沼名前神社), Numakuma Jinja 沼名前神社お弓神事
Fukuyama, Hiroshima prefecture

This festival dates back in legend, when emperess Jingu made an offering of a tomo 鞆wrist cover for archery to this shrine. It is now held as a new year ceremony on February 15 to pray for avoidance of evil and a peaceful year.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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Tsurugaoka Hachimanguu no go-han itadaki
鶴岡八幡宮御璽頂き (つるがおかはちまんぐうのごはんいただき)
getting a seal at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu

Kamakura
鶴岡八幡宮の御璽頂き
January 1 till 5、the main is on January 3.
Nowadays it is also called Gohan Gyooji 御判行事
The official new "seal of the deity" is brought to the stamp office in the shrine compounds. The seal is held to the parts of the believers that hurt and they will be healed from their suffering.
A seal from the Bull deity Go-O 牛王宝印 is stamped on paper, put on bamboo skewers and given to the people. This ritual dates back to the Kamakura period, when the samurai prayed for good fortune in the coming year.

Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, see below.


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hatsugatsuo no shinku 初鰹神供 (はつがつおのしんく)
offering first katsuo bonito

During the Edo period, Kamakura was famous for the first bonito to be fished at the beaches of the inlay. The very first ones were offered at Hachimangu with prayers for a good fishing season.
This was usually done in January or february.
In newer years, the first fish of the year landing on the beach of Kamakura was called "ofuri おふり" and offered to the deities.


. first bonito, hatsu gatsuo, hatsugatsuo 初鰹 (はつがつお) .
kigo for early summer


鎌倉を生きて出でけん初鰹 
Kamakura o ikite ideken hatsu-gatsuo

you made it
past Kamakura alive -
first Katsuo bonito


Written in 元禄5年, Basho age 49
Basho was well aware of the customs of Edo, where the first Katsuo was an expensive delicacy unknown in his homeland, Iga.
The bonito from Kamakura was then carried to Edo as a present to the Shogun.

quote
In 1672, prior to taking his formal penname, Basho arrived in Edo and lived near the Nihonbashi Uogashi for a time.

The first bonito of the year
Amazingly fresh
They would have been alive when they left Kamakura


This is a haiku poem in which Basho describes the first bonito catches of the year. Basho lived in the residence of Sugiyama Sanpu ...
. Sugiyama Sanpu 杉山杉風 (Sampu) .   


Haiku about place names by
. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .

. WKD : Kamakura 鎌倉 a haiku town .


Another hokku by Kikaku about the expensive first Bonito :

on the chopping board
a golden thaler -
first bonito


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Yahata mairi 八幡参(やはたまいり)
Visiting Yahata shrine

Yakujin mairi 厄神詣 (やくじんまいり) Visiting the Yakujin deity
yakujin is an evil deity that brings bad luck and diseases. He has to be appeased at the beginning of the year.
Yakuyoke 厄除けの神 is a god deity like Hachiman, who prevents bad luck.

yakumairi, yaku mairi 厄参(やくまいり), yakumoode 厄詣(やくもうで)
Yahata ekijin moode 八幡厄神詣(やはたえきじんもうで)
Yahata miyage 八幡土産(やはたみやげ) souvenirs from Yahata
Yahatagoi, yahata koi八幡鯉(やはたごい) carp from Yahata
Yakujinsai 厄神祭(やくじんさい)Festival of the Yakujin
Aoyama matsuri 青山祭(あおやままつり)Aoyama festival
(another name for the Otokoyama)


On January 28 people went to Iwashimizu Hachimangu in Kyoto (see below) to pray for good fortunes in the coming year, at a small shrine in the Otokoyama mountain. There a sacres space was erected between a bamboo fence (himorogi 神籬)), the south side was open. People threw their talismans from the old year in and the whole was later burned.
As a "souvenir", people took home a New Year Arrow (hamaya) and a carp or dove made from paper, which they stuck into their hair.


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kigo for Late Summer




Hachiman yama 八幡山(はちまんやま)
Hachiman float
during the Gion Festival
祗園会 (ぎおんえ)
Kyoto

Reference : Gion Festival Kyoto


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kigo for Early Autumn


Fukagawa Hachiman matsuri
深川八幡祭(ふかがわはちまんまつり)
Hachiman festival at Fukagawa, Tokyo

. . . CLICK here for Photos !
Fukagawa matsuri 深川祭 ふかがわまつり Fukagawa festival
Tomioka matsuri 富岡祭(とみおかまつり)Tomioka festival


. WKD : Fukagawa Matsuri Festival Haiku .


Tomioka Hachiman-gu 富岡八幡宮 and
Fukagawa Fudo Do (Fudoo Doo) 深川不動堂


Fishing amulet for a cood catch
. Tomioka Hachimangu, Tokyo 富岡八幡宮 .

