Showing posts with label Shinto. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shinto. Show all posts

2/03/2011

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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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way



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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HAIKU




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12/03/2010

Miho Shrine Festivals

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Morotabune Ship Race Ceremony

***** Location: Shimane prefecture
***** Season: Mid-Winter
***** Category: Observance


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Explanation

Rituals at the shrine Miho Jinja 美保神社, Shimane
島根県松江市美保関町美保関 608, Matsue city, Miho town


Miho Shrine is located in the small fishing village of Mihonoseki, and the main deity, Kotoshiro-nushi is worshipped as the God of good fortune, fishing and safety at sea.
The deity is the child of Okuni-nushi and is also known as Ebisu.
- source : visitshimane.com

This is the headquarter of the Kotoshirunushi Ebisu shrines 事代主神系えびす, with more than 3000 sub-shrines.

Ebisu here is known as
Narimono no Kamisama 鳴り物の神様 "Deity of Instruments"
especially the drums

. Ebisu えびす 恵比寿 .

The shrine has a long history and is already mentioned in the 出雲国風土記 Izumo Fudoki:
大穴持命(大国主神)と奴奈宣波比売命(奴奈川姫命)の間に生まれた「御穂須須美命」が美保郷に坐す.

The present-day head priest of the Yokoyama family 横山宮司 is now in the 89th generation.



- Homepage of the Shrine
- source : mihojinja.html

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morotabune no shinji 諸手船神事 (もろたぶねのしんじ)
Morotabune Ritual
..... morotabune 諸手船(もろたぶね)

iyaho no matsuri 八百穂祭(いやほのまつり)
Ritual of 800 rice ears

mikuji ubai 御籤奪(みくじうばい)
fighting for fortune telling slips

CLICK for more photos


This was a harvest thanksgiving ritual, performed on November 23.
Hence the name
Ritual of 800 rice ears

After the race, the participants have a feast including a dish with wakame kelp and other types of seaweed.


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quote
This rite takes place on December 3 at Miho Shrine in Mihonoseki Town, Yatsuka County, Shimane Prefecture.

This relates to the myth regarding the transfer of the land (kuniyuzuri 国譲り) recorded in the Kojiki and Nihonshoki. This rite is a recreation of the myth that Ōnamuchi-no-mikoto's messenger who came in a dug-out canoe called a morotabune and the enshrined deity (saijin), Kotoshirononushi-no-mikoto 事代主神, had a talk at the Mihonoseki harbor mouth regarding land transfers.

In the evening festival, there is a ceremony with 75 kinds of special food and wine offerings (shinsen) being offered to the kami.
On the main festival day, the chief priest (gūji) uses sacred lots (mikuji) to select a steersman and rowers.

A parade led by the carrier of a makka (wooden sword), leaves the shrine and goes to Miyanada, which is before the shrine. The gūji oversees the event from a temporary hut built with curtains, in front of Miyanada 宮灘.



Two morotabune boats in the shape of ancient dug-out canoes (kurifune). Eighteen people including the makka carrier, steersman, and rowers split up and board the boats, take up paddles and begin rowing out to sea. They row to the east mouth of Mihonoseki harbor, to below the headland Mt. Marōdo, worship at the Marōdo Shrine which 客人社 is dedicated to Ōnamuchi-no-mikoto 大国主神, and then return to Miyanada.

The boats do this trip three times, competing against each other. When this is finished, the makka carriers removes the makka from the prow where it had been mounted race to offer it at the shrine. The steersman stands at the prow and performs a call-and-response prayer with gūji standing on the seawall. When this is done they cross the harbor and then there are three boat races.
source : Mogi Sakae, Kokugakuin University. 2007



- quote
Kuniyuzuri The "transfer of the land."
The term indicates a series of episodes in Kojiki and Nihongi related to the transfer of the land of Japan to the descendants of the heavenly kami (amatsukami) by Ōkuninushi, a terrestial kami (kunitsukami).
After Susanoo, the brother of Amaterasu, descended from the heavenly realm to Izumo and slew the great serpent, he married Kushinadahime. Their child (according to the main text of the Nihongi) or grandchild (according to one alternative passage of Nihongi) was Ōkuninushi. Ultimately Ōkuninushi and Sukunahikona worked together to solidify the Central Land of the Reed Plains (Toyoashihara no mizuho no kuni).
However, Amaterasu and Takamimusuhi, wanting the land for their descendants to rule, sent a messenger to Ōkuninushi asking him to transfer the land. Both Amenohohi, the first messenger sent, and Amewakahiko, the second, took sides with Ōkuninushi and did not report back. Not only did the latter marry a daughter of Ōkuninushi and fail to report back to the High Plain of Heaven (Takamanohara), but he also became the practical ruler of the Central Land of the Reed Plains.

