Saga in Kyoto

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Saga　嵯峨 Spring Festivals

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

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Explanation

Saga is an area in Kyoto, Arashiyama Saikyo-ku district.
京都市右京区の嵐山.

There are many large temples in the area, which was used by the courtiers as a retreat after leaving politics.

Daikakuji 大覚寺 Temple Daikaku-Ji
see below


Seiryooji 清涼寺 Temple Seiryo-Ji, Shakado 釈迦堂
see below


. Tenryuuji 天竜寺 - 天龍寺 Temple Tenryu-Ji .
Rinzai Zen Temple


Daruma painted by Seki Bokuoo (1903 - 1991)
関牧翁の筆

- Shared by Charlie Smith at Kyoto.
Joys of Japan, March 2012



Many festivals of these temples are kigo.

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Emperor Saga

Emperor Saga (嵯峨天皇, Saga-tennō) (786–842)
was the 52nd emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 809 through 823.

Saga was a scholar of the Chinese classics. He was also a renowned as a skillful calligrapher.

According to legend,
he was the first Japanese emperor to drink tea.

Emperor Saga Tenno played an important role as a stalwart supporter of the Buddhist monk Kūkai Kobo Daishi. The emperor helped Kūkai to establish the Shingon School of Buddhism by granting him the Toji temple in the capital Heian-kyō (present day Kyoto).

Saga's grandson, Minamoto no Tōru, is thought to be an inspiration for the protagonist of the novel The Tale of Genji.
In ancient Japan, there were four noble clans, the Gempeitōkitsu (源平藤橘). One of these clans, the Minamoto clan are also known as Genji (源氏), and of these, the Saga Genji (嵯峨源氏) are descended from 52nd emperor Saga.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

. Saga Tenno 嵯峨天皇 and 弘法大師空海 Kukai Legends .

- 9 more legends to explore -

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kigo for mid-spring



Saga no hashira taimatsu
嵯峨の柱炬 (さがのはしらたいまつ)
Saga torch ceremony

..... Saga o-taimatsu 嵯峨御松明（さがおたいまつ）
..... hashira taimatsu 柱松明（はしらたいまつ）
..... o-taimatsu 御松明（おたいまつ）

In memory of the anniversary of Shakyamuni Buddha on March 15 at the temple Seiryo-Ji. (originally it was held on February 15.)

嵯峨御松明式
At about seven thirty at night, three torches of about seven meters length and 1.5 meters diameter are lit. From the power of the flames the good fortune and harvest of the coming year is divined.

One of the three famous fire festivals of Kyoto.

. . WKD : Fire Festivals of Japan 　


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kigo for late spring



Saga Dainenbutsu Kyoogen
嵯峨大念仏狂言（さがだいねんぶつきょうげん）
Amida Buddha Prayer Kyogen
..... Saga dainenbutsu 嵯峨大念仏 (さがのだいねんぶつ)
..... Saga nenbutsu 嵯峨念仏（さがねんぶつ）Saga nembutsu


One of the three most important prayer kyogen performances at the Shakado hall of temple Seiryo-Ji. This prayer ceremony is held in spring and autumn, but the spring one is the kigo.
It used to be on march 15, but now it is held for two days on a saturday and sunday in mid-april.
It was started by saint Engaku at temple Mibudera (Mibu Nenbutsu) in the year 1279., who prayed to see his deceased mother again.
It is now an intangible cultural folk property.
Like in the Mibu Nenbutsu, there are no words, but only the sound of the gong "kanden kanden" and the big drum. It is really quite a rural dance performance of Old Saga.

The various performances are called

Hana nusubito 花盗人
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

Daibutsu kuyoo 大仏供養

Yo-uchi Soga 夜討曽我
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

and others.

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Saga men 嵯峨面 masks from Saga


Fudo Myo-O in red 不動明王面（赤）

Look here for more from the Fujiwara family masks:
source : fujiwara/


Originally the masks from the Shakado Kyogen were produced from papermachee and sold at the temple as amulets for the visitors. This custom was abolished during the Meiji period.
Now it has been picked up again by Fujiwara Fuseki 藤原孚石.
His son and grandson are now producing these simple, but charming masks.

