7/16/2008

Enma, King of Hell

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. Heaven 極楽 gokuraku and Hell 地獄 jigoku .
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Enma, Emma, the King of Hell

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: See below.
***** Category: Observation


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Explanation

Emma (Enma ten, Enma Oo) 閻魔天、閻魔王

Sanskrit : Yama or Yama-raja.
King of the Underworld; chief judge in the afterlife; when a person dies, s/he must appear before Enma (and also before other judges), who decides whether the person is good or bad; the person is then sent to the most appropriate afterworld; among the judges of hell, Enma is the most important.
Read Mark Schumacher


- reference source : Bando Kannon 20 第二十番 獨鈷山西明寺 -

. Laughing Enma at 西明寺 Saimyo-Ji, Mashiko .

Click HERE for more photos !

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CLICK for more !

Proverbs with Enma !

嘘をつくと閻魔さまに舌を抜かれる
"If you lie, Lord Enma will pull out your tongue."
A superstition often told to scare children into telling the truth.


借りる時の地蔵顔、返す時の閻魔顔
"When borrowing, the face of a Jizo;
when repaying (a loan), the face of Enma.
This alludes to changes in people's behaviour for selfish reasons depending on their circumstances.


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His regular memorial day is the 16th of each month.



In January and July, Emma (Enma, Ema) is out on a holiday (Emma saijitsu 閻魔賽日(えんま さいじつ) and the lid to the chauldron of hell was closed 地獄の釜の蓋が開く日, so these two days are best to visit a temple where Emma is enshrined (Emmadoo 閻魔堂).

During the Edo period, this day was also called yabu-iri 籔入り, a day when the servants and wifes of workers at shops and stores had a day off to visit their families and the local Ema temples.

I used to practise Japanese Archery at the small Enma-Doo Hall in the compounds of Temple Engaku-Ji in Kita Kamakura. We had to greet King Enma before starting the pracsise and were sure he would supervise everything we did. This gave the daily practise an extra bit of severity.

Gabi Greve







More about the Enma Do Hall 閻魔堂 and Temple in Kamakura
Enno-Ji 円応寺
Ennoji temple: The King of Hell


Click HERE for photos of Enma Halls (Enma doo 閻魔堂) !

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Kigo for Early Summer

. Enmadoo dainenbutsu 閻魔堂大念仏 (えんまどうだいねんぶつ)
Amida prayer nenbutsu at the temple hall Enmado

Enmadoo kyoogen 閻魔堂狂言(えんまどうきょうげん)
senbon dainenbutsu 千本大念仏(せんぼんだいねんぶつ) 




Kigo for Late Summer

Visiting an Enma Temple, July 16
..... Enma mairi 閻魔参 えんままいり


..... Enma Moode 閻魔詣(えんまもうで)
Visiting the 10 Kings of Hell, juuoo moode 十王詣(じゅうおうもうで)

Great day off, dai sainichi 大斎日(だいさいにち, だいさいじつ)、
..... Enma no saijitsu 閻魔の斎日(えんまのさいじつ)

King of Hell, En oo 閻王(えんおう)

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Kigo for the New Year

First visit to an Enma Temple, January 16
..... Hatsu Enma 初閻魔 はつえんま



CLICK for more photos
Enma mairi 閻魔詣(えんままいり)
Day off, sainichi 斎日(さいにち)
..... yabu iri

First visit to the 10 kings of hell,
juuoo mairi 十王詣(じゅうおうまいり)



. Juu Oo 十王, Juo, Ju-O - 10 Ten Kings of Hell .


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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way



A scene of the Japanese Hell
Weeping Fudo . Naki Fudo 泣き不動

. Datsueba 奪衣婆 or 脱衣婆
the Old Hag of Hell
 



External LINK
閻魔参り
with many photos to look at
http://kkubota.cool.ne.jp/enmamairi.html


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HAIKU


Kobayashi Issa wrote some haiku about Hell

斎日もさばの地獄は鳴りにけり
sainichi mo saba no jigoku wa nari ni keri

even a fast day
becomes
a hell of worldliness



閻魔王も目をむき出して桜哉
emma-oo mo me o mukidashite sakura kana

even Emma
hell's king, gawks...
cherry blossoms!



地獄画の垣にかかりて鳴雲雀
jigoku e no kaki ni kakarite naku hibari

in the hell painting
perched on a fence...
a lark sings



Hell Haiku by Issa
Tr. David Lanoue



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閻王の口や牡丹を吐かんとす
En-Oo no kuchi ya botan o hakan to su
Enma-Ô no kuchi ya botan o hakan to su

the mouth of
the king of hell - a peony
ready to be spat out


This haiku has the cut marker YA in the middle of line 2.


. Yosa Buson 与謝蕪村 in Edo .



yama's mouth!
it's about to spit out
a peony


King Emma, or Yama, is a terrifying Deity in charge of Hades. Unlike "our" Devil, he is not evil. Rather than tempting men to do bad, he judges them for their sins and leads the demon brigades applying the punishment deserved. The inside of his mouth is always painted bright vermilion and his tongue curled up like it is ready to lash-out (or simply to reveal that his demonic muscularity extends even within) in fury. That was my naïve impression, but, actually, pain might be a be a better word for it, as he must himself endure a mouthful of molten copper three times a day because torturing people is bad even though he does it for the best of reasons: to discourage us from sinning and for justice.
(Think about it, Christ only got crucified once.

This Emma endures worse every day for our sake. Now that, Mel Gibson, is passion!) There is debate whether this famous ku is about the statue, found at many Buddhist temples, or the flower. Grammar favors the former, but I would argue that Buson suddenly imagined Emma's mouth while gazing at a red peony.

