Hanakae Matsuri

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Flower Exchange Festival (hanakae matsuri)

***** Location: Kanegasaki Town, Tsuruga City
***** Season: Late Spring
***** Category: Observance

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Explanation

Flower-exchanging festival 花換祭 / 花換祭り
はなかえまつり / はなかへまつり
Fest zum Austausch von Kirschblütenzweigen

This festival takes place from the first to 15th of April at the town of Kanegasaki, in Tsuruga City 敦賀, Fukui Prefecture.
Shrine Kanesakiguu 金ヶ崎宮
金ヶ崎 花換え祭り

This shrine is famous as a location of the battle between Nitta Yoshisada and the army of the Ashikaga shogun in the Nambokucho period.

The stone stairs up to the shrine are 92 KU NI, meaning "to have no worries" and you have to run them up to get rid of your worries.

It is one of the great cherry blossom viewing points of the area, with more than 1000 somei yoshino cherry blossoms trees and a splendid view over the port of Tsuruga.
People come to enjoy the blossoms, eat some yakitori and sweet potatoes (for a sweet love life ) prepared by the "seinen kurabu" (now they are elderly men, but work hard to keep the little community alive).

You buy an artificial branch with cherry blossoms at the shrine office and are free to exchange it with anyone you fance, smiling and saying "Let us exchange flowers!" This is now a great spot for young lovers.


Young "luck-bringing girls" (fuku musume 福娘) sell the branches in the street too.


Another speciality are the
"Cherry blossom cookies",
sakura kukkii 桜クッキー



They are round cookies with one cherry blossom in the middle and only sold during the festival.


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Festivals where things are exchanged
by Mogi Sakae

usokae shinji , Bullfinch-exchanging rite.
A rite held during the night of January seventh at the shrine Dazaifu tenmangū in Dazaifu City, Fukuoka prefecture. Bullfinches (uso) made of wood are used as charms against fire. People take their bullfinches that are covered with the preceding year's grime to the Tenman shrine, and everyone exchanges bullfinches with anyone else freely, saying "kaemashō, kaemashō " ("Let's trade, let's trade"). During this excitement the shinshoku (shrine priests) lose themselves among the crowd of worshippers and walk about surreptitiously passing out the shrine's twelve bullfinches. Those who get one of the gold bullfinches are said to receive good fortune for the year.

The festival called onisube, famous for protection from fire, is observed after the bullfinch festival. Two groups of nearly one hundred people each are divided into the "demon guards" and the "smoke handlers." The latter light a huge mound of fresh pine piled up outside of the shrine hall with sacred fire (or by rubbing two sticks together), and fan the smoke into the shrine with an enormous fan. On the inside the demon guards beat the slat board walls with wooden mallets. Then, drawn by torches, the smoke-covered demons try to go around the shrine, but the shrine priests throw parched beans at them. People strike the demon masks that the performers wear with staffs called utsue. After going around the outside and inside of the shrine through the smoke and ash the demons come to a stop.
The usokae shinji at the shrine Kamadotenjinsha in Kōtō-ku, Tokyo is said to have been brought from Dazaifutenmangū.

On January fifth there is an usokae matsuri also at the shrine Meihamatenmangū in Fukuoka City, Fukuoka prefecture. Similar to the bullfinch rites is the hatokaeshi shinji (dove-exchanging rite) at the shrine Usajingu in Usa City, Ōita prefecture.

There is a tamakaeshi matsuri (gem-exchanging festival) on January twenty-first in which tama gems are traded at Miyajidake Jinja, Munakata-gun, Fukuoka prefecture.
In addition, there are festivals such as the okinjokaeshi matsuri in Hinagu, Ashikita-gun, Kumamoto prefecture, in which dolls are traded,
and the hanakae matsuri (flower-exchanging festival) at the shrine Kanezakigū in Tsuruga City, Fukui prefecture.
source : Mogi Sakae / eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp

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Usokae うそ替え / 鷽替え exchanging carved bullfinches


. kiku kuyoo 菊供養 memorial ritual for chrysanthemums .
Asakusa Kannon Temple, Tokyo
People by one chrysanthemums offered at stalls and persent it on the altar as an offering to the Kannon deity.
Then they take a flower which had been offered by someone else and take it home. This is their amulet for warding off evil influence in the coming year.


