5/01/2011

Goryo Matsuri Festival

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Goryo Festival (goryoo matsuri)

***** Location: Kyoto
***** Season: Early Summer
***** Category: Observance


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Explanation

Goryoo Matsuri 御霊祭 (ごりょうまつり)
Goryo Festival

goryoo no shinji 御霊の神事(ごりょうのしんじ) Goryo Shinto ritual
goryoo no oide 御霊の御出(ごりょうのおいで) visiting Goryo (shrine)

May 1 till 18 at the Kami Goryo Shrine 上御霊神社, Kyoto.
At Shimo Goryo Shrine下御霊神社 on a sunday near May 18.

CLICK for more photos

Ritual to appease the six "vengeful spirits" of enemies of the state.

Sudo, Sudoo Tenno 崇道天皇 (? - 785) and his son,
Iyo Shinno 伊予親王.
his mother, Fujiwara Fujin, 藤原婦人
Fujiwara Hirotsugu, 藤原広嗣
Tachibana Hayanari, 橘逸勢
Bunya no Miyata Maro 文室宮田麻呂

. . . Later two more were added :
Kibi no Makibi 吉備真備
Sugawara Michizane 菅原道真

The rituals are now for these 8 vengeful spirits.

. Sutoku Tenno, Sotoku 崇徳天皇 (1119 - 1142) .

CLICK for original,kyoto album walking


quote
History of the Gion Matsuri
Kyoto has suffered on many occasions from all kinds of bad omens, including epidemics, floods, fires, and earthquakes. To keep the spirits from being angry, special protective or goryo-e festivals have been held in Kyoto since ancient times.

The first Gion Matsuri, one of Japan's oldest goryo-e festivals, was held in the early Heian period (794-1185) to stop a series of devastating plagues.
source : www.kyotoguide.com


The Chinese characters are also read

mitama matsuri みたままつり【御霊祭(り)】
These rituals and festivals are also held at other Shinto Shrines in Japan.
Some are held during the O-Bon rituals for the ancestors.


. 御霊神社 Goryo Jinja, Kamakura .
Kamakura Gongorō Kagemasa 鎌倉権五郎景政 "Gongoro san"
is the deity in residence.


御霊神社(ごりょうじんじゃ)という名前の神社は、日本各地に存在する。
- A long list :
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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The vengeful spirits, goryoo, onryoo 御霊、怨霊
Sugawara Michizane 菅原道真

. the vengeful spirits of the dead .  


. Kibi no Makibi 吉備真備  


. The Tachibana clan (橘)  



Prince Sawara
(早良親王 , Sawara-shinnō)
posthumous Emperor Sudō (崇道天皇, Sudō-tennō).
He was also made part of pantheon of ‘disgraced’ figures enshrined at the Shinsenen in Kyōto, in 863, to appease (rather than banish) troubled, even vengeful, souls. The others were Mononobe no Moriya (killed 587), Prince Iyo (executed 807), Fujiwara no Nakanari (executed 810), Tachibana no Hayanari (executed 842) and Bunya no Miyatamaro (executed 843).
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !

- quote -
Scholar uncovers the fascinating history behind Japan’s folklore
One such story is “The Curse of Prince Sawara,” said to have been one of the reasons for Emperor Kanmu to relocate the capital to Heiankyo in present-day Kyoto in 794, only years after moving it to nearby Nagaokakyo.

It is said that Crown Prince Sawara, the emperor's brother, was framed for an assassination and died of indignation, and that Emperor Kanmu was haunted by his vengeful ghost because a number of imperial family members died afterward.
- source : asahi shinbun -
桓武天皇 . Prince Sawara (早良親王, Sawara-shinnō) .



. Taira no Masakado 平将門 (? – 940) .
Possible reincarnation of Sugawara Michizane . . .

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What is a kenboko?
剣鉾 (けんぼこ)



The kenboko is a ritual apparatus used to appease evil spirits. In festivals, it takes the lead position during the passage of mobile shrines. The shape of the kenboko has been linked to such ancient weapons as bronze swords and halberds, although the connection is by no means definite.

Of more certainty, is its association with belief in the spirits of the dead, during the Heian Period. In 869, during the first Gion Goryo-e (meaning "service for souls"; later to become Gion Matsuri), 66 tall spears (hoko) were erected in Shinsen Garden, after which prayers were offered in the hope of driving away the pestilence then ravaging the city.

Nenjugyoji Emaki, a series of picture scrolls depicting annual events from the Heian Period, show a festival hoko leading the passage of a mobile shrine during Gion Goryoe. Historical materials from around the beginning of the Muromachi Period show kenboko in forms close to those of the present day.

The rakuchu-rakugai-zu folding screen illustrations in the Uesugi Family Book from the late Muromachi Period show a Goryo-sha kenboko procession.


Toya-kazari of Kenboko
Kenboko serve to appease evil spirits by appearing in festivals in a ritual called kenboko-zashi (bearing of the kenboko). People who come under the protection of the deity to whom the shrine is dedicated are responsible for looking after the kenboko. The kenboko themselves are procured by the local community or a Hoko Association.

Therefore, kenboko do not usually belong to a shrine. Rather, they are the property of a community in that shrine's jurisdiction, or a Hoko Association. Each year the kenboko is passed to a different residence in the community, where it is feted for the following 12 months. This practice is called toya-kazari.