That is to say, the flower is the subject though the poem does not make it so. Because Buson prefaces it with a phrase about Buddha's writhing tongue like a red lotus being spit out (Japanese religious folk-lore is full of sutra-related tongue-sightings I may relate when this is expanded into a book), I suspect symbolic significance, too, but none of the Japanese annotations I have seen ever mention any!
source : Robin D. Gill



The King of Hell’s mouth:
peony petals ready
to be spat out.

Tr. Dave Bonta



Emma O's mouth! See!
From which he is about to spit
a peony!

Tr. H. G. Henderson


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閻王の目にづかづかと入りこむ
En oo no me ni zukazuka to hairikomu

carefully, carefully
walking within sight of
the eyes of Emma

(Tr. Gabi Greve)

Matsuzawa Akira 松澤昭
http://www.haiku-data.jp/kigo_work_list.php?kigo_cd=2588


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practising archery -
the watchfull eyes of
King Enma again


Gabi Greve, 1980, Kamakura

***** Target (mato) Including Bow, Arrow, Japanese Archery.


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© Saitama City Kyoiku Iin Kai

Enma at Temple Chooden-Ji. Made in 1698.
長伝寺「木造閻魔王坐像」
http://www.city.saitama.jp/

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Related words


***** . YOMI 黄泉 "the yellow springs"
die Gelben Quellen der Totenwelt
meido 冥途 the Netherworld



***** First Ceremonies of the Year

***** Servant's holiday (yabu iri) fasting day (sainichi)


*********** NEW YEAR FOOD SAIJIKI




Great King Enma 閻魔大王
Utagawa Kuniyoshi 歌川国芳

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- quote
Genkaku-ji 源覚寺
Genkaku-ji was built in 1624. Soon afterwards a wooden statue of the god of hell, Enma-ō (閻魔王), was found in a nearby pond. It was placed in the temple and largely ignored, but then people started noticing an old woman who visited every day with an offering of konnyaku.

"Why are you giving konnyaku to Enma?" was the perfectly reasonable question everybody asked.

She told them that her eyes had become weak and all medicines had failed, so she asked Enma for help. One day, as she was praying before the statue, he said to her, "I will gouge out one eye and give it to you." She looked up and saw that one of his eyes was gone, and blood was running from the empty socket. When she glanced around her, she realized that she could see everything clearly.

She wanted to thank Enma, but she was so poor that she had nothing to give him. She decided to stop eating her favourite food, konnyaku, and offer that to him instead. To this day you can buy konnyaku at the temple and ask the god of hell for protection against eye disease.



Enma's statue was probably carved in the Kamakura period (1185–1333).
- snip -
The temple is also known as Konnyaku Enma 蒟蒻閻魔,
and the street crossing in front of the temple is Konnyaku Enma Mae ("mae" means in front of).
- source : rurousha.blogspot.jpx

- Homepage of the temple - Tokyo 東京都文京区
- source : www.genkakuji.or.jp

. WKD : Devil's-tongue (konnyaku 蒟蒻) .
Amorphophallus rivieri


. me 眼 / 目 - Amulets for Eye Disease .

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Emmaten (Yama-deva)
Enmaten


Aus der indoiranischen Gottheit eines Höllenkönigs (Dharmaraaja, Emmaoo) wird er über die chinesische Variante einer taoistischen Gottheit zur esoterischen Gottheit eines Höllenfürsten bzw. Schützers der Religion (Dharmapaala, Emmaten).
Auch König der Gleichheit (Byoodoooo Byodo-O) genannt.
Höllenfürst Emmaten (Enma, Enra). Nummer 5 der 10 Höllenkönige.

Einziger der 10 Höllenkönige, der eigenständig verehrt wird. Bei 10 Figuren ist seine die größte.
Richtet am 35. Todestag über die Menschen, siehe 13 Buddhas der Totenrituale. Er ist eine Gottheit voller Mitleid und vergibt oft den bereuenden Sündern, aber am 35. Tag nach dem Tode ist meist kein intakter Körper mehr vorhanden, in den die erlöste Seele eingehen könnte.

Häufig in einer eigenen Halle (Emmadoo 閻魔堂) untergebracht. Im 4. Höllenbezirk gibt es eine große Waage zum Wiegen der Sünden des Verstorbenen (goo no hakari). Eine Darstellung davon findet sich oft in der Emmadoo-Halle. Im Mandala der beiden Welten sitzt er im Süden der äußeren Abteilung.
Er ist eine Inkarnation des Fudo Myo-O bzw. des Jizoo Bosatsu.

Wenn man zu Lebzeiten den Jizoo Bosatsu regelmäßig verehrt hat, wird die Seele in der Hölle von Emmaten sicher wiedererkannt und man ist einer schnelleren Beförderung ins Paradies sicher.

Im Tempel Taisooji 太宗寺 in Shinjuku in Tookyoo steht vor der Emmadoo-Halle die Figur eines kinderfressenden Emma, der ein ungehorsames Kind einfach auffraß und der Gürtel seines Kimonos hängt noch aus dem Mund des Emma. Auch "Emma mit dem Gürtel aus dem Mund" (Tsukehimo Emma つけひも閻魔) genannt. Bis zum Beginn der Edo-Zeit wurden böse Kinder gewarnt: "Wenn Du noch einmal lügst, wird Emma Deine Zunge herausreißen!".
CLICK for more photos

This Enma would eat childred who did not listen to their parents and have a string of their kimono belt hang out of his mouth. His name was "Enma with a belt hanging out of his mouth".