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kigo for Mid-Autumn

Hachiman Matsuri八幡祭(はちまんまつり)
Hachiman Festival

at Shrine Iwashimizu Jinja

hoojoo-e 放生会(ほうじょうえ)
Buddhist ritual of releasing living animals

Yahata hoojoo-e 八幡放生会 (やはたほうじょうえ)

Iwashimizu matsuri 石清水祭(いわしみずまつり)
Iwashimizu Festival

Otokoyama matsuri 男山祭(おとこやままつり)
Festival at Otokoyama

chuushuusai 仲秋祭(ちゅうしゅうさい)mid-autumn festival
nansai 南祭(なんさい)"festival in the South" (of Kyoto)

hoojoogawa 放生川(ほうじょうがわ) river for releasing fish
hanachidori 放ち鳥(はなちどり)releasing birds
hanachigame 放ち亀(はなちがめ)releasing turtles

the name "South Festival" contrasts with the annual festival at shrine Kamo Jinja in the north of Kyoto.
. kita no matsuri 北祭(きたのまつり)"festival in the North"


quote
The Iwashimizu Hachiman-gū (石清水八幡宮) is a Shinto shrine in the city of Yawata in Kyoto Prefecture.
The shrine's Heian period connections with the Kyoto and the Imperial family date from its founding in 859 (Jōgan 1) when construction on its earliest structures commenced. Shrine tradition explains that Emperor Seiwa ordered the shrine to be built in obeisance to an oracle in which Hachiman expressed the desire to be near to Kyoto to watch over the city and the Imperial House of Japan. This vision was reported by a Buddhist monk, Gyōkyō, who had a second vision which led to selecting the Otokoyama location where the shrine now stands.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !


Rikyu - Hachimangu was originally named
"Iwashimizu (=spring water)-Hachimangu".

. Rikyu Hachimangu Shrine in Oyamazaki-cho .
and the egoma oil connection 荏胡麻油


. Hojo-E 放生会 releasing life animals
and the Heart Pond 心の池 .


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. Hakozaki in Fukuoka 福岡県福岡市東区箱崎 .

Hakozaki matsuri 筥崎祭 (はこざきまつり) Hakozaki festival
Hakozaki hoojoo e 筥崎放生会(はこざきほうじょうえ)

Hakozaki Hachimanguu 福岡筥崎八幡宮 Hachimangu shrine in Fukuoka
September 12 - 18
It is one of the three great festivals in Fukuoka.

Hakozaki Shrine was founded in 923, with the transfer of the spirit of the kami Hachiman from Daibu Hachiman Shrine in what is Honami Commandry, Chikuzen Province in Kyūshū.
The annual Tamaseseri Festival (January 3) and the
Hojoya Festival (September 12–18) attract many to visit the shrine.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !

. . . CLICK here for Photos of the shrine !

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Usa matsuri 宇佐祭(うさまつり) Usa festival
Usa hoojoo e 宇佐放生会 (うさほうじょうえ)
at Usa Hachimangu 宇佐八幡宮 in Oita.

To appease the souls of warriours, now shells and clams are released into the sea.

Because of its mixed religious ancestry, one of the important festivals at the shrine is the hōjō-e (放生会), originally a Buddhist ceremony in which captive birds and fish are released.
The ceremony is accompanied by sacred kagura dances meant to commemorate the souls of fish killed by fishermen during the previous year. This syncretic rite fusing Buddhism and Shinto, now performed in many shrines all over the country, took first place here.

Emperor Ojin, who was deified as Hachiman-jin (the tutelary god of warriors), is said to be enshrined in all the sites dedicated to him; and the first and earliest of these was at Usa in the early 8th century. The Usa jingū 宇佐神宮 has long been the recipient of Imperial patronage; and its prestige is considered second only to that of Ise.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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CLICK for more photos
Yabusame 流鏑馬

Tsurugaoka Hachiman matsuri
鶴岡八幡祭(つるがおかはちまんまつり)
Festival at Tsurugaoka Hachiman shrine

Kamakura
Tsurugaoka matsuri 鶴岡祭 つるがおかまつり
Kamakura Hachiman matsuri
鎌倉八幡祭(かまくらはちまんまつり)
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

yabusame 流鏑馬(やぶさめ)archery on horseback


quote
Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū (鶴岡八幡宮) is the most important Shinto shrine in the city of Kamakura.

This shrine, which used to be also a Buddhist temple and far bigger than today, was originally built in 1063 in Zaimokuza where tiny Moto Hachiman now stands, and dedicated to the Emperor Ōjin, (deified with the name Hachiman, the god of war), his mother Empress Jingu and his wife Hime-gami. Minamoto no Yoritomo, the founder of the Kamakura shogunate, moved it to its present location in 1191 and invited Hachiman (from Iwashimizu Hachiman Shrine) to reside in the new location to protect his government.

The present location was carefully chosen as the most propitious after consulting a diviner because it had a mountain to the north (the Hokuzan (北山)), a river to the east (the Namerikawa 滑川), a great road to the west (the Kotō Kaidō (古東街道)) and was open to the south (on Sagami Bay).

There are a number of sub-shrines on the site, the most important of which are the Junior Shrine (Wakamiya (鶴岡八幡宮若宮(下宮)) at the bottom, and the Senior Shrine (Hongū (本宮)) 61 steps above. The present Senior Shrine building was constructed in 1828 by Tokugawa Ienari, the 11th Tokugawa shogun.

Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū is now just a Shinto shrine but, for the almost 700 years from its foundation until the Shinto and Buddhism Separation Order (神仏判然令) of 1868, its name was Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū-ji (鶴岡八幡宮寺) and it was also a Buddhist temple, one of the oldest in Kamakura.

Also in the compounds are

Maiden (舞殿) Dance Hall
Shirahata Jinja (白旗神社) shrine
Maruyama Inari sha (丸山稲荷社) shrine
Hataage Benzaiten Shrine (旗上弁財天社) Hata-age

© More in the WIKIPEDIA !


CLICK for more photos
The great Gingko Tree


. Wakamiya Hachimangu 若宮八幡宮 Shrines list .