A kenboko is typically made up of kensaki (point of the sword), shingaku (deity plaque), kazari (ornamentation), fukichiri (standard) and rin (bells). All of these are attached to a long pole.

The kensaki is made of thin metal, while the shingaku carries the name of the shrine, the deity to which it is dedicated, and the name of the era from which it derived. Kazari, or ornamentation, includes crests and heraldic emblems of plants and animals, elaborately crafted in metal. Each kenboko takes its name from the kazari designs.

When carried in procession, the kenboko is placed vertically in a pouch secured around the waist. As the bearer walks, he moves the kenboko back and forth, up and down, all the while ringing the bells. As kenboko are 6~7 metres long and weigh about 60 kg, this kind of movement calls for a high degree of skill.

The Main Kenboko Festivals in Kyoto:
Kumano Shrine Jinko Festival April 29
Shinsen Garden Shinsen Garden Festival May 1~3
Saginomori Shrine Annual Festival May 4
Imamiya Shrine Imamiya Festival
..... From May 5 to a Sunday near May 15
Otoyo Shrine Ujigami Festival May 5
Hachidai Shrine Jinko Festival May 5
Jinushi Shrine Jinushi Festival May 5
Suga Shrine Jinko Festival May 10

Gojo Tenjinsha (shrine) Ujiko Festival October 10
Sugadaijin Shrine Annual Festival 2nd Sunday in May
Ichihime Shrine Ichihime Festival Sunday nearest May 13
Nagi Shrine Jinko Festival 3rd Sunday in May
Ebisu Shrine Annual Grand Festival 3rd Sunday in May
Atago Shrine Nonomiya Shrine Saga Festival 4th Sunday in May
Seimei Shrine Jinko Festival September 23
Kitano Tenmangu (shrine) Zuiki Festival October 1~4
Kita shirakawa Tenjingu (shrine) Annual Festival October 7
Awata Shrine Awata Grand Festival October 10
Hiraoka Hachimangu (shrine) Annual Festival October 10
Kono shimaza Amaterasu Omikami Shrine (Kaikono yashiro)
... Annual Festival October 10
Kasuga Shrine Kasuga Festival 2nd Sunday in October
Yoshida Shrine / Imamiya Shrine Imamiya Shrine Annual Festival 2nd Saturday in October
Hachi Shrine Autumn Grand Festival 3rd Sunday in October
Fukuoji Shrine Autumn Grand Festival 3rd Sunday in October
Sumiyoshi Otomo Shrine Jinko Festival 3rd Sunday in October
Okazaki Shrine Ujiko Grand Festival October 16
Jonangu (shrine) Jinko Festival Sunday nearest October 20
Yuki Shrine Kurama Fire Festival October 22
Iwakura Shrine Annual Festival 4th Saturday in October


Kenboko from Shrine Kasuga Jinja

source : www.kyobunka.or.jp


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kigo for early summer

Imamiya matsuri 今宮祭 (いまみやまつり)
Imamiya shrine festival


Imamiya matsuri oide 今宮祭御出(いまみやまつりおいで)
take part in the Imamiya festival

From May 5 to a Sunday near May 15
Three large ox-drawn festival floats are paraded around town.

CLICK for more photos

A Shinto shrine located in Kita-ku, Kyoto, Japan. It was originally established for patrons to pray for safety from an epidemic, though it has evolved into a shrine where patrons can pray for general good health.

On every second Sunday in April, one of the 3 major festivals in Kyoto, Yasurai Matsuri 安良居祭 (やすらいまつり), is held at the shrine. The word imamiya (今宮) means "newly constructed.

There are several attractions that are unique to Imamiya Shrine. Specifically, there are two longstanding restaurants adjacent to the shrine. These shops' specialty are aburimochi - skewered, roasted rice cakes that are a traditional Kyoto confection. The two restaurants, named Ichiwa and Kazariya, have been open since 1002 and 1656 respectively and are located immediately outside the shrine's east gate.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !


. WASHOKU : aburimochi あぶりもち


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HAIKU


半日は神を友にや年忘れ
hanjitsu wa kami o tomo ni ya toshi wasure

half a day
I spent in the company of the gods -
this Year-End Party

Tr. Gabi Greve

Basho spent the last day of the year with the priest Ogurusu Yuugen 小栗栖祐玄 Yugen
at the shrine Kami Goryoo Jinja 上御霊神社

Discussion of this hokku
. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .


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Related words

***** . Gion Festival (Gion matsuri)  
祇園祭り (ぎおんまつり)

***** . Sugawara Michizane 菅原道真 .

. ikiryoo 生霊 . 生き霊 Ikiryo“living spirit” .


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4/23/2011

Taga Shrine Festivals

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Taga Shrine Festivals

***** Location: Taga, Shiga
***** Season: See below.
***** Category: Observance


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Explanation

Taga Taisha 多賀大社 Great Taga Shrine
in Shiga prefecture
http://www.tagataisya.or.jp/



quote
Two deities are enshrined at Taga Taisha - Izanagi no-Okami (father of Amaterasu-Omikami enshrined in Ise Jingu) and Izanami no-Okami. It is popular among many believers as a shrine of life prolongation and longevity while also protecting people against evils.
The shrine has a long history indeed as it even appeared on "Kojiki", the oldest record of events in the country completed in 712.