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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way

Other forms of "Cherry blossom cookies"
sakura kukkii 桜クッキー





CLICK for more English information







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HAIKU


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Related words

***** WASHOKU
Japanese Sweets Saijiki

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Sono Kara Matsuri

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Sono Kara Matsuri

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Mid-Spring
***** Category: Observance

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Explanation

Sono Kara Matsuri 園韓神祭 (そのからかみまつり)
Sonokara Futakami no Matsuri

園韓両神祭（そのからふたかみのまつり）
Sonokami Matsuri 園神祭（そのかみまつり）
Karakami Matsuri 韓神祭（からかみまつり）

The date is not quite clear, some sources quote the
upper day of the ox in February (and again in November before the Niiname Sai festival 新嘗祭（にいなめさい）).
The Day of the Spring Festival in February.

Sono-kara-no-kami

Two shrine priests 神部二人 the imperial gardens make a fire (niwabi 庭火) and purify the ground with special rites and plant a sakaki branch. A divine horse is paraded in the grounds and later kagura dance and music is performed.
"Food for the Gods" 神饌（しんせん shinsen） are offered on the altar.
. . . CLICK here for Photos of shinsen !



Sono no kami
Oomono nushi no kami おおものぬし‐の‐かみ【大物主神】
Ookuninushi no mikoto 大国主命（おおくにぬしのみこと）
Saki mitama 幸魂（さきみたま）
Kushi Mitama 奇魂（くしみたま）
（according to Nihon Shoki日本書紀）。


Kara no kami 　韓神 / 漢神　「からのかみ」
Oonamuchi no kami おおなむち‐の‐かみ【大己貴神／大穴牟遅神】
Ookuninushi no mikoto 大国主命(おおくにぬしのみこと)
Sukuna hikona no kami 少彦名命 スクナヒコネ、スクナヒコ、スクナミカミ
Kara no kami siginfies that he came from Korea. He was a protector deity of the Imperial ground.
There are many legends around this deity from Korea, a 渡来神.
("the Deity of Kara"
He appears in the "Chronicle" under the name of I-so-takeru 五十猛神（いそたける)("Fifty-fold-Valiant"), of whom it is related that he was taken over to Korea by his father Susa-no-oo (the "Impetuous-Male"
The Kojiki,).


offerings of horses and bulls 牛馬の犠牲
It was customary to offer horses or bulls to this god during rain rituals (Karakami shinkoo 韓神信仰) since the 5th century. The practise to offer "sacred horses" seems to have come from Korea. Near some shrines in his honor there have been finds of bones from horses and bulls. Emperor Kanmu Tenno offered bulls 桓武天皇の牛殺し. ushi no ikenie 牛の生贄.
(related to the belief from "white mountain" 白山信仰.)


This SonoKara festival in the honor of the two gods has been held in Kyoto before it became the capital, to ward off epidemics and disease.

First it is performed in the southern shrine for Sonokami 南の園神社（そのかみのやしろ）, then in the northern shrine for Karakami 北の韓神社（からかみのやしろ）.

But this ritual has not been performed since the Kamakura period.

source : 日本大百科全書


Shrine Karakami Shiragi Jinja Okayama
韓神新羅神社（大浦神社）からかみしらぎじんじゃ
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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Sonokarakami no yashiro 園韓神社（そのからかみのやしろ）Shrine
in the grounds of the Imperial Palace in Kyoto
Reference


The two shrines for SONO and KAMI
園韓二社
Today the shrine Nue Jinja 鵺神社 is in their place.
Nue Daimyoojinja 鵺大明神社
In the precincts is the famous pond Nue-Ike 鵺池, which has dried out.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
NUE is written with the characters for night and bird.