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kigo for late Autumn

. Nada Fighting Festival (Nada no Kenka Matsuri)
灘のけんか祭り
at Matsubara Hachiman Shrine, Himeji
姫路 松原八幡神社



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Worldwide use

Hachiman Daibosatsu 八幡大菩薩
Großer Bodhisattva Hachiman


- quote -
Hachiman Project -
Heidelberg University Germany



The Hachiman Digital Handscrolls Project (HDH) is a pilot study to enhance digital presentations of movable image-and-text formats. The innovative open source system HyperImage is the pivotal tool employed to realize the aims of the project.
HDH
offers an innovative access to seven digitized Japanese illuminated hand scrolls ranging from the 14th to the 19th century. Each version tells the same story: The first part covers the prehistoric pregnant Empress Jingû and her alleged conquest of the Korean kingdoms by help of indigenous deities. This colorful myth is followed by the empress’s birth of the future Emperor Ôjin, and his manifestation as the Hachiman deity. Hachiman’s miraculous appearances and oracles as well as the foundation tales of the most famous Hachiman shrines cover the second part of the scrolls. The title of the scrolls reflects the gist of the scrolls,
Karmic Origins of the Great Bodhisattva Hachiman.”
- source : uni-heidelberg.de -


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Things found in the Daruma Museum



Mikoshi palanquin 神輿 

The possible origin of "mikoshi" is said to be found in the Nara Period, when the "kami" of the Hachiman Shrine in Usa was invited on a purple palanquin to Nara for the constructin of the "Daibutsu" Great Statue of Budda.

Matsuri : Festivals in Japan

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Yakushi-Ji temple, Nara

The approach to Yakushiji is along a winding path that passes the
Yasumigaoka Hachimangu 休岡八幡宮(やすみがおか はちまんぐう).
This building was constructed in 1603 and is still used to celebrate the Hachiman Festival on September 15th. If you visit at this time, you may be lucky enough to see the local children's sumo competition.
It is the shrine dedicated to Hachiman, here as a protector deity of Yakushiji, founded around 889, with its present structures from 1603.
Temple Yakushi-Ji Nara
法相宗大本山薬師寺



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The Deity for tuesday, kayoosei 火曜星(かようせい)
Hachiman Daibosatsu 八幡大菩薩) (六白金星)
and the Nine Stars Crest ... 九曜紋 ... Kuyoo Mon
. . . CLICK here for Photos of Great Bodhisattva Hachiman !


. Fuuji Hachimangu 風治八幡宮 Fuji Hachimangu .
Fukuoka


Kawagoe Hachimangu 川越八幡宮
..... Sumo Inari Shrine 相撲稲荷


Koo Hachimangu and the Shagiri festival 鴻八幡宮例大祭(しゃぎり
Kurashiki, Okayama prefecture


Hakodate Hachiman Shrine in Yachigashiracho


. Isaniwa Jinja 伊佐爾波神社 - Matsuyama .
Yuzuki Hachiman 湯月八幡 or Dogo Hachiman 道後八幡

Kitamuki Hachiman Shrine 北向八幡宮 Kobe city


Kotozaki Hachimangu 琴崎八幡宮

山口県宇部市上宇部大小路 Yamaguchi, Ube town


. Nishino Jinja 西野神社 Shrine in Sapporo .
Hondawake no mikoto 譽田別命 Homudawake


. Oosaki Hachimangu 大崎八幡宮 Osaki Hachiman Shrine .
Sendai


The Tamukeyama Shrine became the first branch of the Hachiman shrine from Usa.
Tamukeyama Hachiman Gu 手向山八幡宮


Yoshioka Hachiman Jinja 吉岡八幡神社 Miyagi

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When the legendary Empress Jinguu Koogoo (Jingu Kogo) stayed at the Hot Spring Doogo in Matsuyama on the island of Shikoku on her way to the Korean battlefield, she realized that she was pregnant.
To pray for the safe delivery and healthy upbringing of her child, later to become the Emperor Oojin, she had a doll made and offered it to the local Gods. This used to be called the "Roly-poly Doll of Doogo" (Doogo no Okiagari, Dogo no Okiagari). First it was made of wood but later became a papermachee doll. In the last days of February at the Spring Festival of the Matsuyama Shrine and the Iyo Hiko-no-Mikoto Shrine this doll has been sold since more than 200 years ago. It is now a talisman for easy delivery and the healthy upbringing of children and getting well after a disease.

Princess Daruma of Matsuyama

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In all shrinesd dedicated to Hachiman the doves (pidgeons) are kept as sacred animals messengers of the deity.

. hatobue 鳩笛 pidgeon whistle, dove flute .


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komabato, koma no hato 狛鳩 guardian doves


CLICK for more photos!

Miyake Hachimanguu 三宅八幡宮 Miyake Hachimangu Shrine - Kyoto

The Miyakehachiman Shrine was founded in the reign of Empress Suiko by the envoy to China, Ono no Imoko 小野妹子, who was ill on the trip and got healed by praying to Hachiman.
This shrine is also known as 'Mushihachiman'. It is believed that child's bad health is healed.
- reference -

. koma...  狛  shrine guardian animals .


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yakujin 厄神(やくじん)
"deity of preventing bad luck"
or
"deity to bring bad luck"



Yakujin Myoo-Oo 厄神明王
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
The deities Aizen Myo-O and Fudo-O in one person as preventers of bad luck
愛染明王と不動明王

Mondo Yakujin 門戸厄神 Mondo the preventor of bad luck
Or an Aizen Myo-O with two faces 両頭愛染

Mondo Yakujin Tookooji
門戸厄神東光寺(もんどやくじん とうこうじ)
Temple Toko-Ji 東光寺 in Hyogo, Nishi no miya town.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
Especially visitied on January 18 and 19 and the Star Festival on Feburary 3, when people in their "unlucky year 厄年" come to pray for protection.