On its grounds is a rock called the Chojuseki that is believed to be effective at life prolongation. Additionally, the Otaga-Jakushi, a charm to protect you from sickness and grant you longevity, is sold for 300 yen a piece which is indeed popular among many.

The Okushoin Teien (place of scenic beauty) is a unique type of garden that can be seen by looking down from the Shoin. Actualizing a wonderful harmony with the Okushoin, the two features indeed create a beautiful landscape.

The Itokiri-mochi sold at "Tagaya" in front of the shrine is a famous confection that is elegantly sweet. It is made by stretching a soft lump of rice cake with a filling into a thin strip and cutting it into several pieces with a string.

Otaga-shakushi (お多賀杓子):
A talisman shakushi (Japanese ladle) from the reign of Empress Genshō. Allegedly the origin of the Japanese word otamajakushi.
source : www.japan-i.jp

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Korei taisai (古例大祭)
Most important festival held on April 23. Also known as
Taga-matsuri (多賀まつり).
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



Otaue-sai (御田植祭) (O-taue sai)
A festival of planting rice with traditional rites.
June 7.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !




Mantoo-sai
(万灯祭) (Manto sai)
Lantern festival held on the night of August 3-5.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



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Taga Castle, the capital of Mutsu Province

Tagajo  多賀城 Tagajo Castle in Miyagi pref.

宮城県多賀城市
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


quote
Tagajō (多賀城市, Tagajō-shi) is a city located in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.
The city was named after Taga Castle, the capital of Mutsu Province.

As of 2010, the city has an estimated population of 63,256 and the population density of 3,220 persons per km². The total area is 19.64 km².

The present day city was founded on November 1, 1971.
The tsunami in 869 caused extensive flooding of the Sendai plain, destroying the town of Tagajō. Archaeological investigations have identified the remains of 8th and 9th century buildings beneath the present town, covered by sediments dated to the middle of the 10th century.

The town was again seriously affected by the tsunami caused by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake. As of 7 April 2011, 177 people were known dead, with 15 missing. 1,811 people were living in shelters.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !




Great Haiku Meeting at Tagajo
壺の碑全国俳句大会 Tsubo no Hi
in October

There is also a great tea ceremony.
source : www.city.tagajo.miyagi.jp


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HAIKU



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Related words

***** . WKD : Main Index  


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4/22/2011

Yasukuni Shrine

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Yasukuni Shrine Festival

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


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Explanation

Yasukuni matsuri 靖国祭 (やすくにまつり)
Yasukuni shrine festival

Shookonsai 招魂祭(しょうこんさい)
Shokonsai, "soul summoning rite", "spirit inviting rite"

April 21 till 23
Shunki Reitaisai (Annual Spring Festival)

Purification ritual in the afternoon of 21.
Official prayers for the Dead on 22.


Yasukuni Shrine 靖国神社 Yasukuni Jinja
is a Shinto shrine located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It is dedicated to the soldiers and others who died fighting on behalf of the Emperor of Japan.
Currently, its Symbolic Registry of Divinities lists the names of over 2,466,000 enshrined men and women whose lives were dedicated to the service of Imperial Japan, particularly to those killed in wartime. It also houses one of the few Japanese war museums dedicated to World War II. There are also commemorative statues to mothers and animals who sacrificed in the war.
The shrine has attracted controversy for enshrining a number of war criminals from the Second World War.


Yasukuni is a shrine to house the actual souls of the dead as kami, or "spirits/souls" as loosely defined in English. It is believed that all negative or evil acts committed are absolved when enshrinement occurs. This activity is strictly a religious matter since the separation of State Shinto and the Japanese government in 1945.

The priesthood at the shrine has complete religious autonomy to decide to whom and how enshrinement may occur. They believe that enshrinement is permanent and irreversible. According to Shinto beliefs, by enshrining kami, Yasukuni Shrine provides a permanent residence for the spirits of those who have fought on behalf of the Emperor.
Yasukuni has all enshrined kami occupying the same single seat. The shrine is dedicated to give peace and rest to all those enshrined there.
It was the only place to which the Emperor of Japan bowed.

Enshrinement of war criminals
One of the controversies arises out of the enshrinement of World War II war criminals. In 1959, the kami of 1,068 Class-B and -C war criminals who had been executed after being sentenced to death by the military tribunals of the Allied Forces were enshrined at Yasukuni.


Annual celebrations
January 1: Shinnensai (New Year's Festival)

February 11: Kenkoku Kinensai (National Foundation Day)
Anniversary of the day on which Japan's first Emperor, Emperor Jimmu, is said to have founded the Japanese nation.

February 17: Kinensai (Spring Festival for Harvest)

April 21–23: Shunki Reitaisai 春季例大祭
(Annual Spring Festival)


April 29: Showasai (Showa Festival)—Emperor Showa's birthday

June 29: Gosoritsu Kinenbisai (Founding Day)
Commemoration of the founding of Yasukuni Jinja

July 13–16: Mitama Matsuri—
A mid-summer celebration of the spirits of the ancestors. The entry walk is decorated with 40 foot high walls of 29000 or more lanterns, and thousands of visitors come to pay respects to their lost relatives and friends.