Amaterasu then conferred with the deities of the High Plain of Heaven and sent Takemikazuchi accompanied by Amenotorifune (Torinoiwakusufune). Takemikazuchi strongly urged Ōkuninushi to transfer the land, and received the allegiance of Ōkuninushi's son Kotoshironushi , and defeated another of his sons, Takeminakata, who opposed the plan, in a trial of strength.

Then Ōkuninushi agreed to transfer the land, giving the unconcealed realm of the Central Land of the Reed Plains to the Heavenly Grandchild. Ōkuninushi retreated to govern the unseen world (yūkai, see kakuriyo) while being eternally enshrined in the Great Shrine (Izumo Taisha).

With this preparations were complete for the descent of the Heavenly Grandchild (tenson kōrin). There also exist different traditions relating to the above events. For example, Izumo no kuni no miyatsuko kamu yogoto says that the true messenger sent down from the High Plain of Heaven was Amenohinatori, the ancestor of Izumo kokusō. It is now thought that the episode of the "transfer of the land" as described in Kojki and Nihongi represents a mythical version of the process of state unification under the Yamato court. This unification was achieved over a long period of time both through negotiation with powerful local families and through military conquest.

Izumo seems to have retained its ancient political and religious authority until the very end, and it was only with its fall that final unification was achieved. This appears to have happened in the time of the emperors Sujin and Suinin.
- source : Kobori Keiko, Kokugakuin




Okuninushi (Omono Nushi) at the Grand Shrine in Izumo

Oonamuchi no Mikoto, Ōnamuchi-no-mikoto 大己貴命(おおなむちのみこと)
- - - Ookuninushi 大国主(おおくにぬし)



Kotoshironushi 事代主命 and his wife Mihotsu Hime no Mikoto 三穂津姫命

- quote -
Mihotsuhime (Nihongi) - 三穂津姫尊
According to an "alternative writing" transmitted by Nihongi, Mihotsuhime was the daughter of Takamimusuhi no mikoto, given in marriage to Ōmononushi (see Ōkuninushi no kami). In the episode known as the "transfer of the land" (kuniyuzuri), Takamimusuhi warned Ōmononushi that if the latter took a wife from among the earthly kami (kunitsukami), Takamimusuhi would consider him to be disaffected. As a result, Takamimusuhi gave his own daughter Mihotsuhime in marriage to Ōkuninushi, charging him to lead the "80 myriad hosts of kami" and forever protect the imperial line.
- source : Kokugakuin Nishioka Kazuhiko 2005 -


Mihotsu Hime 三穂津姫命は大国主神の幸魂奇魂(さきみたま・くしみたま)である「大物主神」の后神。Kotoshironushi 事代主命は神屋楯比売神(かむやたてひめ)と大国主神との間の子供なので義理の母親にあたる)




- quote -
Miho 三穂
3-307の題詞、歌にある「三穂の岩屋」は和歌山県日高郡美浜町の最西端、日ノ御崎の東、三尾漁港から更に少し東側の突角の後礒にある、久米の穴と称する大きな岩窟がそれかという。『玉勝間』に「三穂の岩屋は同郡(=日高)三尾村の廿五町ばかり東南の海べに在り。岩屋の中に石の観音の像あり」と見える。ただし『紀伊続風土記』には御崎神社(美浜町和田)の西北の地とする。この和歌山県日高郡美浜町の三穂と3-434、7-1228にある「風早の美保の浦」は同一地であるかとされるが、所在は未詳である。
また3-296の「廬原の清見の崎の三保の浦のゆたけき見つつ物思ひもなし」の三保の浦は、三保の三崎で囲まれた静岡県静岡市清水区の入海のことである。駿河国風土記逸文にある、羽衣説話の三保の松原としても有名な地である。松原が続く景勝の地で、大己貴命・三穂津姫命を祭る航海・漁業の神、御(三)穂神社を中心とする海岸一帯をいう。
- source : kokugakuin 渡辺卓 -


. Izumo taisha 出雲大社 Izumo Grand Shrine .