. Aizen Myo-O 愛染明王



Deity to bring bad fortune and disease
. Yakubyoogami 疫病神
Deity to bring poverty 貧乏神 binboogami, bimboogami


. Yōka 八日様 Yoka Sama, the Honorable Day Eight .
rituals for the 厄神 Yakujin

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HAIKU


袴著や八幡宮の氏子だち
hakamagi ya Hachimanguu no ujiko tachi

they come clad in Hakama trousers -
all the parishioners
from Hachimangu


. Masaoka Shiki 正岡子規 visiting shrines and temples .


. ujiko 氏子 local worshiper, parishioner .


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城山の八幡祭風強し
shiroyama no Hachiman-sai kaze tsuyoshi

at the castle mountain
during the Hachiman festival
the wind is strong

Minagawa Bansui 皆川盤水
At Iwashimizu Hachiman Shrine


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Related words

. KAMAKURA - a Haiku Town


. Sacred Animals and Amulets .


***** SAIJIKI – OBSERVANCES

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10/22/2009

Ise Shrine and its KIGO

[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO TOP . ]
. Ise-Shima 伊勢志摩 と伝説 Legends about Ise-Shima .
. Ise 伊勢と伝説 Legends about the Shrine at Ise .
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Ise Shrine and its KIGO

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


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Explanation


Ise Grand Shrine (伊勢神宮, Ise Jingū) is a Shinto shrine dedicated to goddess Amaterasu-ōmikami, located in the city of Ise in Mie prefecture, Japan. Officially known simply as Jingū (神宮), Ise Jingū is in fact a shrine complex composed of a large number of Shinto shrines centered on two main shrines, Naikū (内宮) and Gekū (外宮).
CLICK for more photos

Purportedly the home of the Sacred Mirror, the shrine is arguably one of Shinto's holiest and most important sites.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !

shinbyoo 神廟 Shinbyo, "a sacred place for the deity". another name for the Ise Jingu Shrine.
Also used for other great shrines or shrines that hold the remains of a dead deified person, for example Tokugawa Ieyasu.

The Grand Shrine at Ise is closely related to the rice culture of Japan, with its own rice fields for ritual purposes and a "sacred dining hall" for the deities.

. The Japanese Rice Culture and Ise Shrine .
Shinguu shinden 新宮神田 Shingu rice fields for the deities (at Shingu shrine)
mikeden 御鐉殿 "the sacred dining hall"

. shinden 神田 / saiden 斎田 rice paddies for rituals .

source : Ise Jingu - Shingu shrine

. shinshi 神使 the divine messenger .
at Ise Jingu is niwatori 鶏 the rooster.

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Reiheishi れいへいし【例幣使】
An envoy who was sent from the Imperial court to the Grand Shrines of Ise (Ise Jingū) to present offerings (hōbei 奉幣) for the Kannamesai.
Also referred as Ise no reiheishi. A reiheishi was one type of royal "messenger" (hōbeishi) who brought offerings to shrines. From the medieval period onwards, the presentation of offerings for the Kannamesai was referred to as reihei (regular offerings), and thus the envoy was called a reiheishi.

It was customary to dispatch the messenger on the eleventh day of the ninth month. The chief messenger was selected by divination from amongst the Ō clan. Officials of the Jingikan (Department of Divinities) surnamed Nakatomi, Inbe, or Urabe accompanied him. The first recorded reiheshi was sent in 721.

The practice was discontinued after the Ōnin Disturbance (1467-77), but was revived in 1647 in the Edo Period. However, prior to this (in 1646) the Nikkō reiheishi was initiated. This was a practice in which the court sent messengers to the "main ceremony" (reisai) held at the Tōshōgū in Nikkō where Tokugawa Ieyasu was enshrined. During the Edo period, this latter reiheishi was better known, and thus in contemporary documents the word reiheishi usually implies Nikkō reiheishi.

Offerings of heihaku made to shrines and imperial tombs by order of the Emperor. The term also refers to an envoy who bore these offerings, (alternatively called the hōbeishi). The characters can also be read as hōhei.
The hōbei usually accompanied an imperial message (senmyō) but the paper used for the message differed according to the shrine: for example, the paper used for The Grand Shrines of Ise was a deep blue (hanada-iro), and that for Kamo Shrine was crimson (kurenai-iro), while for other shrines, yellow paper was used.

After the Ōnin War (1467-1477) they ceased entirely, except for the offerings sent to the Grand Shrines of Ise.
Currently hōbei are sent to Ise Shrine and the other venues of imperial rites known as chokusaisha and also to imperial mausolea for Shikinensai memorial rites. Envoys who carry offerings from the Association of Shintō Shrines (Jinjahonchō) to various shrines are currently called kenpeishi.
source : Inoue Nobutaka . Kokugakuin University.

kigo see below

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Kan'namesai かんなめさい【神嘗祭】 Kannamesai

. . . CLICK here for Photos !