October 17–20: Shuki Reitaisai (Annual Autumn Festival)

November 3: Meijisai (Emperor Meiji's Birthday)

November 23: Niinamesai (Festival of First Fruits)

December 23: Tenno gotanshin Hoshukusai
(Birthday of the Current Emperor)

The first, 11th and 21st day of each month: Tukinamisai

Every day:
Asa Mikesai, Yu Mikesai, Eitai Kagurasai (perpetual Kagura festivals)

© More in the WIKIPEDIA !


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Amulet from Yasukuni Shrine

. . . CLICK here for more Amulets !


Homepage of Yasukuni Shrine

source : www.yasukuni.or.jp



Oonusa 大麻 (おおぬさ) Onusa Amulet


source : Yasukuni Amulets


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a car named : Daruma Serika ダルマ・セリカ



A car race starting from Yasukuni shrine
靖国神社をスタート
finish at Kamigamo Shrine, Kyoto
京都は上賀茂神社

source : minkara.carview.co.jp


. . . CLICK here for "Daruma Serika" Photos !


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HAIKU


靖国祭喜寿の報告父にせり
Yasukuni sai kiju no hookoku chichi ni seri

Yasukuni shrine festival -
I report to my father
I am now seventy-seven


Saito Mamoru 佐藤守



kiju 喜寿 is a special birthday in Japan.
Special Birthdays in Japan


kanreki 還暦 60th birthday
. The Circle of 60 Years .


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Related words

***** . Kenkoku kinenbi 建国記念日 (けんこくきねんび)
National Foundation Day of Japan .



***** . OBSERVANCES – SPRING SAIJIKI .


. Amulets and Talismans from Japan . 

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4/17/2011

Tomobata Flag Festival

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Tomobata Flag Festival (tomobata matsuri)

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


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Explanation

Tomobata matsuri 伴旗祭 (ともばたまつり)
Tomobata Flag Festival

..... Ogikoo sai 小木港祭(おぎこうさい)Ogiko Harbour Festival

April 17 and 18



shrine Mifune Jinja 御船神社

Ishikawa prefecture, 
Uchiura machi, 石川県 内浦町 御船神社


quote
This spring Festival is dedicated to Mifune Shrine.
This Festival is also known as Mifune Matsuri. The 10 boats are decorated with 5 coloured Fukinagashi streamers. A huge streamer which is 20 m tall and 2 m wide and is made by stringing 500 Minogami washi papers is erected on the catamaran boat.
This huge streamer is called Tomobata.



These boats then rove around the Ogi Bay in tune with the rallying cries of "Yo-Yo-" and music of flutes, bells and drums. The scene which looks like a painting from an old picture scroll is sure to take you back in time.
source : hot-ishikawa.jp





The Tomobata 伴旗 flags.

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Other festivals in Ishikawa, Noto area

Abare (Rampage) Festival
Nights of the first Friday and Saturday of July
Abare Festival is dedicated to Yasaka Shrine in Ushitsu of Noto Peninsula.


Issaki Hoto Festival
First Saturday of August
This is one of the biggest and most lively summer festivals of Noto where spirited men from the area around a fishing town called Ishizaki parade through the streets bearing Kiriko lanterns


Seihakusai
May 3rd - 5th
This Festival is a designated as Japan's Important Intangible Cultural Property and is widely known as "Seihakusai Dekayama Festival".


Okuma Kabuto Festival
September 20th
One of Japan's Important Intangible Cultural Properties. This important Festival is dedicated to Kuma Kabuto Arakashi-hiko Shrine which is also known as Kuma Kabuto shrine. This Festival is also known as "20th Day Festival" since it is celebrated on 20th of September every year.


Wajima Taisai (Great Festival of Wajima)
August 23rd - 25th
10 meter tall festival lanterns called Kiriko as well as smaller portable paper lanterns are carried through the town streets along with portable shrines called 'omikoshi'.


Nafune Gojinjo Drum
Almost everyday from July to October;
The Gojinjo Drum Performance is a traditional folk entertainment in the Nafune area. It is said that the drummers wearing ghost masks and seaweed hair fought off the armies of Uesugi Kenshin who tried to attack the area in 1577.


Noto's Sakura (Cherry blossom) Station
April
Kashima, Anamizu-machi


Komaruyama Park's Sakura
April
This was originally the site of Nanao Castle founded close to the seashore by the 1st Lord of Kaga Province, Lord Maeda.


Shio Yawaragi no Sato
April
With 1,500 trees of Someiyoshino cherry blossom variety, Yawaragi-no-Sato (Place of Peace) is one of Noto's most famous cherry blossoms viewing spot.
source : hot-ishikawa.jp


MORE Festivals
source : ishikawajet.wikia.com

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. Washi - Paper from Mino .


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HAIKU




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Related words

***** . Prayer flag, prayer flags.


***** . OBSERVANCES – SPRING SAIJIKI .



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4/14/2011

Senbu-E Myoken-Ji

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Reading the sutras 1000 times (senbu e )

***** Location: Kyoto
***** Season: Mit-spring
***** Category: Observance


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Explanation

Senbu-E 千部会 Ceremony of chanting sutras for 1000 times
法華千部会


At temple Myookenji 妙顯寺 Myoken-Ji, Kyoto
April 14

The sutra Hokekyo is chanted for 1000 times.