Ikonografie:
Menschliche Gestalt mit zwei Armen und furchterregendem Gesichtsausdruck. Auf der Brust einen Mond und eine Sonne bzw. das Rad der Lehre. Kleidung eines chinesischen Richters. In der rechten Hand ein Holzszepter (Zeremonialszepter) (shaku), oft mit einem oder zwei Menschenschädeln. Dabei handelt es sich um die Köpfe der Gottheiten Taizan Fukunoo und Kokuan Tennyo.

Reitet manchmal auf einem Wasserbüffel.

Ihm zur Seite steht oft die Schreiber-Gottheit "Gushooshin", der alle Taten der Menschen aufschreibt und registriert sowie "Datsueba" , eine furchterregende Alte, die am Grenzfluss Sanzu (sanzu no kawa) die Kleidung der Verstorbenen in Empfang nimmt.

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5/15/2008

Tsukuma Festival

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Tsukuma Festival (Tsukuma matsuri)

***** Location: Shiga, Japan
***** Season: Early Summer
***** Category: Observance


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Explanation

Tsukuma Festival 筑摩祭 (つくままつり)
in Maihara Town 米原町

"pot festival", nabe matsuri 鍋祭(なべまつり)
"wearing pots", nabe kaburi 鍋被り(なべかぶり)
pots from Tsukuma 筑摩鍋(つくまなべ)
women with pots, nabe otome 鍋乙女(なべおとめ)
crown from a pot, nabe kamuri 鍋冠(なべかむり)
..... nabe kamuri matsuri 鍋冠祭りの
pots and hearth, nabe kama鍋釜(なべかま)


© Nabekama Matsuri Hozonkai

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Quote from Simply Haiku
One such theme is the Tsukuma Matsuri. Held at a Shrine in what is now called Maihara Town, Sakata County, Shiga Prefecture, this pot-wearing festival is considered one of the three most famous odd festivals (chinsai).

kimigayo ya tsukuma matsuri mo nabe hitsotsu
kojin 1691

In our lord’s time, just one pot each,
Even for the old Tsukuma Festival!


Read the full story HERE !
© Robin D. Gill


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A common iron pot, to be hung over an open hearth (irori) in the old kitchen.


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More photos are here and when clicking on the thumbnails!
© Nabekama Matsuri Hozonkai

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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way


Folklore and Miracle Stories

. . . A story from early thirteenth century Japan tells of a medicinal hot springs in a town called Tsukuma, in old Shinano Province (modern Nagano Prefecture), where a townsman had a dream in which a voice announced that Kannon would come to the town square the next day. The dreamer asked how he would know it was Kannon, and the voice described a scruffy, thirtyish warrior on horseback. After the townsman awoke and told his friends, everyone in the village was excited and gathered at the appointed time.

When a samurai fitting the description arrived, everyone prostrated themselves to him. The astounded warrior demanded an explanation, but the townspeople just continued their prostrations until a priest finally told him about the dream. The samurai explained that he had fallen off his horse and injured himself, and simply had come to the medicinal springs for healing. But the townspeople continued making prostrations to him.

After a while it finally occurred to the perplexed warrior that perhaps he actually was Kannon, and that he should become a monk. He discarded his weapons and was ordained, later becoming a disciple of a famous priest. This former warrior is not otherwise noted in history. Just to become an ordinary monk was enough to allow him to consider himself as Kannon.

Read more here !
© 2007 Mountain Source Sangha

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HAIKU





きみがよやつくままつりもなべひとつ 
kimigayo ya Tsukuma matsuri mo nabe hitotsu
 
Ochi Etsujin   
越智越人(おち えつじん)(明暦2年(1656)~没年不詳)

「筑摩祭」は、近江坂田郡筑摩明神の祭礼で、女はそれまでに通わせた男の数だけ土鍋をかぶって、奉納することになっていたそうです.
The womenfolk had to wear one pot for each man they had intimat contact with.
© komorebi BLOG


quote from
('Jingishi' in the 'Dainihonshi',
the Yoshikawa edition, p. 411. Yoshida-Toogo, 'Dainihon-Chimeijisho', Vol. II, p.1964).

In the olden time festival of the Tsukuma Shrine at Sakata-Gun in Oomi, 筑摩神社 近江 on the 1st day of the 4th month, every year, a woman was obliged to put on her head saucepans equal to the number of lovers she had favored in the course of the preceding year ('Shintoo-Myoomoku-Ruijushoo', Vol. V, p.8). It can easily be seen that the significance of this festival is the prevention of women's unchastity.
[end of excerpt]

. shiridachi no matsuri 尻太刀祭(しりだちのまつり)
"festival of hitting the bottom"

at Usaka Shrine 鵜坂神社, Toyama


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鍋の尻ほし並たる雪解哉
nabe no shiri hoshi narabetaru yukige kana

cooking pots bottoms up
dry in a row...
snow is melting




鍋の尻ほしておく也雪の上
nabe no shiri hoshite oku nari yuki no ue

bottoms up
the kettles drying
on the snow


Kobayashi Issa
Tr. David Lanoue


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Related words

***** . Usaka matsuri 鵜坂祭 (うさかまつり)
Usaka Shrine festival

Women were brought to the shrine and had to confess the number of their extra-marital friends. For each one they got a hit on the bottom.
If they did not talk or said a lie, the deity would punish them terribly ... so they all confessed their sins.