A rite at the Ise Shrines celebrating the imperial lineage’s divine ancestry by offering first fruits to Amaterasu Ōmikami on the seventeenth day of the tenth month; the harvest festival of those shrines.

the emperor was to dispatch the imperial ritualist (hōbeishi) on the eleventh day of the ninth lunar month to perform the offering in the Daigokuden (which was known as the Koyasumidono in ancient times). The term reihei, referring to the imperial tribute offered in this ritual, first appears in the fifth year of the Yōrō era (721).

on the seventeenth day of the ninth month, within the palace the formal rite (haishiki) was to be performed at Kōtai Jingū and the “distant rite” (yōhai) was to be performed at upper and middle palaces by the one-hundred ministers of the court. This proclamation rested on the view that, in rites for the imperial ancestors, the Kashikodokoro (because it enshrines the yata no kagami, or sacred imperial mirror) was spiritually linked to the Ise Shrines; and thus the Kashikodokoro was regarded as a substitute (godaigū) for the Ise Shrines within the palace. Thus, on the day of the kannamesai festival, both “worship from afar” and direct worship of the imperial ancestors by the emperor himself (shinsai) were performed within the imperial palace.

With the change to the solar calendar, the seventeenth of the ninth month fell at a time when the harvest had not yet ripened, so in 1878 the ritual was moved to October.

source : Nakanishi Masayuki . Kokugakuin University.
shintōistisches Erntedankfest

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kigo for all spring



. Ise Mairi 伊勢参り Ise Shrine Pilgrimage
Ise sanguu 伊勢参宮(いせさんぐう)
O-kage mairi お陰参り (おかげまいり)"Thanks pilgrimage" or "blessing pilgrimage"
nuke mairi 抜参(ぬけまいり)leaving secretly and beg your way to Ise
saka mukae 坂迎え(さかむかえ)
isekoo 伊勢講(いせこう)Ise Shrine Group
daidai koo 太々講(だいだいこう)... see below for Kagura dance

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kigo for early summer

CLICK for more photos

Ise kanmiso no matsuri
伊勢神御衣祭 いせかんみそのまつり
jinngunkanmisosai 神宮神御衣祭(じんぐんかんみそさい)
miso no matsuri 御衣祭(みそのまつり)
kanso matsuri 神衣祭(かんそまつり)

offerings of summer garments
to the deities at Ise shrine

. . . CLICK here for Photos !

. . . . .

CLICK for more photos

Ise no o-taue 伊勢の御田植 (いせのおたうえ)
planting rice at Ise

mitamatsuri 御田祭(みたまつり)
"festival of the honorable rice fields"
... omitamatsuri, o-mita matsuri お御田祭(おみたまつり)
Yamada no o-taue 山田の御田植(やまだのおたうえ)
planting rice at Yamada
otaue ogi 御田扇(おたおうぎ) fan for the planting rice ceremony

Before the official rice planting at the small town of Yamada, offerings of rice, fish and fruit are made to the deities. Then the priests and shrine maidens plant the rice which will be harvested by them in autumn and then used for the offerings at the shrine.

Used to be on May 20, but now a sunday close do this date.
In the village of Isobe, it is done on June 24.



When the planting is over, two priest with large fans perform a dance along the path between the rice paddies.

Performed at the Izo no Miya, see below.

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kigo for mid-autumn



Ise gosenguu 伊勢御遷宮 (いせごせんぐう)
transposition of the shrine's sanctuary

. . . . . gosenguu 御遷宮(ごせんぐう)Gosengu Ceremony

This takes plase every 20 years, started more than 1300 years ago.
The shrine buildings at the Naiku and Geku, as well as the Uji Bridge, are rebuilt every 20 years. This is part of the Shinto belief of the death and renewal of nature and the impermanence of all things (wabi-sabi). It is also an opportunity to pass on building techniques from one generation to the next.
The next rebuilding of Ise Shrine is due in 2013.

tootosa ni mina oshi-ainu gosenguu

For holiness,
Everyone has pushed others in the crowd.
The Shrine Removal !

Tr. Oseko

Discussion and more Haiku about Holiness by
. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .

MORE - hokku about visiting the Ise Shrine
. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .

The 62nd Jingu Shikinen Sengu in 2013 伊勢式年遷宮
- - - Details
. WKD : Jingu Shikinen Sengu in 2013 .

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kigo for late autumn

reihei 例幣 (れいへい) imperial envoy
Ise Hoohei 伊勢奉幣(いせほうへい) Imperial Envoy to Ise

kanname no matsuri 神嘗祭 (かんなめのまつり)
kannamesai 晩秋 神嘗祭(かんなめさい)
shinjoosai 神嘗祭(しんじょうさい)

. Kurama no hi matsuri 鞍馬の火祭 Kurama Fire Festival
also called kanname sai 神嘗祭
October 22

explanation see above

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kigo for mid-winter

Daijinguu fuda kubari
大神宮札配 (だいじんぐうふだくばり)
presenting amulets from Daijingu



From the shrine Koo Daijingu 皇大神宮 amulets 大麻(taima)(お札) are presented to the other Ise shrines in Japan.
The head priest of each shrine will then give them to the parishioner families.
In olden times, priests would walk all the way throughout Japan.

kigo for late winter

Saiguu no ema 斎宮絵馬 (さいぐうのえま)
votiv tablets from Saigu
Itsuki no miya no ema 斎宮絵馬(いつきのみやのえま)

At the Emado hall of votive tablets at the Saigu Shrine in Mie, 多気郡明和町, this ritual is held at the last day of the year of the lunar calendar.
The old ema are replaced and the good or bad luck for the coming year is foretold.



Ise saiguu 伊勢斎宮
This shrine is about 20 km away from the main Ise shrine.

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observance kigo for the New Year

. Hatsu Ise 初伊勢 First visit to the Ise Shrine  


chakkirako ちゃっきらこ / チャッキラコ Chakirako dance festival
hatsu Ise odori 初伊勢踊 first Ise dance
hiyari odori 日やり踊
sagichoo odori 左義長踊 Sagicho Dance

At the shrine Kainan Jinja 海南神社 in Miura Peninsula Kanagawa.
On January 15.
The women come together, sing and dance.
They make a sound with special bamboo tools (ayadake 綾竹) which sounds like
chakkirako .