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CLICK for original : nakamura collection


Other rituals at the shrine Miho Jinja
美保神社


The region is closely related to wakame kelp and nori seaweed.
The most famous are from the island Uppurui 十六島(うっぷるい).



美保神社の和布刈神事 mekari shinji
Cuttind kelp at Miho Shrine

Dating back to the time of Jingu Kogo on her war tour to Korea, and later Hideyoshi on the same war path.


CLICK for more photos

mekari no shinji 和布刈神事 (めかりのしんじ)
ritual of cutting seaweed
..... mekari 和布刈(めかり)cutting wakame seaweed
mekari negi 和布刈禰宜(めかりねぎ)
Shinto priest porforming the mekari ritual

observance kigo for mid-winter


mekari no shinji 和布刈(り)の神事 is also practised at other shrines in Japan, for example at the Sumiyoshi Shrine in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi 山口県下関市の住吉神社 on the first of January, in the first high tide of the night. The kelp is then offered to the deities. After this, in the naorai 直会 ceremony, it is eaten by the attendants.

There is a shrine called Mekari Jinja 和布刈神社 at Moji, Kitakyushu, where seaweed is cut in the night from December 31 to January 1.

Mekari Shrine and the Deity
. Azumi no Isora Maru 阿曇磯良丸 Isoramaru .

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神迎(かみむかえ)神事 Kami mukae
Welcoming the Deity

This is a ceremony on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, when wakame is eaten.
The fire for preparing the meal for the vegetarian offering (潔斎食 kessai shoku) is made from special flintstone. The official food offering consists of cooked rice and salt, sesame seeds, vegetables, seaweed (wakame, nori, konbu etc.) and others. Miso and soy sauce are not used for this meal, since they are prepared using fire.

This day is the Boy's Festival Day.


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青柴垣(あおふしがき)神事 Aofushigaki
Ritual of green fenced boats

CLICK for more photos

This is a ceremony on the third day of the third lunar month.
Nowadays it is held around the 7th of April. At the end of the rituals, wakame is eaten.
The festival is in memory of a legend, when boats decorated with green brushes wrought into fences (ao fushi) came cruising into Miho Bay.

This day is the Doll's Festival Day.

kigo for late spring


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紫菜島(のりしま)神社 Norishima shrine
source : 出雲海藻風土記



. Izumo Fudoki (Izumo Fuudoki 出雲風土記)   



. Nori from Uppurui Island, uppurui nori
十六島海苔(うっぷるいのり)
  



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Things found on the way


. Jingu Kogo 神功皇后 and Japanese Dolls .


. Peron Boat Race (peeron)  

The morotabune boats look a bit similar to the peron dragon boats.


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There is another famous shrine of this name in Japan.

Miho Jinja 御穂神社 ー 三保神社

at the famous pine forest in Shizuoka.



Miho no matsubara 三保の松原 Miho pine grove

quote
a scenic area located on the Miho Peninsula in the Shimizu-ku area of Shizuoka, Japan.
Miho no Matsubara is renowned as a seashore with beautiful green pine trees and white sands spanning over seven kilometers. It has a great scenic view of Mount Fuji and the Izu Peninsula across Suruga Bay. Due to its beauty, it is designated as one of New Three Views of Japan (新日本三景, Shin Nihon Sankei)
...
Miho no Matsubara is known as the site of the legend of Hagoromo(the Feathered Robe), which is based on the traditional swan maiden motif. The story of Hagoromo concerns a celestial being flying over Miho no Matsubara who was overcome by the beauty of the white sands, green pines, and sparkling water. She removed her feathered robe and hung it over a pine tree before bathing in the beautiful waters. A fisherman named Hakuryo was walking along the beach and saw the angel. He took her robe and refused to return it until she performed a heavenly dance for him. As the angel could not return to heaven without her robe, she complied with Hakuryo's request. She danced in the spring twilight and returned to heaven in the light of the full moon leaving Hakuryo looking longingly after her.
. . .
On the second Saturday and Sunday of October, the city of Shizuoka holds a Hagoromo Festival near the site of the old pine tree.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !



observance kigo for the New Year

Miho matsuri 三保祭 Miho festival
Miho mairi Miho mairi  三保参
On the 14th day of the first lunar month.
A divination of the coming harvest and good business made with rice gruel.
see
. tsutsugayu matsuri 筒粥祭 divination with rice gruel.
If the reading is 8, it is better than a full 10.