Kettle, tea kettle, water kettle, chagama, tetsubin


***** Tanzaku, decorated paper slips

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5/03/2008

Hakata Dontaku Festival

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Dontaku Festival in Hakata

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


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Explanation

Dontaku Festival どんたく

Dontaku music group, dontaku bayashi
どんたく囃子(どんたくばやし)

"Pine Music Group", matsu bayashi 松囃子(まつばやし)

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This colorful festival takes place on May 3 and 4 in the city of Fukuoka in northern Kyushu. The festival evolved from matsubayashi, a folk art widely performed in Kyoto during the Muromachi period (1333-1568). It was performed by farmers and townspeople as a form of New Year's greetings to the local landowner or leader. People dressed up as the three gods of good fortune and paraded to musical accompaniment. The "gods" were followed by young children, who danced to a special chant called iitate.

The Hakata Dontaku elevated the traditional matsubayashi into a festive occasion, when people from all walks of life can meet and exchange greetings on an equal footing. Today, people from all over the country descend on Fukuoka for the festival, which coincides with Golden Week." It is one of the most popular destinations for vacationers during the holidays in western Japan.

In the Edo period (1603-1868), decorative floats and platforms showcasing dolls were added. The name of the festival was adopted around this time: it is believed to be derived from the Dutch word zondag (Sunday), which was taken to mean "holiday".

On May 3, a 1.2-kilometer stretch of a major thoroughfare is converted into "Dontaku Square," where a parade is held. Traditional matsubayashi is performed by over 12,000 people belonging to around 120 groups. Some of these groups use traditional Japanese instruments, while others perform the folk melody with brass instruments.

A parade is also held on May 4. In addition, 16,000 dancers, singers, and other performers are featured on specially built stages in the city of Fukuoka. Closing out the two-day festival are rousing renditions of the Dontaku dance that spectators are invited to join and a gala display of fireworks.
The festival attracts about 2 million people each year.
© web-japan.org



Hakata Dontaku / Reference

CLICK for more Japanese reference CLICK for more English reference


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Things found on the way



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HAIKU


どんたくは はやしながらに あるくなり
Dontaku-wa hayashi-nagara-ni aruku-nari

Hashimoto Keiji  橋本鶏二(1907~1990)

Beim Fest Dontaku
geht man ihm Beifall zurufend.

(übersetzt: SATOH Kihakusoh)


Dontaku Festival -
they perform their music
as they run along

Tr. Gabi Greve

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Related words




***** . Hakata Dolls with Daruma  
博多土人形


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4/21/2008

Shimabara

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Shimabara Procession

***** Location: Kyoto
***** Season: Late Spring
***** Category: Humanity


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Explanation

Procession in the pleasure quarters of Kyoto

Shimabara no taiyuu no doochuu
島原の大夫の道中 (しまばらのたゆうのどうちゅう)

Shimabara taiyuu no doochuu 島原大夫の道中

On April 21.

Shimabara is the name of the famous geisha quarters in Kyoto.

CLICK for more photos CLICK for more English information about Shimabara

Famous geisha in special dresses parade through the pleasure quarters of Shimabara. They are dressed in traditional robes for the occasion, with black brocade overcoats. They wear special wooden clocks with three steps on their bare feet.
They are accompanied by young girls, kamuro 禿 . The paper umbrellas held over their heads show the signs of their patrons.

The last person in the procession is the "final umbrella", kasadome dayuu 傘止太夫, a geisha of the highest rank.

Shimabara Dayu

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Worldwide use


Daruma and the Courtesans,
Onna Daruma, Oiran and Daruma
芸者,花魁とだるま、女だるま



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Things found on the way



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HAIKU


我も亦太夫待つなる人のかげ
ware mo mata tayu matsu naru hito no kage

me too, just
waiting for the Tayu,
just one of the crowd


Takahama Kyoshi
yoshi5.web.infoseek.co.jp

Tr. Larry Bole
Translating Haiku Forum

The yoshiwara maintained a hierarchy and strict ceremonial code. Its rules of etiquette and its established rituals imbued the quarter with an aura of refinement, mystery, and anticipation. The women there lived both at the extremes of poverty and enormous wealth and were ranked according to their beauty, character, educational level and accomplishments.

A courtesan of the highest ranking was designated a tayu, and she was worthy of being a companion to a daimyo, and was in fact known as daimyo dogo, or "daimyo's goods". A tayu received the education of a great lady, with emphasis on her calligraphy, poetry, and grammar, and was given an elegant name and addressed by her maids in the formal language of deference established at the court. A tayu did not meet her clients in the "green houses" but was summoned to a client's residence by formal invitation, sometimes for a duration of up to a week.

Her transit to her assignation was a matter of public display, as she formally processed through the streets accompanied by maids, kamuro, and parasol bearers. In many respects, a tayu was a cult figure in the yoshiwara and was the supreme ideal of femininity. Skilled in calligraphy, accomplished at poetry and the tea ceremony, witty and self-confident but also soft and yielding, innocent but experienced, available and faithful, a tayu was peerless and priceless.

Lust was never associated with a tayu; therein lay her value and the challenge. The hereditary names of the most famous tayu in a "green house" were often drawn from classical literature or from the names of famous locales, and were passed down only to succeeding generations of courtesans worthy of the name.
© www.artgallery.sbc.edu




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Related words

***** Miyako Odori .. "Dance of the Capital" in Kyoto

***** Kamogawa Odori .. Kamogawa Dance in Kyoto

***** Naniwa Odori ... Naniwa Dance in Osaka

***** Azuma Odori .. Azuma Dance, Tokyo Dance


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4/08/2008

Buddha Birthday

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Buddha's Birthday Celebrations
(Busshoo-e)

***** Location: Japan. Buddhist communities
***** Season: Late spring
***** Category: Observation


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Explanation

Busshoo-e 仏生会
Celebrated on April 8 in Japan
Kanbutsu-e 潅仏会 (かんぶつえ)、: Buddha's Birthday

There are many kigo related to this most important event for the Buddhist.
It is equivalent to the Christmas celebrations.

yuzuki yooka 卯月八日 eighth day of the fourth lunar month

Prince Siddhartha, Buddham Sharanam Gachhami, Gauthama, the Buddha. There are many names for him.