. sagichoo 左義長 Sagicho fire and dance .

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伊勢大神楽 Ise-ookagura Ise Ookagura

Ise Ookagura is a theatrical dance in the Shinto religion. The dance troupes traveled around remote areas for those who could not visit and worship at the Ise Shrine. The history of Ise Ookagura dates back more than 600 years.
The performance is composed of two elements: “dance” from shishi-mai lion dance and “music” called houkagei, which later became known as Daidougei or street performance.

Ise Ookagura starts with a slow and elegant bell dance, followed by the Shiguruma Dance and the humorous Leap Dance, in which Sarutahiko (a monkey boy) jumps around a sleeping shishi lion.
The houkagei music performance has a wide repertory, including the Music of Ayatori (“cat’s cradle”) in which performers manipulate wooden poles freely and the Music of Plates, in which performers do dish-spinning tricks with long poles, to pray for a rich harvest. Between the performances, houkagei performers and a clown act comically together. The performance then finishes with Rankyoku music.

Ise Ookagura was designated an Important Intangible Cultural Asset by the Japanese government in 1983. Ise Ookagura, which originally started with 12 troupes, is still preserved by a handful of troupes that travel around Japan to pass down their historical culture to future generations.
source : nippon-kichi.jp


Ise Daikagura

Ise Daidai Kagura 伊勢 大々神楽 (だいだいかぐら)

. WKD : Ise Kagura

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Ise Ondo 伊勢温度 Ise Song and Dance


Ryuryukyo Shinsai (1764 – 1820)

This is one of the most famous folk songs and dances. It spread over most of Japan because the Ise Pilgrims have been singing it.

- quote -
Ise Ondo Koi no Netaba 伊勢音頭恋寝刃
The Ise Dances and Love's Dull Blade

The drama "Ise Ondo Koi no Netaba" was premiered in the 7th lunar month of 1796 in Ôsaka, produced at the Kado no Shibai by the zamoto Fujikawa Hachizô III].

The play is loosely based on a real killing spree which took place in Furuichi (aburaya Sôdô), and which caused a sensation, about two months before the play's premiere in the 7th lunar month of 1796. The murders that inspired it having taken place in summer, "Ise Ondo" is a "summer play", with characters wearing light cotton yukata and using fans, and the Aburaya House of Pleasure's curtains being decorated with patterns of flowing water and floating bowls.
- Full text of all scenes :
Scenes no longer normally staged
Penultimate scene of Act I: by a jizô statue in a field
Last scene of Act I: Futami-ga-Ura
Final scene of Act II (which is not normally performed): within the precincts of the Ise Shrine
Act III, Scene 1: a room in the Aburaya House of Pleasure in Furuichi
Act III, Scene 2: in inner courtyard at the Aburaya
Act IV - versions
- source : kabuki21.com -


CLICK for more kabuki photos !


. Japanese Legends - 伝説 民話 昔話 – ABC-List .

A legend from Nara, 橿原市 Kashihara town
A man named 惣五郎 Sogoro once finished planting a large rice field, when he found a young fox dead by the field side. So he burried the poor animal and said prayers for its soul.
At night he heard voices of five or six people at the door, calling out:
"Hey you rice-planter Sogoro, we pulled them all out!"
It must have been the parents of the young fox, who by mistake thought he had killed their child.
Sogoro took pity on them too, sat by the field and explained the events again and again.
That night he heard the voices again, singing the Ise Ondo and then telling him:
"Sorry we pulled your plants out! But now, they are all replanted!"
Next morning he found some 鏡餅 offerings in front of his door and all the fields were planted as before.

- reference : Nichibun Yokai Database -

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Izoo no Miya 伊雜宮 Izo no Miya
伊雜宮
Izawa no Miya 伊雑宮(いざわのみや)Izooguu いぞうぐう
磯部の宮、磯部の大神宮さん
This is a separate shrine within the Ise compound, where the Taue field-planting takes place.



葉月潮 伊雑の宮を さしてゆく
hazukijio Izoo no miya o sashite yuku

The tides of August
coming on a pilgrimage
to the Izoo Shrine.


. Yamaguchi Seishi 山口誓子 .
Composed 1976.
In August the great tides of the Pacific Ocean roll into Matoya Bay and, after passing through a narrow strait, enter the Izoo Lagoon. A god is enshrined at the Izoo Shrine there, and the great tides come all that way to worship the god.
Tr. Kodaira & Marks

There is now a beautiful red bridge over Matoya Bay 的矢湾大橋 and a memorial stone with this haiku by Seishi.
source : www.kanko-shima.com


. WKD : hazuki 葉月 (はづき) leaf month, .


source : facebook

太一は天の中心に位置する北極神と解され、天皇大帝や昊天上帝といった至高神と同定されることもあった。
大団扇(おおうちわ)の「太一」
大団扇が立てられている右方向に伊雑宮の森があり、絵の船はお宮に向って進んでいるように描かれています。

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Worldwide use

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Things found on the way


. WASHOKU
Ise udon 伊勢うどん served at the shrine Ise Jingu
 

awabimeshi, awabi-meshi あわびめし rice with abalone
Ise ebi 伊勢エビ料理 lobster from Ise
Ise takuan 伊勢たくあん pickles radish from Ise
Itoin Senbei, ito-in senbei 絲印煎餅 Senbei with a "stamp like a thread"
Manjuu kaidoo 饅頭街道 Manju Road
. WASHOKU
Local Dishes from Mie 三重県の郷土料理
 


. Toyouke Oomikami 豊受大神 (とようけおおみかみ) .
Toyouke Omikami, Toyoukehime no Kami
The goddess of agriculture and industry in the Shinto religion.
Worshipped at the Lower Shrine, Gegu 下宮 in Ise.
She offers food to Amaterasu.
and
an explanation about the chigi 千木 "1000 roof beams" of a Shinto shrine.