They are made by plastering washi paper into the mold, then taking the mask out and coloring it. This is now the job of the second generation Fuseki. His son still has to learn how to plaster the masks.
The paper is taken from old books, since this is the strongest washi. He uses pages with Hiragana for female masks and pages with Kanji for male masks.
There are now about 30 different kinds made by the Fujiware family.


CLICK for more photos !



. Masks from Japan .


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. . WKD : Namu Amida Butsu, the Amida Prayer 　


. . WKD : Kyogen, kyoogen　狂言 and Haiku 　


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External LINKS

The Living Buddha – Seiryoji Temple, Kyoto
http://www.japannavigator.com/2007/04/13/the-living-buddha-seiryoji-temple-kyoto/


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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way


. WASHOKU
厄落としの大根焚き（お会式）Daikotaki
Cooking Radishes for Nichiren 　
at Temple Sanpo-Ji 三寳寺 （さんぽうじ）

with tofu from Saga 嵯峨豆腐.
Sagadoofu is the starting point of Kyoto Tofu, with its beans from the Saga plain and fresh water from the nearby forests.


mukashidoofu むかし豆腐 old-fashioned tofu (touhu)
Made by the shop Morika 森嘉（もりか）near Shakado Hall (Seiryo-ji Temple).
It is made with sumashi-ko すまし粉）, sekko, a kind of calcium sulfate instead of nigari. This dates back to a time after the war when they could not get any real nigari and had to find a substitute.
The store uses only the old equipment and all is made by hand.　Only a small amount of this tofu is made every day for sale.

Kawabata Yasunari was fond of this hard tofu.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

Morika no karashidoofu からし豆腐 tofu with mustard flavor


. WASHOKU
Famous Dishes from Kyoto 　





松明の火の粉映して嵯峨豆腐
taimatsu no hi no ko terashite Sagadoofu

light up by the sparks
from the huge torch ...
tofu from Saga

Shimaoka Kaihyoo 島岡海豹
http://web.kyoto-inet.or.jp/people/morig191/haiku.html



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浅春の井水溢らせ嵯峨豆腐
senshun no seisui afurase Sagadoofu

overflowing with
well water from early spring ...
tofu from Saga

Hiko ヒコ
http://nashi.shashin-haiku.jp/node/71915





Daruma on a lantern at a shop in Saga



. WASHOKU
aburimochi, aburi mochi あぶりもち. のあぶり餅
slightly roasted dumplings 　
from Saga, Kyoto



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HAIKU

いざのぼれ嵯峨の鮎食ひに都鳥　
iza nobore Saga no ayu kui ni miyakodori

Let's go up to Saga,
You seagulls,
And eat trout!

Yasuhara Teishitsu 安原貞室 (1610-73)
Tr. Blyth


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Seiryooji 清涼寺 Temple Seiryo-Ji
Shakado 釈迦堂 The Shaka Hall


行秋やすでに御釈迦は京の空
yuku aki ya sude ni o-shaka wa kyoo no sora

autumn ends--
already the Buddha
fills Kyoto's sky
Tr. David Lanoue

or

autumn ends--
already the statue of Buddha Shakyamuni
is under the sky of Kyoto
Tr. Gabi Greve


In a prescript to this haiku, Kobayashi Issa alludes to a statue of Gautama Buddha being returned to its temple in Kyoto.

Seiryooji 清涼寺 Temple Seiryo-Ji in Saga, Kyoto, is quite famous for the sandalwood statue of Gautama Shakyamuni which is about 160 cm high and rather simple in a robe of Indian style of Gandhara Buddhas. It was made in China and had the intestines made of silk inside.



The statue had been shown at the temple Eko-In 回向院 (Ekooin) in Edo in 1810.

By using the expression sude ni Issa shows us that the Buddha statue is already back home, while he is still in Edo, trying to get his inheritage, to get back under his own sky in Shinano.