CLICK for more photos Siddhārtha Gautama, in Sanskrit, or Siddhattha Gotama, in Pali, was a spiritual teacher from ancient India and the founder of Buddhism.
He is generally recognized by Buddhists as the Supreme Buddha (Sammāsambuddha) of our age. The precise nature of such a supreme Buddha - whether "merely" human or a transcendental, immortal, god-transcending being - is differently construed in Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !


Buddha, Shakyamuni, Shaka and Haiku  
INDIA SAIJIKI 

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basin to bath the buddha, yokubutsubann
浴仏盆(よくぶつぼん)


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honorable birthday celebration, gootan-e
降誕会(ごうたんえ)
celebration to bath the Buddha, yokubutsu-e
浴仏会(よくぶつえ)
"dragon flower celebration" 竜華会(りゅうげえ)
"birthday Buddha", tanjoo butsu 誕生仏(たんじょうぶつ)


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"high flowers", takabana 高花(たかばな)
"sky high flowers", tendoo bana 天道花(てんとうばな)
"flowers of the eighth day", yooka bana 八日花
pole with azaleas, sao tsutsuji 竿躑躅(さおつつじ)
"beginning of breaking flowers" hana ori hajime
花折始め(はなおりはじめ)
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In many parts of Japan, especially in Shikoku and Western Japan, people break the first brances of azaleas and wisteria from the mountain forests and bind them on a large pole, to be set up in the temple or in their own garden.



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Flower Festival, Hana matsuri 花祭 (はなまつり)
"flower hall", hana midoo 花御堂 (はなみどう)
"flower tower" hana no too 花の塔(はなのとう)
"flower house", katei 花亭(かてい)

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hydrangea tea, "sweet tea", amacha 甘茶 (あまちゃ)
"water with five scents", gokoosui 五香水(ごこうすい)
"water of five colors, goshiki no mizu
五色の水(ごしきのみず)
"birth bath water of Buddha" hotoke no ubuyu
仏の産湯(ほとけのうぶゆ)
Buddha and sweet tea, amacha butsu
甘茶仏(あまちゃぶつ)
temple who celebrates with sweet tea
amacha dera 甘茶寺(あまちゃでら)


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"amacha" is the name for a wild mountain hydrangea.
In this ceremony, amacha represents the sweet rain that fell upon the earth when Buddha was born.
The sacred five colors of Buddhism are green, yellow, red, white and black.






© Photo Gabi Greve, 2008
More about this statue of Shakyamuni


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Worldwide use


CLICK for more photos for Purnima

In many Buddhist countries of Asia, this ceremony is celebrated according to the lunar calendar, thus varying in date. Mostly it brings the beginning of the summer, so it can be seen as a kigo for summer.

Saga Dawa / Vesak / Buddha Purnima


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Things found on the way



. goshiki 五色  "Five Colors" of Buddhism .


"Birthday Temple"
Temple Tanjo-Ji and Honen Shonin 法然上人


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HAIKU


卯月八日 死んで生まるる子は仏
uzuki yooka shinde umaruru ko wa hotoke

eighth day of the fourth lunar month -
dead and then born
the child is a Buddha


. Yosa Buson 与謝蕪村 in Edo .


. hotoke 仏  a dead body .


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wounded monk —
Buddham Sharanam Gachhami
his last prayer


Kumarendra Mallick, Hyderabad, India,


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Related words

***** Azalea (Japan) Tsutsuji, Satsuki, Rhododendron

***** Hydrangea (ajisai) Hortensia.

***** . Nehan-E 涅槃会 Nirvana Ceremony .
Early Spring (Feb. 15)

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. Gokuraku 極楽 - The Buddhist Paradise .


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4/04/2008

Chigo (temple acolytes)

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Temple acolytes (chigo 稚児)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Non-Seasonal Topic
***** Category: Humanity


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Explanation

Chigo, small children 稚児
Originally, the word means babies who are still nursing 乳子(ちご).

They are also the children who perform certain duties in a temple, nowadays mostly dancing and taking part in a parade.

In former times also a name for the boys who served in temples and at the mansions of the royalty and lords.

chigo 稚児 catamite
young boys as sexual partners for men
男色の相手にされる少年, GANYMEDE


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procession of children in festive attire,
chigo gyooretsu 稚児行列



Click HERE to look at more photos !

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Sengen Matsuri 浅間祭 (Asama matsuri)ー photos -

From April 1 to 5. At the Sengen Shrine (Asama jinja) in Shizuoka. To pacify the gods at Mt. Fuji. Dance of children (chigo mai 稚児舞) is also performed.


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. OBSERVANCES – SPRING SAIJIKI .

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Jizo Bosatsu and Chigo

In Japan young children are regarded as "other worldly" and not fully anchored in human life. Fetuses are still referred to as kami no ko or "child of the gods" and also as "Buddha". Before the twentieth century, the probability that a child would survive to age five or seven was often less than 50 percent. Only after that age were they "counted" in a census and could they be "counted upon" to participate in the adult world.

Children were thought of as mysterious beings in a liminal world between the realm of humans and gods. Because of this the gods could speak through them. For centuries prepubescent children in Japan have been chosen as chigo, or "divine children", who do divination and function as oracles. Even today children below school age still are allowed a somewhat heavenly existence, indulged and protected without many expectations or pressures.