Once at night at the end of the Heian period, a strange wailing voice like that of a golden mountain thrush (toratsugumi とらつぐみ【虎鶇】) was heared in the precincts. The emperor, who heared this voice, became ill. To cure him, Minamoto no Yorimasa みなもとのよりまさ【源頼政】 shot an arrow with the tail feathers of a pheasant into the four corners of the night. The beast was hit and fell down, to the place where now we have Shrine Nue.

NUE 鵺 is a beast with the head of a monkey, breast of a badger, scales like a dragon, tail of a serpent and feet like a tiger


woodblock by Kuniyoshi 国芳



. Yorimasa Minamoto killed a monster Nue .
- - - - - More legends about the NUE.

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quote
[Ōnamuchi no kami] (Kojiki)
おおなむち‐の‐かみ 【大己貴神／大穴牟遅神】

Usually considered an alternate name for the kami Ōkuninushi, although works like Izumo fudoki and Izumo no kuni no miyatsuko kan'yogoto describe Ōnamuchi as a "land-forming kami." As a result, it appears likely that Ōnamuchi was originally an indigenous land-creating kami of the Izumo region which was later adapted to the mythology of Kojiki and Nihongi.

The main text of Nihongi is alone in describing Ōnamuchi as the child of Susanoo, while Kojiki and an "alternate writing" transmitted by Nihongi state that he was Susanoo's sixth-generation descendant.
Descriptions of Ōnamuchi in the fudoki represent him as having the strong characteristics of an agricultural deity. Also, another "alternate writing" in Nihongi relates that at the time of the "transfer of the land" (kuniyuzuri) preceding the Descent of the Heavenly Grandchild (tenson kōrin), the deity Takamimusuhi vowed to construct a palace for Ōnamuchi, and appointed Amenohohi to carry out rites in his honor. As a result, the Izumo kokusō (local governors of Izumo) were considered descendants of Amenohohi.

source : Kokugakuin University. Kadoya Atsushi


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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way


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HAIKU


池枯れて鵺池の碑が建ちました
ike karete nue-ike no hi ga tachimashita



the pond dried out -
in the Nue-pond now
a stone memorial

source : 蛙の、ほろ酔い俳句散歩
Tr. Gabi Greve


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old legends
coming to life -
summer chill

Gabi Greve, Summer 2009

Summer is a time to tell ghost stories in Japan to feel a chill ...


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Related words

***** Cow, Oxen (ushi) Japan
牛頭天王

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



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Haiku about religions topics

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Haiku about religions topics


From a Japanese LINK listing many haiku for each topic.

BUDDHIST DEITIES

●愛染明王 Aizen Myo-o●阿修羅（像　仏）ashura●飛鳥仏●甘茶仏 Amacha butsu ●天の邪鬼 Amanojaku ●阿弥陀（三尊　仏）Amida ●阿羅漢 Arakan ●石仏 Sekibutsu ●岩仏 Iwabutsu, magaibutsu
●印 IN, shirushi hand positions ●印相 insoo ●閻王 Eno●円空仏 Enkubutsu ●円光 Enkoo ●閻魔（大王）Enma Daio ●お釈迦さま●月光菩薩 Gakkoo bosatsu ●乾漆仏 Kanshitsubutsu laquer ●観世音　くわんぜおん Kanzeon, ●観音　くわんおん Kannon（菩薩）
●伎藝天 Gigeiten ●木仏 kibutsu from wood ●金仏●救世観音 Guze Kannon ●百済観音 Kudara Kannon ●九品仏 Kuhon butsu ●黒仏 Kurobutsu ●光背 Koohai ●広目天 Koomokuten ●虚空仏●五百羅漢 Gohyaku Rakan 500 ●小仏 Kobutsu ●地蔵（菩薩）Jizoo ●四天王 Shitennoo●持仏 Jibutsu ●慈母観音 Jibo Kannon ●釈迦 Shaka, Shakyamuni ●邪鬼 Yaki demons ●思惟仏 Shui butsu ●十一面観音 juuichimen Kannon ●十三仏●十二神将●丈六 jooroku size●神将 shinshoo generals ●千手（観世音　観音）Senjuu Kannon ●千体仏 Sentai butsu ●双体仏●即身仏 Sokushinbutsu ●台座 Daiza throne ●帝釈天Taishakuten ●胎内仏 tainaibutsu ●大日如来 Dainichi Nyorai●大仏 Daibutsu