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HAIKU



the sweaty brows
of all these rowers -
Morotabune

Gabi Greve


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Related words

***** . Mikuji, O-Mikuji 御御籤/御神籤
Fortune Telling slips



***** . Ships, Boats and Kigo


***** Amulets for a big catch
. Tsuri yuki anzen 釣行安全 safety when fishing .



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10/14/2010

Kebesu Festival

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Kebesu festival (kebesu sai)

***** Location: Kunisaki Peninsula, Oita
***** Season: Late Autumn
***** Category: Observance


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Explanation

CLICK for more photos


Kebesu Festival is a fire festival held at
Iwakura Hachiman Shrine in Kunimi-machi,
Kunisaki City, Oita Pref. on October 14.

The origin of the word “kebesu” is not clear; some say it comes from a phrase in a norito (Shinto prayer) referring to “a boy who kicks fire.”Other say it is a local pronounciation of the deity Ebisu.


CLICK for more photos  kunisaki.blog


On the festival night, the “Kebesu,” who is wearing a grotesque mask, walks around the precinct, hitting the stick called “Samasuta” with a fan and dashes toward the holy bonfire. Then some men called “Toba トウバ” in white costume try to guard the fire and repeatedly fight with Kebesu for fire. Toba run after the spectators with burning fern in their hands. It is said that if the sparks fall on you, you will be good in health throughout the year.

The festival is designated as a prefecture’s Intangible Folk Cultural Property.
This is one of the few unique festivals in Japan.

source : nippon-kichi.jp



CLICK for more English photos

Before participating in the festival, all menfolk clad in white walk to the sea shore and take a purifying dip in the cold water.

The man performing the KEBESU of this year puts on a mask and then the priest of the shrine makes the sign of kebes on the back of the kneeling person, to put the deity inside his human body.
After the festival, kebesu kneels again and the priest writes the word MAN on his back.

It is a great honour to be choosen as the kebesu of the year.


大分県国東市国見町櫛来の岩倉社
櫛来社(くしくしゃ)

Kebesu Matsuri ケベス祭り


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kunimi 国見 "looking at the country"
There are many places with this part in the name.
My favorite is Kunimi Onsen hot spring in Iwate.

It goes back to olden times, when the local priest-shaman went to the top of a nearby hill and looked down to foretell the events and the harvest for the coming year. By looking at the cherry trees and buds and praying to them, he could make predictions about the harvest. This is one of the sources of the cherry-blossom activities in Japan.


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HAIKU



Kebesu festival -
the sparks fall out
of my TV screen

Gabi Greve



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Related words

***** Fire festivals, fire ceremonies
(hi matsuri 火祭り)



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Nada Kenka Matsuri

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Nada Fighting Festival (Nada no Kenka Matsuri)

***** Location: Himeji, Hyogo
***** Season: Late Autumn
***** Category: Observance


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Explanation

October 14th and 15th
Matsubara Hachiman Shrine
Shirahama-cho Ko, Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture

姫路 松原八幡神社


灘のけんか祭り

This is the biggest "fighting festival" in Japan.

The night of the tenth lunar month was the full moon night of Autumn in the Asian lunar calendar.

CLICK for more photos

quote
Portable shrines fiercely jolted against one another produce breathtaking scenes befitting a 'Fighting Festival'

It came to be called by this name, Kenka Matsuri or 'Fighting Festival' because the mikoshi (portable shrines) are jolted against one another when carried on the shoulders of the men in the parade.

There are no detailed rules or opponents for the vehement collisions of the portable shrines. As soon as the portable shrines are set properly on the men's shoulders and everyone is ready, they are knocked against one another at random, and the moment a portable shrine is hoisted on top of another, the contest is over.

The greatest attraction is the struggle among 3 portable shrines when men over 35 wearing white headbands, those of 26-35 with yellow headbands and youths under 26 marked by red headbands, holding bamboo poles in their hands, join in the fight. A vehement struggle unfolds but this is in no way a fight between the men. This festival, which is the largest of the numerous fighting festivals held nationwide, is not only famous in Japan but is also becoming widely known overseas.