Jizo Bodhisattva, by Chozen Roshi



At the age of 13, a child was taken to a special temple and rituals of gratitude were preformed. Now the child was considered an adult.
Temple Visit with a child of 13, juusan-mairi 十三詣
kigo for spring
Juusanbutsu 十三仏 13 Protector Buddhas for the first 13 years of a child

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Infant Statues of Buddhist Deities

Chigo Daishi 稚児大師
... more about
Kukai, Kobo Daishi 弘法大師 空海 (Kuukai, Kooboo Daishi)

Chigo Kannon 稚児観音
Chigo Kannon Engi
THE STORY OF KANNON'S MANIFESTATION AS A YOUTH

Chigo Monju 稚児文殊

Chigo Taishi, Shotoku Taishi 稚児太子、聖徳太子


..................Some thoughts by Bernard Faure

... the development of a motif such as that of Guanyin as prostitute, an illustration of this bodhisattva's vow to appear in the world to save beings overcome by desire, must have had a power of arousal that we no longer suspect. The same can be said of figures of goddesses like Benzaiten or Kichijoten, or of the representations of Manjusri, Shotoku Taishi, and Kobo Daishi as young boys (chigo).

A similar example, in the Christian context, would be the popular image of the Virgin offering her breast to a sick monk. If this male fantasy was triggered by the monastic contemplation of an icon, one might expect the same fantasies to have arisen from Buddhist monks' relations to Guanyin and other similar (male or female) figures.

Read the full article here :
The Buddhist Icon and the Modern Gaze
by Bernard Faure


... ... ...

The homoerotic environment of Buddhist monasteries actually inspired a literary genre, Chigo monogatari (Tales about acolytes), which took as its theme the love between acolytes (chigo) and their spiritual guides. These homoerotic relationships were ‘firmly grounded in the familiar structures of monastic life’and were meant to appeal to their Buddhist audience.

A common theme of these tales is the transformation of a Buddhist deity, usually Kannon (Sanskrit Avalokite'svara), Jizoo (skt. Ksitigarbha) or Monjushiri (Sanskrit Ma~nju'srii), into a beautiful young acolyte. The acolyte then uses his physical charms to endear himself to an older monk and thereby lead him to Enlightenment.

In the fourteenth-century Chigo Kannon engi, Kannon takes the form of a beautiful novice to become the lover of a monk who is longing for companionship in his old age. After a few years of close companionship, however, the acolyte dies, leaving the monk desolate. Kannon then appears to the monk, reveals that he and the acolyte were one and the same and delivers a discourse on impermanence.

Read the full article here:
Homosexuality in the Japanese Buddhist Tradition
By By Dharmachari Jnanavira



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A Story from "A Collection of Tales from Uji"
Uji Shui Monogatari . 宇治拾遺物語
13th cent.

是も今は昔、比叡の山に児ありけり。僧たち、宵のつれづれに、 「いざ、かいもちひせん。」と言ひけるを、この児、心寄せに聞き けり。さりとて、しいださんを待ちて寝ざらんも、わろかりなんと思ひて、片方に寄りて、寝たるよしにて、いで来るを待ちけるに、すでにしいだしたるさまに て、ひしめき合ひたり。

This one happened long ago too. There was a boy acolyte on Mount Hiei. In the dullness of the evening, this acolyte would hear with pleasure the monks' saying "Hey, let's make some red-bean rice cakes!" So, thinking it would be bad to wait for them to be ready without going to sleep, he went off to a corner to pretend like he was asleep as he waited. Soon it seemed that the cakes were done, and there was a ruckus.

© amidaworld

... ...

Chigo Monogatari
Love Stories or Buddhist Sermons ?


The Divine Boy in Japanese Buddhism : gohoo dooji 護法天童
Carmen Blacker


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- - - - - Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉  - - - - -


灌仏の日に生れあふ鹿の子かな
Kanbutsu no hi ni umare-au ka no ko kana

happening to be born
on Buddha's birthday
a baby deer!



. Kanbutsu-e 潅仏会 Buddha's Birthday .


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名月や稚児たち並ぶ堂の縁
名月や児たち 並ぶ堂の縁
名月や兒たち並ぶ堂の縁
名月や児立ち並ぶ堂の縁
meigetsu ya chigotachi narabu doo no en
名月や児立ち並ぶ堂の縁
meigetsu ya chigo tachinarabu doo no en

harvest moon -
the temple acolytes are lined up
at the veranda

Tr. Gabi Greve


harvest moon -
children lined up
on the temple veranda

Tr. Addiss


harvest moon -
children lined up along
the temple veranda

Tr. Barnhill


Written in 1690 元禄3年8月15日 - at temple Gichuuji 義仲寺 Gichu-Ji.

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月澄むや狐こはがる児の供
tsuki sumu ya kitsune kowagaru chigo no tomo

Written at Keishi's house 畦止 on the topic
"Accompanying a lovely boy in the moonlight"

the moon is clear--
I escort a lovely boy
frightened by a fox

Tr. Ueda

Ueda says, in a note:
"Basho himself, recalling his youth, once wrote: 'There was a time when I was fascinated with the ways of homosexual love.' "

More of Ueda's comment:
source : books.google.co.jp

Ueda's translation of the same haiku
from his 1970 biography of Basho:

How serene the moon!
I escort a handsome youth
Frightened by a fox's howl.



Written in 1694 元禄7年9月28日, Basho age 51.


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植うる事子のごとくせよ児桜
uuru koto ko no gotoku seyo chigo-zakura
ūru koto

let us plant them
like handling small children -
mountain cherry trees

Tr. Gabi Greve

Written in the Kanbun time 寛文年間 (1661 -1672)
Most probably on his first trip from Iga Ueno to Edo.