The temple was advised as a special prayer temple by the emperor Godaigo Tenno  後醍醐天皇 in 1335.


MORE photos:
source : shikaishodo.com



In 2013 the timing has been postponed to March 09, due to considerations of the Big Earthquake on March 11, 2011.
05月09日 - - 4月14日に行われた法華千部会の様子を更新致しました。

京都市上京区寺之内通新町西入妙顯寺前町514


Festivals of this temple

1月 -- 新年祈祷会
2月 -- 二の午 慶中様大祭
4月 -- 14日 法華千部会
6月 -- 16日 法華懺法会(後醍醐天皇聖忌会)
8月 -- 10日 盆施餓鬼法要
11月 -- 13日 宗祖御会式(開山日像菩薩御会式)
12月 -- 冬至 除災祈祷会
31日 -- 除夜の鐘撞


Look at the Garden

source : teien.html


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quote
This is another of several nearly identical portraits painted in the 16th & 17th Centuries. This one is kept at Myokenji Temple in Kyoto. It appears be part of a set that includes portraits of Chih-I T’ien T’ai and Saicho, aka Dengyo Daishi. IIRC, the portraits were painted in the late 1600′s.

The founder of this Temple was Nichizo (1269-1342), who was Nichiro’s half-brother. It is said that Nichiren, on his deathbed at Ikegami, commissioned Nichizo with the task of converting the emperor in Kyoto. I am curious if this is an oral legend, actually recorded in the authenticated Shuso Gosenge Kiroku, or, perhaps, from the apocryphal transmission ‘dox’ kept at Ikegami?

Ryuei on Nichizo & Myokenji:
In 1333, Myokenji Temple joined in the prayers for Emperor Godaigo’s success. Fortunately for Nichizo, the emperor was successful and the Kamakuran Shogunate fell in 1333. In 1334, the emperor recognized Myokenji Temple as an Imperial Prayer Temple. In this way, Nichiren Buddhism was finally given official recognition. Nichizo’s lineage would later be known as the Shijo Lineage due to the location of Myokenji Temple in Kyoto. The Myokenji Temple was burned down by Tendai sohei (soldier-monks) from Mt. Hiei in 1387. It was rebuilt in 1398 and renamed Myohonji. It took the name Myokenji again in 1519.”
— The Mission to Kyoto by Ryuei Michael McCormick

source : fraughtwithperil.com


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. Japan after the BIG earthquake March 11, 2011 .

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Chanting sutras for 1000 times, the same sutra or different ones, chanted by one priest or many, there are variations of this kind of event in other temples in Japan.

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HAIKU



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***** . NEW YEAR - the complete SAIJIKI


. Amulets and Talismans from Japan . 

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Maizuru Festivals INFO Kyoto

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Maizuru Festivals


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

. . . . .


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

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

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

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

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


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


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穴観音秋の大祭
Autumn Festival at Cave Kannon

Memorial for the Dead, where parishioners sing Buddhist pilgrim's hymns (goeika, go eika 御詠歌).
September 14
(the corresponding spring event is on April 14)
穴観世音菩薩 Ana Kanzeon Bosatsu



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

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



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

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まいづる魚まつり
Maizuru Fish Festival
October

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



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Things found on the way


由良のとを わたる舟人 かぢをたえ
行く方もしらぬ恋の道かな


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

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


46 - Sone no Yoshitada 曽禰好忠

. Ogura Hyakunin Isshu Poems 小倉百人一首 .


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Related words

***** . WKD : Main Index  


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Hiyoshi Shrine Festivals

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Hiyoshi Shrine Festivals

***** Location: Otsu
***** Season: Various, see below
***** Category: Observance


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Explanation



Hiyoshi Shrine (日吉大社 Hiyoshi taisha),
also known as Hiyoshi jinja (日吉神社) or Hie jinja,
is a Shinto shrine located at 大津 Ōtsu in Shiga Prefecture, Japan.

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. Three years later in 994, Ichijō refined the scope of that composite list by adding Umenomiya Shrine and Gion Shrine, which is now known as Yasaka Jinja.

In 1039, Emperor Go-Suzaku ordered that one more shrine be added to the grouping created by Murakami and Ichijō -- the Hie jinja. This unique number of Imperial-designated shrines has not been altered since that time.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !



Sanno, the "Mountain King"
A branch of Shinto that took shape in the Tendai sect, based on the cult of the Mountain King (Sannō) at the Hiyoshi Taisha (alt., Hie Taisha), tutelary shrine (chinjusha) for the temple Enryakuji. Its early modern doctrines that concern the shrine Tōshōgū are specially distinguished as Ichijitsu Shintō, the "Shinto of the Single Reality." The original Hie deity was the mountain kami on Mt. Hiei; interaction between it and the Tendai sect began with Saichō's founding of the Enryakuji.
The appellation "Mountain King" follows a general Buddhist practice of designating mountain deities as such ...
source : Sato Masato, Kokugakuin


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kigo for late spring

Sannoo matsuri 山王祭 (さんのうまつり) Sanno Festival

Sanno sai, San-O Festival

Hiyoshi matsuri 日吉祭(ひよしまつり) Hiyoshi festival

sakaki giri 榊伐(さかきぎり)cutting sakaki branches

sarumatsuri 申祭(さるまつり)monkey festival
saru no jinku 猿の神供(さるのじんく)ritual for the monkey

uma no shinji 午の神事(うまのしんじ) ritual for the horse
hitsuji no goku 未の御供(ひつじのごく)ritual for the sheep

April 14
At the Grand Hie (Hiyoshi) Shrine at Otsu

滋賀県大津市坂本町の日吉神社
It used to be on the middle day of the monkey (naka no saru 中の申) of the Asian lunar calendar, therefore it is also called "Monkey Festival".
It dates back to 1303.
The cutting of sacred sakaki branches happens on April 3.
On the "day of the horse" the mikoshi were carried to the mountain top at midnight.
An the 12th the mikoshi are pulled out in a nightly procession illuminated with large pine torches and on the main day 7 large mikoshi parade the streets.


. WKD : Sakaki tree (sakaki 榊) .

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There are three major festivals in Otsu:

Sanno Festival - April 12-15
Senko Festival - August 16
Otsu Festival - October 9-10

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. Hie Shrine Festival (Hie Jinja Sairei 日枝神社祭礼)
Sannoo matsuri 山王祭(さんのうまつり)Sanno festival
In Edo/Tokyo
kigo for mid-summer

The Hie Jinja Shrine (Tokyo) is dedicated to Sanno Gongen (山王権現), which translates literally as "Mountain King Avatar" of Sannoo, the deity who dwells on Mt. Hiei between Kyoto and Lake Biwa.

SANNO GONGEN 山王権現
SARUGAMI 猿神
Monkeys are patrons of harmonious marriage and safe childbirth at some of the 3,800 Hie Jinja shrines in Japan. ... The monkey is Sannou's Shinto messenger (tsukai 使い) and Buddhist avatar (gongen 権現).
Sarugami is the Shinto deity to whom the three monkeys (hear, speak, see no evil) are reportedly faithful.
source : Mark Schumacher


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quote
Hiyoshi Taisha Shrine [山王総本宮日吉大社]
Hiyoshi Taisha Shrine is the head shrine of approximately 3,800 Hiyoshi, Hie and Sanno shrines throughout Japan.

The history of Hiyoshi Taisha is long. It is recorded in "Kojiki," the oldest historiography in Japan written in 712. Its vast premises (about 430,000 m2) of this shrine are laid at the foot of Mt. Hachioji, east side of Mt. Hiei.
The shrine is comprised of two zones, Higashi Hongu (West main shrine) and Nishi Hongu (East main shrine), with many smaller shrines in the area.

In the Muromachi Period, the heyday of Hiyoshi Taisha Shrine, 108 shrines were located on its grounds and another 108 shrines outside the shrine premises.

Among many shrine buildings, main halls of Higashi Hongu (West main shrine) and Nishi Hongu (East main shrine) are designated as national treasures. Also, many structures of this shrine are recognized as important cultural assets of Japan including worship halls of the both Higashi Hongu and Nishi Hongu, Nishi Hongu Ro-mon Gate, the red two-storied gate with the carving of a monkey, and Sanno-torii Gate.

Spectacular shrine pavilions of architectural beauty, which were built in the Muromachi Period and the beginning of Edo Period, are scattered in the deep forest Mt. Hachioji and along the torrents of the Omiya River. The beauty of the autumn leaves in Hiyoshi Taisha Shrine is renowned. The premises are illuminated at night during the autumn season. In springtime many kinds of cherry blossoms fill the prefectural road from Keihan Railway Sakamoto Station to the entrance of Hiyoshi Taisha Shrine.
Also, Sanno Festival, the festival of Hiyoshi Taisha Shrine, is held in spring every year.
source : www.japan-i.jp


- quote
かつては境内108社・境外108社と言われていた。
以下に示す21社は主なものであり、山王二十一社と総称される
(Now there are 21 shrines in the compound
- one of them is dedicated to Fudo Myo-O
摂社
- shrine name - 早尾神社 Hayao Jinja
- Deity in residence - 素盞嗚神 - Susanoo no Mikoto
Old naming 早尾 -- 不動明王
- source : ja.wikipedia.org




This is a namikiri Fudo 波切不動明王.
- no photo fount yet -




There is also a
Yamakami Fudo Son 山上不動尊

in the compound, where a large sugi cedar with a shimenawa is celebrated.


Every month on the 28 fire rituals for Fudo Myo-O are held.
滋賀県大津市山上町
source : tanuki838.web.fc2.com/Taki


. Fudō Myō-ō, Fudoo Myoo-Oo 不動明王 Fudo Myo-O
Acala Vidyârâja - Vidyaraja - Fudo Myoo .




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quote
Sannō Shinkō - Sanno Shinko
The cult that began at Hiyoshi Taisha (Hiesha) at the foot of Mount Hiei. Originally, Sannō was the "mountain kami" (yama no kami) of Mount Hiei, but came to be worshipped as the protective kami of the Tendai (Chi. T'ient'ai) sect and of the temple Enryakuji. After the mid-Heian Period, when the temple Enryakuji developed as a kenmon (central land-owning institution) temple complex, imperial court devotion to Hiesha increased.