The highlight of this festival is Yatai-neri, the parade of "yatai", festival floats, gorgeously decorated with wood carving, gold and silver handiwork and embroidered curtains. The yatai are carried on the shoulders of men and are surrounded by the men holding "shide" (bamboo poles decorated with colorful paper) in their hand. As dusk sets in, illuminations on each of the yatai are lit.
source : www.jnto.go.jp


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There are seven districts of the town which carry their own highly decorated portable shrines (yatai 屋台) in the procession. The shrines are very heavy and are pulled and pushed on wheels. More than 3000 men take part in the various processions, and all children are proud when they are allowed to participate for the first time.
A famous group of lion dancers and drums accompany the procession.
The yatai come from 木場、松原、八家、妻鹿、宇佐崎、中村. The seventh village group does not participate, but carries the three large banners of the deities.
The yatai rub each other (neriawase 練り合わせ). When it gets dark, each yatai is decorated with lanterns.


CLICI for original link and more photos
三の丸・一の丸・二の丸 Boat three, one and two

The three portable shrines for the final fighting are much lighter and made for destruction. Every year before the festival it takes their bearers about one month to repair them, only to carry them out on the festival day to be destroyed again.
The three "boats" carry the three deities

Hondawake no mikoto 品陀和気命(ほんだわけのみこと)- Ojin Tenno (son of Jingu) in the center (later to be deified as Hachiman)

Okinagatarashi hime no mikoto
息長足姫命(おきながたらしひめのみこと)
- Emperess Jingu on the left

Hime Ookami 比咩大神(ひめおおかみ)- wife of Hachiman

The legend of the shrine tells about a fisherman from Mega, who found a plank on the shore with the inscription "Great Bosatsu Hachiman"
八幡大菩薩 and a shrine was erected to honor this plank, which was supposed to come from Usa Jingu. (See Jingu, link below.)

. . . . .


The origin of these fighting mikoshi, which are counted boats (maru) in this shrine, dates back to the Emperess Jingu Kogo 神功皇后 (Jinguu Koogoo), who was on a war expedition against Korea when she passed Himeji. The boats of her entourage were covered with oyster shells and she thought a quick way to remove them would be to bang and rub the boats against each other.
Today's "fight" is in memory of this legend.




On the evening before the main festival (yoi miya 宵宮, yoi no miya 宵の宮), all the portable shrines are paraded around town and to the main shrine. Before participating, the men have to take an ablution in the cold waters of the sea at Shirahama 白浜町.


On the second day of the festival (honmiya 本宮) the portable shrines first carried around to "wipe off the dew" (tsuyu harai 露払い), together with the lion dancers and drums.


CLICK for more photos

Then they are carried up a steep slope in the west of the compount, to a "travel station" 御旅山 with the main Hachiman Shrine as an offering for the deities.
When coming back they have to pass the Sakura Gate of the Shrine, which is so low that part of the roof decoration has to be taken down before they can pass and get the blessing of the Shinto priest.

When they are back in the shrine compound, the real fight of the three boats begins, often lasting until late in the night, until all the boats are brought to fall on the ground. The men are quite exhausted from carrying the heave loads all day long, but they never give up.


CLICK for more photos

The portable shrine bearers are called "neriko 練り子. They wear a special amulet in the color of their group around their arms 腕守り, given to them by mother or wife, for protection against injuries in the heavy battles. A nearby hospital is on stand-by just in case. There have been two cases of death by being crushed in recent years.



CLICK for more photos

Many visitors are lined up in seats around the main "arena" in the temple ground and along the roads.


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. Emperess Jingu and the Hachiman Cult  

. Jingu Kogo 神功皇后 and Japanese Dolls .


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HAIKU


灘けんか祭 Nada Kenka Matsuri



秋晴を来る総代の黒羽織
akibare no kuru soodai no kuro haori

in autumn sunshine
the representatives in their
formal black coats

Asazuma Chikara 朝妻力
source : 俳誌のsalon


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Related words

***** WKD : Autumn Festival (aki matsuri)


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10/09/2010

Otsu Matsuri

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Otsu Festival (Ootsu matsuri)

***** Location: Otsu, Japan
***** Season: Autumn
***** Category: Observance


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Explanation



Ootsu Matsuri 大津祭 Otsu festival, Otsu Matsuri

Nishi no miya matsuri 四宮祭(しのみやまつり)
Festival of shrine Nishi no Miya


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Otsu matsuri poster


quote
One of Shiga's major festivals featuring thirteen ornate floats displayed and paraded around central Otsu over two days before Sports Day, a national holiday around Oct.