瀧不動 Taki Fudo ●辻仏 Tsujibutsu ●天蓋 Tengai ●仁王 Nio-O●日光菩薩 Nikko Bosatsu ●女身仏 Nyoshinbutsu female ●如来像 Nyoraizo ●濡れ仏 Nurebutsu ●寝釈迦 Neshaka ●涅槃像 Nehanzoo ●野仏 Nobotoke ●白鳳仏 Hakuhoo butsu ●馬頭尊 Batooson with horse head ●秘仏 hibutsu secret statues
●白毫 byakugoo ●普賢菩薩●仏師 busshi sculpture maker ●仏前 butsuzen
●仏像 butsuzoo Buddha statue
●仏足石 bussokuseki ●仏陀 Buddha ●仏体 buttai ●仏頭 buttoo
●不動明王 Fudo Myo-O
●宝前Hoozen ●菩薩 Bosatsu ●仏 hotoke ●本尊 Honzon ●本体●磨崖仏●木乃伊（仏）●水子仏●彌陀（仏）●御仏●弥勒（菩薩）●文殊●薬師（三尊　本尊）●瓔珞●羅漢●羅殺●螺髪●廬遮那佛●六地蔵●露仏●脇侍


BUTSUGU
●閼伽井　閼伽●閼伽桶●閼伽棚●閼伽水●位牌●絵馬●笈●戒杖●戒壇●過去帳●鉦●鬼簿●経巻●経机●経典●経櫃●経本●経文●魚鼓●魚板●供華●供物●警策●袈裟●香華●香炉●護符●護摩木●護摩札 護摩●金剛杖●座禅石●三坊●地獄絵（図）●錫杖●数珠●須弥檀●撞木●浄衣●厨子●墨衣●墨染めの衣●禅杖●僧衣●卒塔婆●点鬼簿●塔婆●燈明●燈籠●銅鑼●如意宝珠●涅槃図●念珠●仏書●仏壇●仏典●仏燈●仏飯●遍路杖●法会●法帖●奉燈●法鼓●払子●仏の飯●法螺（貝）●梵鐘●曼陀羅　曼荼羅（図）●木魚


BUDDHISM
秋彼岸●秋遍路●荒行●行脚●安居●一周忌●引導●永代経●回向●会者定離●縁日●回忌●開帳●回峰（路）●加持祈祷●合掌●鐘供養●看経●灌頂●寒念仏●灌仏●忌明け●帰依●喜捨●鬼籍●行法●倶会一処●供養●結界●結跏趺坐●香典　香奠（袋）●極楽●護摩●勤行●賽銭●賽の河原●座禅●参籠●此岸●地獄●七七忌●写経●週忌●修行●巡礼●正忌●唱偈●焼香●浄土（宗　真宗）●声明●精霊●真言●信心●誦経●接心●説法●禅宗●禅定●禅門●送行●曹洞宗●題目●托鉢

●奪衣婆●棚経●手向け●陀羅尼●檀徒●追善●追弔●追福●剃髪●出開帳●寺参り●伝灯●道心●斎●読経●得度●南無阿弥陀仏●日蓮宗●年忌●念誦●念仏●納経●墓経●花祭り●般若心経●彼岸●布施●補陀落●仏縁●仏恩●仏教●仏家●仏事●仏生会●仏徒●仏道●遍路●法会●法剣●法事●報謝●宝珠●法灯●法要●法輪●法話●法華経●法鼓●梵字●満願●峰入り●壬生念仏●冥加●命日●冥福●面壁●門徒●遺偈●来迎●臨済宗