Chigozakura refers to mountain cherry trees with very small blossoms.
He compares the trees to small children.


Chigo-zakura is also a seashell mound in Akita in 寺内村.

. Matsuo Basho - Archives of the WKD .


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Kobo Daishi as a Boy
Temple Nishi Arai Daishi 西新井大師



Daruma Kuyo at Nishi-Arai Daishi Temple
 達磨供養
February 3, with bean scattering (mame maki)

"Daruma Kuyo" is a traditional event since 1954 at Nishi-Arai Daishi, an old famous temple, the origin of which dates back to the year of 826. Daruma is a votive symbol for people wishing for the well-being of the family and flourishing business. People bring their Daruma figures once a year on this day to the temple, express gratitude to them, and buy new ones for the next one year. The numbers of old Daruma figures are burnt together in the temple.

The ceremony of "Daruma Kuyoo" is full of solemnity starting with the entrance of Buddhist monks in the style of mountain priest blowing a conch-shell horn, followed by monks in Buddhism garment, into the garden of the Komyo-den where old Daruma figures are gathered. Then the tens of thousands Daruma figures are lighted in the sounds of sutra reading by the monks. On this same day, the bean-scattering ceremony celebrating the coming of spring is held in the Hon-den. You will also find it enjoyable to stroll along the road to the San-mon where souvenir shops, dango (Japanese sweet dumplings) shops, etc. stands in a row.
(Nishi-Arai Daishi Temple)


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HAIKU


kanbutsu ya sutego sunawachi tera no chigo

Buddha's birthday;
The deserted child,--
Now a boy of the temple.

Kikaku 基角
(Tr. Blyth)

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... ... ... Issa and Chigo Haiku

寺の児赤かたびらはいつ迄ぞ
tera no chigo aka katabira wa itsu made zo

temple toddler--
how long will you wear
your little red kimono?



寺山や児はころげる蝶はとぶ
tera yama ya chigo wa korogeru chô wa tobu

temple mountain--
a baby tumbles
a butterfly flits


児達や盃をく也蓮の花
chigotachi ya sakazuki oku nari hasu no hana

the toddlers
put them in sake cups...
lotus blossoms


© Tr. David Lanoue
Issa haiku about CHIGO



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shii hirou Yokawa no chigo no itoma kana

Picking up acorns,
the temple boy of Yokawa
in his hour of leisure.

--Buson, trans. Shiffert and Sawa


mishi koi no chigo neriide yo dokuyo

That altar boy --
how I wish
he would come out again.


--Buson, trans. unknown
http://www.cs.arizona.edu/~kece/Personal/Poems/buson.html


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Related words

***** Buddha's Birthday and the Flower Hall (hana midoo) Japan


***** Child, Children (kodomo) of all kinds


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4/03/2008

Tendo Cherry Blossoms

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. shoogi, shōgi 将棋 Shogi generals' chess .
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Tendo Cherry Blossom Festival

***** Location: Tendo Town, Yamagata pref.
***** Season: Late Spring
***** Category: Observance


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Explanation

Tendo Shogi , Tendoo Shoogi 天童将棋
Third Sunday in April

The town of Tendo is famous for its Japanese Chess, shogi (shoogi 将棋).

During the cherry blossom festival, the traditional Shogi contest is played at Maizuru park.

CLICK for more photos CLICK for more photos




Tendo-shi shogi museum 天童市将棋資料館 
- see comments below
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Statue of Matsuo Basho at the village Tendo Mura


© f32.aaa.livedoor.jp

quote
Basho didn't stop but passed through the town of Tendo when he visited Yamadera. Not overly famous then, Tendo today is known for its Japanese chess (shogi) pieces. The town produces 95 per cent of all pieces produced in Japan and many chess piece shaped monuments can be seen around the town.

The origin of the quest to dominate the shogi piece market dates back to the end of the Edo period when the then lord of the Tendo clan encouraged his lower ranked warriors to produce pieces on the side. Today, an event in which participants move just like each shogi pieces on a large board is held atop Mt. Maizuruyama every spring under the blooming cherry blossoms.
In Tendo, all is not shogi however as the local onsen is also rather famous nowadays. A relatively new hot spring source, it boasts an ample supply of water heated by mother earth.
© www.att-japan.net



Tendo Onsen is a relatively new resort that was opened in 1911 and is surrounded by modern inns. The town is famous for its shogi (Japanese chess) pieces and many pentagonal shogi signs are displayed everywhere.
Read more
WKD: Matsuo Basho walking in Yamagata


WKD: Oku no Hosomichi 2007


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Things found on the way



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HAIKU




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Related words

***** Go game, Igo 囲碁

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4/01/2008

Miyako Dance

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Miyako Dance (Miyako Odori )

***** Location: Kyoto
***** Season: Late Spring
***** Category: Humanity


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Explanation

CLICK for more ENGLISH information CLICK for more Japanese photos

Miyako Odori 都踊 (みやこおどり, 都をどり)
April 1∼30
Dance of the Capital


Miyako, this is the
"Flowering Capital of Kyoto" 花の都 Hana no Miyako.


It started in the times of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and the dances of Higashiyama.

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History

In 1871 Kyoto Governor Nobuatsu Hase and Vice Governor Masanao Makimura, in a direct response to the Meiji Restoration (1862-69) and the official shift of the Court of Emperor Meiji from Kyoto to Edo (now Tokyo), planned Japan's first Exposition in Kyoto (no longer the "Imperial City") to counter the perceived loss of status as well as to showcase the Art, Culture and Industry still alive and thriving in the City.