In 538 the very first Buddha image to arrive in Japan was a statue of Shakyamuni presented as a gift by a Korean king.
... in 1249 the priest Eison ordered a copy of the Seiryoji Shaka and installed it as the principal object of worship at the large Saidaiji temple in Nara.
... The Seiryoji Shaka is still shown on the 8th of each month.
source : www.taleofgenji.org


Seiryōjishiki Shaka 清凉寺式釈迦
LEGEND ABOUT SEIRYOUJI STATUE.
LEGEND ABOUT “UDAYANA” STATUE.
source : - Mark Schumacher -



. Tainai Butsu 胎内佛, 胎内仏 statue within the statue .


quote
Shaka Nyorai (Shakyamuni, Gautama Siddharta)
Die Verkörperung des Prinzen Shakyamuni Gautama (um 550 - 480), geboren in Kapila, Indien, der als Mensch tatsächlich gelebt, die Erleuchtung erlangt und diese Lehre dann verbreitet hat. Als Figuren des Religionsgründers waren Shaka-Statuen in der Asuka-Zeit in Japan zunächst besonders beliebt. Älteste Statuen in Indien aus Gandhara und Madura, um 100 v.Chr., in Japan aus der Asuka-Zeit, z.B. Shaka-Statue des Udenoo des Tempels Seiryooji in Kyooto mit fast noch indischem Faltenwurf.

Shaka-Statue des Udenoo
(Udenoo (Utenoo) Shaka, Zuizoo Shaka)
König Udayana (Udenoo, Utenoo) von Kausambii in Indien war ein Gläubiger, dessen Leben im Sutra Zooitsu Agonkyoo beschrieben wird. Nachdem Shakyamuni in den Tushita-Himmel einging, wurde der König sehr krank. Seine Minister waren sehr besorgt und fertigten einen Buddhastatue aus Sandelholz; daraufhin wurde der König wieder gesund. Diese Statue, angeblich die erste Buddhastatue überhaupt, heißt auch "Glückverheißender Shaka" (Zuizoo Shaka).

Der japanische Priester Choonen ließ eine Kopie dieser Statue anfertigen und brachte diese "durch drei Länder" (Indien, China, Japan) gewanderte Figur mit nach Japan (sangoku denrai). Diese Kopie existiert heute noch im Tempel Seiryooji in Saga, Kyoto. Figuren in diesem fremdartig anmutenden Stil werden Seiryoo-Figuren (Seiryooshiki) oder Saga-Figuren (Sagashiki) genannt.
Die Haare des Shaka sind dabei wie ein dicker Zopf um den Kopf gerollt. Diese Statuen waren in der Kamakura-Zeit sehr beliebt; es soll insgesamt in den großen Tempeln des Landes über 100 Stück davon gegeben haben.
Udenoo ist auch bekannt als einer der Gefährten des Monju in der Monju-Fünfergruppe.

- Buddhastatuen ... Who is Who
Ein Wegweiser zur Ikonografie
von japanischen Buddhastatuen
Gabi Greve, 1994

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Temple Seiryo-Ji is famous for the plum blossoms and early red momiji leaves.
source : niwa/seiryoji.htm



source : www.taleofgenji.org
Shakado in Autumn splendor





. Yuugiri Ki 夕霧忌 Yugiri Memorial Day .
A memorial service for Yugiri Tayu is held every November at Seiryoji Temple.
She was a high-ranking courtesan at the Shimabara quarters in Kyoto.
kigo for early spring


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O-Mi-Nugui 御身拭
ritual cleansing of the Amida Buddha statue
on April 19

A statue of Amida Nyorai is shown and special prayer chantings (insei nenbutsu 引声念仏) performed.
The statue is then clensed with a white cloth dipped in fragrant water. This white cloth, when used to cover a dead body, makes sure the soul will go straight to Buddha's paradise in the West.
This ritual is in memory of the Mother of Anki Monin 安喜門院 (1207 - 1286), wife of Emperor Gohorikawa Tenno 後堀河天皇.

observance kigo for late spring




御僧のその手嗅（かぎ）たや御身拭
gosoo no sono te kagita ya ominugui

the smell of the hands
of the honorable priests -
cleaning the statue
Tr. Gabi Greve

or

go-soo no so no te kagita ya omi-nugui

I want to smell the hands
of the honorable priest--
cleaning the Buddha statue.
Tr. Naotaka Uematsu


. Tan Taigi 炭太祇 .