The first day of the festival has the floats parked and displayed on the streets and lit up at night. The first day of the festival is called Yoimiya . 宵宮

During the first day, the karakuri mechanical puppets are removed from the floats and displayed on street level. The karakuri ningyo puppets are a major highlight of the floats and festival. The puppets perform on the floats during the procession. karakuri ningyoo からくり人形

The Otsu Matsuri has thirteen floats called hikiyama. Each one belongs to a different neighborhood in central Otsu. Each float has a name and features ornate carvings, tapestries, paintings, and other art work. 曳山


In 1596, Shiouri Jihei (塩売 治兵衛) wore a tanuki mask and danced during a Tenson Shrine festival. People liked his dancing so much that they built a float two years later and Jihei danced on it.

Tapestry designated as an Important Cultural Property.
The Trojan War (from Greek mythology) is depicted.

The second day of the Otsu Matsuri Festival is called the Honmatsuri, featuring a procession of the thirteen floats as the festival climax. The highlight are the performances by the karakuri mechanical dolls on the floats. 本祭り

They also threw chimaki to the crowd. Chimaki are small bundles of straw wrapped with a thin hand towel. They were all blessed by Tenson Shrine. ちまき

With many splendid photos
source : photoguide.jp


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CLICK for more photos

On each float, there are three types of musical instruments.
The gong is played by young schoolchildren, the big drum is hit by older schoolchildren and the flute is played by students and grown-ups.

The mechanical devices are moved by four young boys, who crawl inside the doll and move the spear or the water, for example.

To turn such a large float in the small streets of Otsu, the float is stopped and then the front part lifted to drag it around at an angle to reach the next small street.

The floats are constructed each year from the parts, it takes about one week to finish them, like a puzzle with wooden joints only.


shrine Nishinomiya 四宮神社 / Tenson 天孫(四宮)神社
shrine Tenson Jinja 天孫神社


. . . CLICK here for Photos !



Reference : Otsu Matsuri


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CLICK for more photos

Otsu Hikaru-kun おおつ光ルくん

In memory of Hikaru Genji, the hero of the Tales of Genji.
He is even on pudding and other food items.


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Otsu Chimakichi ちま吉 for good luck
chimaki are a food item for good luck in the coming year, rice wrapped in gree leaves. In Otsu, even the tramway is green.


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. Otsu-E 大津絵 Illustrations from Otsu    



. The Tale of Genji, Genji Monogatari ... and haiku  

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Ootsu matsuri no dashi 大津祭りの山車 festival float



They are made from strong cardbord (ボール紙), like the float toys from Nagahama.
But they are not made any more.


. Shiga Prefecture Folk Art - 滋賀県 .

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HAIKU




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Related words

***** . Karakuri ningyoo からくり人形 mechanical dolls .


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8/15/2010

Yamaga Lantern Festival

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Yamaga Lantern Festival

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


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Explanation

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

CLICK for more photos

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

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

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

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




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


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


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


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



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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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HAIKU


after the dance -
a sip of lemonade
in style


Nakayama Ishino



Lemonade bottles with the lanterns as decoration.


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Related words

. Fudo Rock at Yamaga Town 不動岩 Fudoo Iwa


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



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8/04/2010

Kantoo Lantern Festival Akita

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Akita Kanto Matsuri (kantoo)

***** Location:
***** Season: Early Autumn
***** Category: Observance


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Explanation

kantoo 竿燈 / 竿灯 (かんとう) "lantern on a pole"
August 3 till 6

Related to the Tanabata celebrations.




秋田かんとう祭 / 竿燈(かんとう)まつり
Kanto Matsuri


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quote
The Kanto Matsuri ("pole lantern festival")
is a Tanabata related celebration in Akita City, held every year from August 3rd to 6th. The highlight of the festival is an impressive display of skill in which performers balance kanto, or long bamboo poles with arrays of paper lanterns attached to the end.