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. Eto 干支  Zodiac Animal Amulets .


. shinkei 神鶏土鈴 sacred rooster clay bells
from the Great Ise Shrine


. Folk Toys from Mie .


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HAIKU


gekuu, gekū 外宮 outer shrine complex of Ise
naikuu, naikū 内宮 inner shrine complex of Ise
伊勢神宮 Ise Jingu, Ise Grand Shrine
. WKD : Ise - Geku and Naiku - and HAIKU .

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春めくや人さまざまの伊勢まいり
haru meku ya hito samazama no Ise mairi

spring in full swing -
everyone has his own way
of visiting the Ise shrine

Yamamoto Kakei 山本荷兮
慶安元年(1648)~享保元年(1716)
doctor from Nagoya
From the Poem Collection "Days of spring" 春の日.


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. WKD : Kobayashi Issa 小林一茶 .

おのづから頭が下る也神ぢ山
onozukara zu ga sagaru nari Kamiji yama

by itself
my head bows...
Mount Kamiji

Tr. David Lanoue

A hill dedicated to the sun goddess Amateru, Mount Kamiji is located in a garden in the inner precincts of Ise shrine. Since Issa composed the poem in First Month in Shinano Province, 300 kilometers north of Ise shrine, he must have relied on memory and imagination when composing this haiku.

Issa bows to the sacred hill. More accurately, "the head, by itself" is bowing without conscious intention on the part of the poet. For this reason, I first translated zu ga sagaru literally as "the head bows," rather than "my head bows." However, in a note on a similar haiku in which a head "by itself bows," Shinji Ogawa writes that first person, "my head," preserves the poem's intensity in English.
David Lanoue



Kamijiyama 神路山 Mount Kamijiyama, about 400 m high


神垣や白い花には白い蝶
kamigaki ya shiroi hana ni wa shiroi choo

fence of the Gods -
a white butterfly
on a white flower

Tr. Gabi Greve
inverting lines 2 and 3 for more fluent English



. kamigaki 神垣 the "Fence of the Gods" to the inner shrine .

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Related words

. 'O-Ise-san in Tokyo' - 東京大神宮 Tokyo Daijingu .


BACK : Top of this Saijiki

. Ise 伊勢と伝説 Legends about the Shrine at Ise .
. Ise-Shima 伊勢志摩 と伝説 Legends about Ise-Shima .

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10/21/2009

Nagoya Matsuri

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Nagoya Festival (Nagoya Matsuri)

***** Location: Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
***** Season: Mid-Autumn
***** Category: Observance


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Explanation

Nagoya matsuri 名古屋祭り Nagoya Festival
third weekend of October




The procession of ancient famous feudal lords, Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu, is a highlight. More than 700 persons take part in this super-parade.

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quote
The Nagoya festival is perhaps the biggest festival that the city of Nagoya.
The festival started way back in the fifties and has slowly graduated in to being the most important festival of the city. The festival is attended by thousands of people and is a top draw among the tourists and visitors.

The event celebrates three most helmeted samurai heroes belonging to the Nagoya area, the festival is held every year on the third weekend of October. The nucleus of all the activities is the Sakae district mainly around the Oasis 21 complex, Hiasaya-Odori Park and the television tower.

The highlight of the whole Nagoya festival is the Samurai heroes' parade where a humongous parade walks down the road engulfing one and all in the wave of the festivities. Several likenesses of the three feudal lords are seen sitting on the superbly decorated festival floats and are seen having a jolly good time.
source : www.asiarooms.com


CLICK for more photos CLICK for more photos


Japanese HP
http://www.nagoya-festival.jp/

the various parades
http://www.nagoya-festival.jp/newpage2.html

English PDF guidebook
http://www.nagoya-festival.jp/newpage5.html





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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way



. Nagoya Basho 名古屋場所
Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament

kigo for late summer



. Nagoya Castle 名古屋城 Nagoya joo





. Dolls from Nagoya /名古屋張子だるま  



. WASHOKU ... Food from
Aichi Prefecture and Nagoya



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Other annual festivals in Nagoya

Feburary
Tagata Fertility Festival

June
Atsuta Festival - on the 5th of June at the shrine Atsuta Jingu.

July
Tanabata Festival
Minato Festival (Port Festival)

August
Nagoya Castle Summer Festival


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HAIKU



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Related words

***** WKD Reference


BACK : Top of this Saijiki

[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
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10/07/2009

Benkei Festival Tanabe

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Benkei Festival (Benkei matsuri )

***** Location: Tanabe, Japan
***** Season: Late Autumn
***** Category: Observance


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Explanation

Benkei Matsuri 弁慶まつり Benkei Festival
first sunday in october

CLICK for more photos

A parade through the town of Tanabe, with his love Tamamushi Gozen 玉虫御前 following him, and later the dynamic dance of Benkei is one of the highlights of the festival.
Every year another young man from the village is choosen to perform the dance, now in the 24th generation.