MONK, PRIEST
●僧●青道心●悪僧●怪僧●阿闍梨●尼●尼御前●尼法師●荒法師●行脚僧●一僧●院主●有髪僧●雲水●和尚　和上●御僧●開祖●学僧●火宅僧●管主●貫主●管長●客僧●行者●高僧●小坊主●在家●妻帯僧●最澄●座主●寺僧●釈門●沙弥●沙門●住持●住職●修行僧●修験者●出家●上人●聖人●称名●所化●雛僧●禅師●禅僧●善知識●禅尼●僧正●桑門●僧侶●祖師●尊者●大徳●托鉢僧●旅僧●寺男●導師●堂守●尼僧●入道●伴僧●比丘●比丘尼●仏弟子●坊さん●法師●坊主●坊守●名僧●売僧●門跡●役僧●山伏●律僧●老僧●老師●寒行僧



KAMI deities
●悪神●天照大神●生き神●井戸の神●疣の神●ヴィーナス●氏神●産土（神）産神●馬屋神●恵比須（恵比寿）●大神●大国主命●大前●男神●おしら神●鬼●迦具土の神●竃神●神●神還る●神懸かり●神隠し●神々●神様●神の里●神業●鬼子母神●鬼神●岐神（くなど）●厨神●軍神●神々し●荒神●御神体●祭神●賽の神●七福神●死神●邪神●守護神●主神●ジュピター●寿老人●鍾馗●神威●神火●神祇●神仙●神前●神代●神徳●神明●神慮●ゼウス●祖神●漫ろ神●杣の神●大黒●岳の神●田の神●地祇●地の神●鎮守●辻神●天神●天道●道祖神●納戸神●バッカス●毘沙門天●ひだる神●火神●火伏神●広前●貧乏神●風神●雷神●風神雷神●福の神●福禄寿●武神●弁財天●弁天●布袋●魔神●守り神●水分（みくまり）の神●水の神●御霊代●明神●結びの神●女神●八百万の神●疫病神●屋敷神●山の神●湯の神●龍神●海神


SHINDO, Shinto
●産土参り●絵馬●大絵馬●御祓い●御札●御守り●御神酒●御神籤●柏手●形代●神歌●紙幣●神信心●神棚●神頼み●神の綱●神参り●神迎●神詣●惟神（かんながら）の道●潔斎●献納●御神燈●護符●斎戒●参宮●参詣●参拝●参拝九拝●三坊●注連●注連飾●注連縄（〆縄）●社参●守護矢●神鏡●神供●神剣●神事●神饌 御饌●神託●託宣●玉串●鎮魂●燈明●直会●幣●祈事●祝詞●初穂●初宮●初詣●破魔矢●祓●火伏札●奉燈●奉納●御明かし●神籤（御籤）●禊●宮参り●宮詣で●木綿注連●遙拝●立拝


鬼
天国

神主

寺
堂１
堂２

and many more are HERE

5.
文化・宗教


http://yoshi5.web.infoseek.co.jp/cgi-bin/HAIKUreikuDB/ZOU.htm



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Worldwide use

CHURCHES

●安息日●イエス●異教徒●異人墓地●祈り●絵硝子●絵踏み●エホバ●外人墓地●隠れ切支丹●隠れ耶蘇●神の国●教会●教典●教父●切支丹（燈籠）●基督　キリスト●クリスチャン●クリスマス（ツリー）●クルス●香檀●降誕祭●懺悔（室　台）●賛（讃）美歌●司教●司祭（館）●使徒（像）●邪宗（門）●謝肉祭●十字　十字架●修女●修道院●修道士●修道女●主教●祝福●受洗●受胎告知●受難（曲　節）●殉教（図　碑）●昇天●鐘塔●神学校●神曲●信徒●神父（館　服）●聖衣●聖歌（隊）●聖果●清教徒●聖金曜日●聖五月●聖者●聖樹●聖書