The kanto poles come in different sizes with the largest measuring 12 meters, weighting 50 kilograms and carrying as many as 46 paper lanterns, lit by real candles. To the sound of drums, flutes and onlookers chanting "dokkoisho, dokkoisho", each kanto is hoisted up by a single performer who balance them on end using various techniques. The performers change every few minutes and gradually add extensions to the pole until the kanto are at their maximum height.

The main event of the festival, the Night Parades, are held nightly along Chuo Dori street in the center of the city. The various performing groups, carrying nearly 250 kanto poles, line up on the street, and when a signal is given, the poles are all raised up at once and the performers show off their skills. The event lasts about 90 minutes, and at the end of each night there is a 15 minute session during which the audience is invited to talk to the performers, take pictures and try their hand at hoisting up a kanto.

The performing area of Chuo Dori is nearly one kilometer long and there is plenty of places to sit on the sidewalk along the route. The ends of the closed off road offer a particularly spectacular view, but can be more crowded. Reserved seats set up on the median of the road are also available for between 2000 and 2500 yen, and reservations can be made beginning a few months in advance up until the day of the event if not sold out. Naturally, it is more crowded on festival days that fall on a weekend.
source / photos : www.japan-guide.com


CLICK for more photos


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Kantoo, das Laternenfest in Akita,
ist ein geistiges Nationalkulturgut der Präfektur Akita (important intangible folk culture property). Das Fest, bei dem die Gottheiten um eine reiche Ernte gebeten werden, findet kurz vor der Reisernte statt – dabei ist zu erwähnen, dass die Küstenebenen von Akita bekannte Reisanbaugebiete sind. Kantoo, ein Laternenpfahl, ist ein Bambusgestell mit zahlreichen Laternen in mehreren Reihen übereinander, die großen Gestelle haben bis zu 50 Laternen und können bis zu 50 kg wiegen. Sie stellen die vollen, reifen Reisähren stellen, die von den Göttern als Gegengabe nach dem Fest erwartet werden.

Bei der großen Parade ziehen 200 Laternenpfähle durch die Stadt, abwechselnd getragen und balanciert von 3000 Männern. Allein das Balancieren dieser langen Stangen ist eine Kunst für sich, und Laternenträger ist der Wunschberuf jedes Buben in Akita. Kräftige Männer halten die Stangen auf den Handflächen, dann hieven sie sie auf die Stirn, runter auf die Schultern oder noch tiefer, auf die Hüften, immer schwankend und balancierend und umgeben von Gleichgesinnten, die bei Gefahr eingreifen und übernehmen können. Das alles geschieht zum Dröhnen der traditionellen Festmusik und unter anfeuernden Rufen der unzähligen Touristen (bis zu 1300300).

Seit 1931 gibt es einen Wettbewerb für den besten Balanceakt, während man vorher mehr um die reine Manneskraft beim Tragen der Kilos wetteiferte.

Gabi Greve
August 2001


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Kanto Folk Toys

. Folk Toys from Akita .

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ゆらゆらと 豊作願う 竿燈や
yurayura to hoosaku negau kantoo kana

swaying back and forth
in prayer for a good harvest -
these lanterns on a pole


鮎太 Ayuta


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Related words

***** Tanabata Star Festival


. WASHOKU
Regional Dishes from Akita 秋田の郷土料理
 



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7/21/2010

Arai Handheld Fireworks

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Arai Handheld Fireworks (Enshu Arai tezutsu hanabi)

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


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Explanation

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

last saturday in July at shrine Suwa Jinja 諏訪神社

CLICK For more photos

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

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

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

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

CLICK for more photos


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

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Enshuu-arai-tezutsu-hanabi 


source : nippon-kichi.jp

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

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


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CLICK for more photos
Hiroshige: Tokaido


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

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

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

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

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


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my Daruma
has many strange friends -
firework cannon



CLICK for original . araiso.info

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


Daruma Museum

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

. EKIBEN 駅弁 Station Lunch Box


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Manhole with the fireworks
Toyohashi Town







. Manholes with Daruma だるま模様のマンホール  


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Yaramaika Music Festival, Hamamatsu
やらまいか浜松
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HAIKU


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

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

Tateno Masao 楯野正雄

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Related words

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

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


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