CLICK for more photos
at shrine Tokei Jinja
闘けい神社 / 闘鶏神社 (とうけいじんじゃ)
Cockfight Shrine

It used to be called 新熊野鶏合大権現.

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quote
Tokei Jinja History

Tokei-jinja Shrine was established in 419 A.D and derives from Kumano Hongu Taisha.
In the times of abdicated Emperor Shirakawa (1053-1129), the Kumano deities were enshrined in Tokei-jinja Shrine. Many imperial and aristocratic pilgrims paid homage here praying for safe passage into the realm of Kumano. Because the Kumano deities were manifested in Tokei-jinja Shrine, some pilgrims didn’t make the voyage into the heart of Kumano, but prayed here, subsequently worshipping the three shrines of Kumano Sanzan from afar.



In the “Tales of Heike”the Kumano Betto Tanzo 熊野別当湛増 (or steward of the Kumano shrines,
who is said to be the father of Benkei)

turned to the gods to decide which side to join forces with during the historic sea battle of “Dan-no-ura” (1185) between the Heike and Genji clans by holding a divinatory cockfight here with a white and a red cock. The white cock, representing the Genji, won the fight.

By the order of the gods the Kumano Navy (Kumano suigun熊野水軍) supported the Genji, turning the tide of the war, and destroying the Heike. During the shrine consolidations that took place in the Meiji era (1868-1912) this shrine was re-named “Tokei-jinja” or “cockfighting shrine” because of this event.

During the peak of the Kumano pilgrimage, Tanabe was an important junction and prospered as the entrance to the Kumano region. The city was a key location for both land and ocean transportation routes. People gathered in Tanabe before continuing onto the Kumano Sanzan or the Saigoku pilgrimage (33 Kannon pilgrimage of Western Japan).
source : www.tb-kumano.jp


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CLICK For more Benkei in Tanabe


Nearby is also a shrine in his honor

Benkei Jinja, Benkei Yashiro 弁慶神社
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

and a pine in his honor

Benkei matsu 弁慶松
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


and a stone where he sat down

Benkei Koshikake Iwa 弁慶腰掛岩
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

and a few more things in memory of Benkei in his youth.

The whole town of Tanabe is full of Benkei artifacts.


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紀州鈴屋 「弁慶の釜」 Benkei no kama


CLICK for original LINK, sweetsmemory.blog47

A Wafer in the form of a small pot, the one that Benkei has his first bath as a baby.
The wafer comes in two parts, with a lid of a slightly different falvor with yuzu citrons.
The flavor of the pot filling is taken from the famous plums of Kishu.
In a nearby museum in Tanabe you can see the real pot 弁慶産湯の釜.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !




A dish made from local chicken, called
弁鶏(べんけい)
BenKEI
in a pun with the sound of the name, written with the Chinese character KEI for chicken.
. . . CLICK here for Ben-KEI Photos !




There is also a famous ricewine, 酒
Benkei no Sato 弁慶の里, produced in Tanabe town.




sake barrels offered at the Benkei Shrine


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Tanabe matsuri 田辺祭り Tanabe Festival

Every year on July 24th and 25th, the annual summer festival of Tokei-jinja Shrine is held. The year 2009 marked the 450th anniversary of the Tanabe Festival. In 1969 this festival, which is filled with much pomp and circumstance, was designated as an intangible folklore cultural asset of Wakayama prefecture.

Yoinomiya: Festival Eve (July 24)

Hon-matsuri: Festival Day (July 25)
At 4:30 the Akatsuki-no-Saiten ritual of dawn begins at Tokei-jinja Shrine.
Kasahoko Floats

In the evening of the 25th, there is
Yabusame, horseback archery demonstration

During the Tanabe Festival you can see eight “Kasahoko" from the eight traditional districts related to the old castle and merchant towns of Tanabe. Locals call the Kasahokos “Okasa”. “Kasahoko” is a sort of “Dashi” which broadly means an attraction of an event. But specifically speaking, Dashi in a Japanese festival performs a sacred role. The Kanji characters for Dashi are 山車, which mean “mountain” and “wheel” or “vehicle”. Literally Dashi are large elegant floats elaborately decorated, and are related to the local history and Kami deities of the area. Dashi are pulled and pushed through the city by many men to pay homage at shrines and sacred sites. There is a great diversity of Dashi, with as many variations of Dashi as there are festivals in Japan.

Look at more photos of the festival HERE :
source : www.tb-kumano.jp



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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way


. Senteisai festival 先帝祭 and Antoku Tenno 安徳天皇  
Shimonoseki


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HAIKU


闘鶏や兵ものどもの夢は今
tookei ya tsuwamonodomo no yume wa ima

this cockfight -
the dreams of ancient warriors
still alive


Gabi Greve, Autumn 2010


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One of the most famous tsuwamono (Hercules) is maybe super-strong Musashibo Benkei 武蔵坊弁慶, the monk-soldier who accompanied Yoshitsune during his whole life.

. Brave Warrior (tsuwamono) and Haiku



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Related words


From ancient times to the Middle Ages, the faith instilled by the Kumano Sanzan of Hongu, Shingu and Nachi was at a peak and many believers ranging from emperors and nobles to the commoner made their pilgrimages to Kumano.
Now a World Heritage Site.

***** . The ancient Kumano Pilgrims Road  
Kumano Kodoo, Kumano Kodō (熊野古道) and Haiku


***** . yabusame 流鏑馬(やぶさめ)Yabusame
and its related kigo 


***** . Tori awase 鶏合 (とりあわせ) Ritual Cock Fighting
Hahnenkampf, and its related kigo 



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