●聖鐘●聖檀●聖徒●聖堂●聖廃墟●聖母（像）●聖夜（劇）●聖油●聖霊祭●宣教師●ゼンチョ●洗礼●僧院●磔像●磔刑●礼拝堂●デウス●天国●天使（祭　像）●天主（堂）●伝道（師）●尼僧●バイブル●パラダイス●福音（伝道）●復活祭●踏み絵●牧師●マリア　マリヤ（観音　様）●御子●ミサ　彌（弥）撒●耶蘇●礼拝●ロザリオ


BOKUSHI, christian priests

●牧師●司教●司祭●神父●伴天連●法王●教皇●宣教師●伝道師 missionary




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Related words

***** WKD Saijiki for Festivals and Ceremonies

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Temple Kokawa-Dera

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Temple Kokawa-Dera

***** Location: Wakayama, Japan
***** Season: Various Temple Festivals
***** Category: Observance

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Explanation

Kokawa-Dera 粉河寺 Kokawa Temple

The name is Kokawa, not Kogawa.
〒649-6531　和歌山県紀の川市粉河2787

Mount Kazaragi san 風猛山
"Strong wind mountain"

This temple is Nr. 3 on the Pilgrimage to 33 Kannon temples in the Kansai area.
It was founded in 770 by Otomo no Kujiko, the son of a hunter in Kishu. His descendants are still in charge of the temple to this day.
One day on his usual hunt in the mountains he passed this area, saw a strong shine in the dark valley and decided to become a monk ... right on the spot. He prayed for seven days and seven nights and carved a statue of Kannon with 1000 arms.

Kokawadera, together with the temple Negoro-ji, was almost as powerful as Koyasan in the area.

There is also a stone memorial of a haiku by Matsuo Basho:


© PHOTO :　kannonyama.com With more photos of the temple !

ひとつぬいで うしろにおいぬ ころもがえ
hitotsu nuide ushiro ni oinu koromogae
ひとつぬぎてうしろにおひぬころもがえ
hitotsu nugite ushiro ni oinu koromogae
ひとつぬきて うしろにおひぬ ころもがえ
hitotsu nukite ushiro ni ohinu koromogae

taking off one garment
I sling it over my shoulder
clothes changing day

source : 　haikustones.blogspot.com, Ad Blankestijn


. . . . . Koromogae, kigo



At the temple there are also memorial stones of haiku by
Matsuo Kaitei 松尾塊亭 槐亭
(1732 - 1815)

He was the official haiku master of the Kishu domain, serving the lords from the 8th to the 10th generation. He died in 1815 at the age of 84.



風猛（かざらぎ）の　名に似ぬ里の　小春かな
Kazaragi no na ni ninu sato no koharu kana

Kazaragi san (Kazaraki san) 風猛山 is the name of Kokawa temple.



and a memorial stone by his disciple Yoshida
吉田五橘亭


水も嘸(さぞ)や白き粉河の山桜
mizu mo sazo ya shiroki Kokawa no yamazakura


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observance kigo for late spring

Kokawabina, Kokawa bina 粉河雛（こかわびな）
hina dolls fro Kokawa

They are made from paper and placed on a bamboo basket to float down the river and take away the impurities of people. This is one of the biggest festivals in the Kishu region of Wakayama.


source and more photos : mama115mama

流し雛大行列 - parade to the river
粉河雛流し - the dolls are floated in the river.



. Hina Doll Festival (hina matsuri 雛祭り) .

. Kishuu bina 紀州雛 hina dolls from Kishu .


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observance kigo for late summer

Kokawa Festival, Kokawa Sai 粉河祭 (こかわまつり)
July 26 / 27

This is one of the three big festivals of the Kishu area.
The head priest of the temple is carried around in a palanquin (togyo shiki 渡御式（とぎょしき）. This parade is in memory of the child of Ootomo no Kujiko 大伴孔子古（おおとものくじこ） in the year 770. Funanushi 船主（ふなぬし） went all the way up to Northern Japan to fight the enemy.
Small children on horseback join the parade.