Courts such as that of Enyū emperor (reigned 969 ~ 984) conducted occasional festivals there and finally recognized Hieisha as one of the "Twenty-two Shrines" (nijūnisha). Moreover, from the end of the Heian Period through the medieval period, Hieisha became as popular as "Kumano's Three Peaks" (Kumano sanzan) as a pilgrimage site (sankei) among everyone from emperors and retired emperors to aristocrats and commoners.

At the beginning of the medieval period, along with the popularity of belief in "child deities" (dōji) and "offspring shrines" (wakamiya), the popularity of Jūzenji shrine (currently called Jugegū – one of Sannō's seven main shrines) surpassed that of Hieisha's Ōmiya shrine in which Hiesha's principle "enshrined kami" (saijin) is worshipped.

As the protective deity of Tendai temples and of Enryakuji or Hiesha's land holdings, Sannō "emanations" became worshipped (bunshi) throughout Japan resulting in the further spread of the cult of Sannō.

Because Hiesha is located to the northeast of Kyōto, it became regarded as a guardian against the evil spirits entering the capital from "demon gate" (kimono) northeastern direction, and as a result sacred images (shinzō) of divine monkeys believed to be Sannō's "divine messengers" (shinshi) were enshrined in the northeastern corner of the Heian imperial palace.
source : Sato Masato
Kokugakuin University 2007


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quote
Numazu Hie-jinja 沼津 日枝神社 Hie Shrine in Numazu
Hie Shrine in Numazu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, had been the head guardian shrine of 22 villages in the area before the Meiji period (1868-1912). The enshrined deities are Ooyamakui no Kami The guardian god of Mt. Hiei), Oomunachi no Kami and Ootoshigami. It is said that the shrine was founded by Fujiwara no Moromichi’s mother in 1100 in the clan’s manor, which was called “Ooka-sho” at that time.

Fujiwara no Moromichi was a head of the Fujiwara clan and served as Kampaku and Udaijin. Having come into colligion with the Tendai monks in Mt. Hiei, he ordered to attack them in 1095. As some monks were wounded in the battle and this aroused anger of the monks, he was placed a curse and died young in 1099. Thus his mother transferred the three dieties of Hiyoshi Taisha Shrine in Mt. Hiei to appease the anger of the deities of Mt. Hiei.

Traditionally, the school of Shinto which believes in the guardian deity of Mt. Hiei is called the Sanno (the King of Mountain) Shinto; hereby this shrine is also called “Sanno-sha”. The annual festival held for two days from September 23 every year is popularly called “Sanno-san” by the local people and enjoyed as the representative event of the city that tells of the coming of autumn.

The shrine is also famous for the collection of important old documents including Sanno Reikenki in Shihon-Chakushoku style (paper-based colored), which is a nationally designated Important Cultural Property.
In the precinct is a stone monument inscribed with a poem by Matsuo Basho.
source : nippon-kichi.jp




都出て神も旅寝の日数哉
miyako idete kami mo tabine no hikazu kana

I left the capital
and shared many nights on the road
with the gods


Matsuo Basho, 1691

Basho had left Kyoto late in the 10th lunar month and arrived in Numazu on his way to Edo early in the 11th lunar month, just when the gods are absentin Izumo and might have been on their way home too.

. WKD : Gods are absent (kami no rusu) .

. Numazu-juku 沼津宿 Numazu postal station .


MORE - hokku about Kyoto
. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .


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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way



. Sumiyoshi Grand Shrine
(住吉大社, Sumiyoshi-taisha)



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 including the Sumiyoshi Shrine.

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Monkey Amulet from Hiyoshi Shrine


Click for more images!

saru monkey - a pun on the sound of SARU

ma ga saru 魔が去る evil is leaving
ma saru 魔去る evil is leaving
masaru 勝る winning


神猿 Masaru


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O-Saru Sama お猿様 Honoarble Mister Monkey

Monkey amulets from shrine Hagi Hiyoshi Jinja in Saitama.
萩日吉神社

They are simple wooden dolls with simple monkey faces.
The wood is taken from the trees in the temple ground, a kind of willow, doro no ki 泥の木/白楊 (doro yanagi).
People used to stick one needle into the monkey, at the part they were acheing themselves, or when the children got a stomach ache or other complaint, and hoped for the deity to cure their disease. (byooki sa saru - may the disease go away). They put the monkey on their shelf for the gods and prayed to it.
The monkey would then take on the disease and heal it, as a kind of migawari, personal substitute .

When the person gets better people would bring the monkey back in an act of gratitude (osame no saru 納めの猿).

They are sold on the special market during the festival on the third sunday in January.
At this shrine, there is also a yabusame festival, shooting arrows from horseback, once in three years.


. Saru 申 / 猿 Monkey Amulets .

. Migawari - personal substitute amulets .