Subsequently, Jirouemon Geiko Sugiura, Gions' Representative and owner of "Mantei" (still in existence today as "Ichiriki", then and now a popular "Private" House for Kyoto's Geiko and Maiko performances) received a request from the Prefectural Government to stage the 1st "Public" Dance performance by the nationally famous Geiko and Maiko. In collaboration with Yachiyo Inouye the III (the Master of the Kyomai Dance School), Mr. Sugiura conceived a tightly choreographed and highly stylized group performance of the "Kamenoko Odori" dance from Ise Furuichi.

In March of 1872 the "Miyako Odori Junicho", proposed by Vice Governor Makimura as an extension of the popular "Kamenoko Odori", was performed for the first time with a full chorus and traditional Japanese Orchestra in a grand, classically beautiful house named "Matsunoya" located in Gion. This Performance (affectionately referred to as the "Gion Kobu Dance") was the prototype of the "Miyako Odori" that continues to the present day.

Immediately following the triumph of the "Matsunoya" performance all parties involved swore an oath declaring that the "Gion Kobu Dance" must remain the exclusive domain of Inoue the III's Kyomai School and this solemn promise is honored to this day. In April of 1873 the "Miyako Odori" moved permanently to the more spacious confines of Gion Kobu Kaburenjo Theater. The originality, authenticity, beauty, quality and dignity of the "Miyako Odori" is now entrusted to the current Master of Kyomai Dance, Yachiyo Inouye the V and takes place each Spring in Gion Kobu Kaburenjo Theater.



© www.miyako-odori.jp
都をどり|祇園甲部歌舞会


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Miyako Odori

a BLOG with information and many photos about the good old times

source : miyako-odori.blogspot.com


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"long" bridge over the Kamo River 京師 Keishi
(a place where a lot of people walk)

Ando Hiroshige 1797-1858 安藤広重


This is the last of the 53 stations of the Tokaido.
This is the Sanjo Ohashi 三条大橋, which had been built as a stone bridge by Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
Here in the woodblock it is featured as a wooden bridge.
This gives doubt weather Hiroshige was acutally here to sketch the scene from real life or weather he painted from heresay and sketches of someone else.



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HAIKU


手真似して話は都おどりかな
temane shite hanashi wa miyako odori kana

imitating the movements ...
and talking all the time
about the Miyako Dance

Tr. Gabi Greve

© Haiku of the Blind



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Related words

Kamogawa Dance, Kamogawa Odori
鴨川踊 (かもがわおどり)

鴨川踊り
Kamo River Dance (加茂川)

CLICK for more photos

This dance is performed by the maiko and geiko of Ponto-cho 先斗町(ぽんとちょう) Hanamachi in Kyoto.
From the first of May to the 14th.
It began in 1872 as a part of the Kyoto Exposition. Later it was established as an annual event. This refined stage performance enjoys a wide range of fans.

More Reference !


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***** Azuma Odori .. Azuma Dance, Tokyo Dance

***** Miyako Odori .. "Dance of the Capital" in Kyoto

***** Kamogawa Odori .. Kamogawa Dance in Kyoto

***** Shimabara Odori .. Shimabara Dance, Kyoto

***** Naniwa Odori ... Naniwa Dance in Osaka


"Flowering Capital of Kyoto" 花の都 Hana no Miyako.


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Naniwa Dance

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Naniwa Dance (Naniwa odori 浪花踊)

***** Location: Osaka
***** Season: Late Spring
***** Category: Humanity


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Explanation



Geisha, or geiko as they are referred to in Osaka (Naniwa) and Kyoto, are entertainers specializing in music, dance, tea ceremony, and conversation.
There are four entertainment districts in Osaka where geiko (geisha) work:

Shinmachi
Horie


Kitashinchi
Famous for its nightclubs, bars and late night restaurants, many business executives can be seen entertaining clients here. This district has 15 geiko, the largest number of the Osaka districts.

Nanchi

(also know as Minami Shinchi or just Minami) Also famous for its nightlife, many of the establishments attract a younger crowd. This district only has one teahouse, the Tanigawa Teahouse. It has six geiko. The geiko Naozuru, Fukuzuru, and Kotsuru are the three most recent additions to their numbers.


Odori or Public Performances

The geiko of Osaka are known for their "herahera odori" or dances that feature acrobatic stunts such as handstands.

Ashibe Dance, Ashibe odori 芦辺踊 (あしべおどり)
Public dance of Nanchi (Minami) geisha district. These dances began in 1888 and is performed annually for one month beginning April first.


Naniwa Odori 浪花踊
The public dance of Shinmachi geisha district. These dances began in 1908. And like the Ahibe Odori are performed annually for one month beginning April first.

Konohana Odori The public dances of the Horie geisha district. These dances are performed annually for one month beginning March 15.

Osaka Odori
This is the common name used now for the geisha dances in Osaka.

© More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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Geisha in Winter Costume
1890s by Blue Ruin


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HAIKU


浪花おどり見つつはあれど旅疲れ
Naniwa odori mitsutsu wa aredo tabi tsukare

I keep watching
the Naniwa dance but
I am tired from the travel

Tr. Gabi Greve


Tomiyasu Fusei 富安風性 (Tomiyasu Fuusei)



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Related words

***** Shimabara no taiyuu no doochuu 。。島原の大夫の道中 
Shimabara Geisha Procession (Kyoto)

***** Azuma Odori .. Azuma Dance, Tokyo Dance

***** Miyako Odori .. "Dance of the Capital" in Kyoto

***** Kamogawa Odori .. Kamogawa Dance in Kyoto

***** Shimabara Odori .. Shimabara Dance, Kyoto

***** Naniwa Odori ... Naniwa Dance in Osaka


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