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observance kigo for early autumn

Offering food and drink to the hungry ghosts
Segaki-E 施餓鬼会（せがきえ）
August 9
People who lost a relative in the past year come here to pray during the O-Bon celebrations.


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Showing the Secret Kannon Statue
西国三十三所　結縁御開帳 gokaichoo

one of the famous Owari Kannon 尾張観音

This is a secret statue and it will be shown to the public in 2008 all throughout October.
It has not been shown for 217 years !



source : 　www.kokawadera.org

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The Legendary Origins of Kokawa-dera Temple
(Kokawadera engi 粉河寺縁起絵巻)


source : 　Nara National Museum

The scroll is about 20 meters long and 30 cm wide and shows the story of the hunter turning monk and then carving the Kannon statue. The story continues to tell how this Kannon statue had the power to heal the sick daughter of a rich merchant in Kawachi. After the daughter was healed, the family became strong supporters of the temple to our day.


Resource : Fisher Fine Arts Library Image Collection
Start with Illustration 224.


The sacred song of this temple

父母の恵みも深き粉河寺ほとけの誓い たのもしの身や


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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way


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HAIKU




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Related words

***** Segaki 施餓鬼 Offering food and drink to the hungry ghosts also
Hungry Ghosts, gaki　餓鬼

***** Bon Festival (o-bon) (05) Japan.

***** Secret Buddha Statues (hibutsu) Japan


. OBSERVANCES – SUMMER SAIJIKI .


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Ocean Day

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Ocean Day (umi no hi)

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

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Explanation

umi no hi 海の日（うみのひ） Ocean Day, Marine Day, Sea Day
umi no kinenbi 海の記念日 (うみのきねんび) Marine Memorial Day (until 1996).

National Holiday, the third monday in July.

(It used to be July 21, but has been re-defined in 2003. Now is one of the "Happy Monday Holidays.)

Since 1996, it is the 14th official National Holiday 国民の祝日.
It is a secular holiday with no special rituals to it.
Many families take the chance to spend a long weekend on a beach.



On this day we should show our greatfulness to the sea and the ocean around Japan. Japan has more than 1000 beaches along its coastline.
It should also remind us of the Marine and remember the Emperor Meiji on his trip to Hokkaido, when he returned to Yokohama on a training vessel on n July 20, 1876.


Thanks to the Happy Monday System !
ハッピーマンデー制度, Happii Mandee Seido




The Chinese characters 海の日 can also signify
the sun over the ocean.

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Worldwide use

Tag des Meeres


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Things found on the way


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HAIKU

蒲公英のかたさや海の日も一輪
tampopo no katasa ya umi no hi mo ichirin

a dandelion blossom
so hard ! on Marine Day
one blossom

or (more probable)

a dandelion blossom
so hard! the sun over the sea
also one circle

Nakamura Kusatao 中村草田男


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海の日や療養所には金魚池
umi no hi ya ryooyoojo ni wa kingyo ike

Marine Day -
at the rehabilitation center
there is a goldfish pond

Murakoshi Kaseki 村越化石
Tr. Gabi Greve
source : 海の日 69句

source : 日本海 108句

source : 太平洋 　66句


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Ocean bottom
holds all kinds of things
best left there

Barbara Casterline
(Nagoya, Japan)

Barbara Casterline wrote her haiku in celebration of umi no hi (Marine Day).
source : Asahi com. 2004

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Indian ocean--
the smell of salty water hits
our nostrils

Caleb Mutua, Kenya



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Related words

The simple use of words like SEA, OCEAN, THE ATLANTIC, THE PACIFIC and so on are not kigo but topics for haiku.


***** . . . . . SEAFOOD SAIJIKI

***** Beach Worldwide. Surfing.


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