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HAIKU




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Related words

***** . Gion Festival (Gion matsuri 祇園祭り)

***** . Shrine Karasaki Jinja 唐崎神社 .
and the Hiyoshi shrine in Otsu


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4/08/2011

O no Mai Wakasa

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O no Mai (oo no mai 王の舞) dance of the king
'O-no Mai'



quote
The 'Ono Mai' dance, held every April 8th at Uwase Jinja (Shrine) is designated as one of the nation's intangible folklore cultural assets.
It involves a lively ritual dance performed as a prayer to secure good harvests, bumper catches of fish and nation-wide peace.

More about festivals in Wakasa:
source : www.wakasa-mikatagoko.jp

source : www.town.fukui-wakasa.lg.jp


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Uwase Shrine (宇波西神社), Mikata, on April 8th.
The dancer, who wore a red-faced and long-nosed mask (like Tengu) and dressed in red clothes, performed a valiant dance to wish a bumper harvest this year.





Water-spouting statue of cormorant in Temizuya
(手水舎, purification trough) at Uwase Jinja (宇波西神社).
Uwase Jinja enshrines Ugayafukiaezu-no-mikoto (鵜草葺不合尊, meaning "cormorant-rush-thatching-unfinished"), who is the father of Emperor Jinmu, and is originated in a folklore with a cormorant. Cormorant is a holy bird here.

- Shared by Taisaku Nogi -
Joys of Japan, 2012

- More photos on FB by Taisaku Nogi

. temizuya 手水舎 purification font, purification trough .


This dance is performed at many shrines in the Wakasa region. Probably its origin was a "Dragon King Dance" ryuuoo no mai 竜王の舞.
Or
maybe people chased a wild oxen and put on a tengu mask to chase it.

The first dance is performed with long spears, and sometimes called
sanben kaeshi 三遍返し(さんべんかえし)
followed by
honmai 本舞 main dance
suzume odori 雀踊り(すずめおどり)dance of the starlings
nigirimeshi ニギリメシ "Nigiri rice balls"

Every shrine has its own unique version of the dance, which is performed at the Shrine Spring Festival. In Wakasa, this is the sign that spring has finally come.

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Shrine Uwase Jinja 宇波西神社
Mikata, Wakasa 三方郡 若狭 
上瀬宮 (Kamise no miya)

Uwase shinji 宇波西神事 Uwase Shinto ritual
宇波西神社の神事芸能



source : fujun/archives

This shrine was one of the most important along the Hokuriku coast of Japan.
The customs came from Hyuuga in Miyazaki 日向(宮崎県), here called Hiruga 日向(ひるが) around 701. On the 8th day of the third lunar month, each home was purified (yagitoo やぎとう) by a Shinto ritual, complete with Dengaku dance and food offerings.
(This is now celebrated on April 8.)

In the village of Hiruga, once the fisherman Rokuro-Uemon 六郎右衛門 was visited by a cormorant, who asked him to help a princess at the bottom of the sea. At the bottom he found a sword, which be brought to his home and prayed to it on his Shinto house altar. Then in his dream the deity Ugayafukiaezu appeared and ordered him to build a shrine and pray to him at Kamise 上瀬. This is the old name of Uwase shrine.


Deitiy in residence



鵜草葺不合尊 Ugayafukiaezu no mikoto
盧茲草葺不合尊
father of Jinmu Tenno 神武天皇


quote
Ugayafukiaezu
Other names: Hikonagisatake ugayafukiaezu no mikoto(Kojiki)

The son of Hohodemi (Ninigi's son) and Toyotamabime (Watatsumi's daughter); the father of Emperor Jinmu.
Ugayafukiaezu's name ("cormorant-rush-thatching-unfinished") is associated with the events of his birth; according to an "alternate writing" related by Nihongi, the name was given by his mother Toyotamabime.
As an offspring of the imperial grandchild by a sea goddess, he was born within a parturition hut built beside the seashore. But his mother's labor began before the parturition hut was fully thatched with cormorant feathers, and Toyotamabime was seen in labor by Ninigi.
In humiliation, Toyotamabime wrapped the newborn child in grass, and abandoned him by the seashore, where he was found and raised by Toyotamabime's sister Tamayoribime. (Tamayori hime)

According to another "alternate writing" of Nihongi, Toyotamabime could not bring herself to abandon the child, and took him up and returned with him to her palace in the sea. Since she felt it unfit that an offspring of the Heavenly Grandchild be raised within the sea, however, she gave him to her sister Tamayoribime to be taken to the land.
Ugayafukiaezu later married his aunt Tamayoribime and fathered the kami Itsuse no mikoto, Inahi no mikoto, Mikenu no mikoto, and
Kamuyamatoiwarebiko (Emperor Jinmu)
.
source : Mori Mizue, Kokugakuin 2005


玉依姫
. Tamayori Hime from Yoshino Mikumari Jinja .


. Samekawa Ablutions (Samekawa misogi ) .
佐女川神社(さめがわじんじゃ) Shrine Samegawa Jinja
with
Tamayori hime no mikoto 玉依姫命(たまよりひめのみこと)


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Things found on the way



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HAIKU



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Related words

. U 鵜(う)cormorant .
The cormorant is the sacred animal of the deity
鵜草葺不合尊 Ugayafukiaezu no mikoto


. The Dragon Art Gallery – 2012 .

***** . Japan - Shrines and Temples .


. Amulets and Talismans from Japan . 

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