. OBSERVANCES – SPRING SAIJIKI .


Ritual cleaning (Ominugui) of statues is also done at other tempels at other times.
- Reference -



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Daikakuji Dainichi E 大覚寺大日会
Ceremony for Dainichi Nyorai
at Temple Daikaku-Ji

At the Dainichi Hall of the Octagonal Hall
八角堂の大日堂の祭り
28 of October
observance kigo for late autumn


. Dainichi Nyorai 大日如来 .


quote
Daikaku-ji is a Shingon temple dating from the Heian period. It is famous for moon-viewing boat cruises on Lake Ōsawa. Shakyō (sutra transcription) lessons are held daily at the temple.
Daikaku-ji was founded in 876 by Empress Masako (810-879) on the site of the Saga-rikyū, a country villa built for her father, Emperor Saga Tenno (786-842). The temple kept a close relation with the Imperial family, and was actually a monzeki (門跡), i.e. a temple whose appointed abbot was an Imperial prince.

In the early 14th century, retired Emperor Go-Uda (1267-1324) conducted his cloistered rule from Daikaku-ji. A school of ikebana named after the emepror, the Saga Goryū, is still based in the temple.



The Shin-den Hall (宸殿) was transported from its original location in the Imperial Palace in the 16th century. It contains some valuable fusuma screens attributed to the Sengoku-period Kanō school, the most famous schools of Japanese painting.
source : japan-guide



- quote
Daikaku-ji (大覚寺 Daikaku-ji is a Shingon Buddhist temple in Ukyō-ku, a western ward in the city of Kyoto, Japan. The main images are of the Five Wisdom Kings, centered on Fudō. It was a villa of Emperor Saga (785-842), and later, retired Emperor Go-Uda conducted his cloistered rule from here. A school of ikebana, the Saga Goryū, maintains its headquarters in the temple. The artificial lake of the temple, Osawa pond, is one of the oldest Japanese garden ponds to survive from the Heian Period
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

There are moonviewing parties on boat on the Osawa pond.




Fudo Myo-O as venerated in the Hall of the 5 Great Fudo
五大堂, now in the Museum of the temple.

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







- Homepage of the temple - Daikaku-Ji Monseki　大覚寺門跡
- source : www.daikakuji.or.jp


The temple is also famous for its Chrysanthemums


Saga-giku 嵯峨菊
- source : ichinen-fourseasonsinjapan.

People learn how to grow them to have flowers in the numbers of shichi-go-san
three on top, five in the middle and 7 near the bottom.
Also some withered leaves near the ground - and all this at the same time.
It is a secret to study how to grow them - only at this temple.


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涼しさを絵にうつしけり嵯峨の竹
suzushisa o e ni utsushi keri Saga no take

coolness
portrayed in painting:
bamboos of Saga
Tr. Barnhill


Coolness.
Painted into a picture;
Bamboos of Saga.
Tr. Blyth


la fraîcheur peinte
dans une peinture ;
les bambous de Saga
Tr. Daniel Py

Matsuo Basho　松尾芭蕉
元禄7年 - 1694

Basho was staying at the home of Yamei 野明亭, a friend of Kyorai.

. Sakai Yamei (1662-1713) .

. Mukai Kyorai 向井去来 .


. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .

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Related words

***** Mibu Nenbutsu 壬生念仏
Invoction of Amida at Mibu Temple
Mibu Kyoogen 壬生狂言（みぶきょうげん）


***** Kyoto
. "capital of blossoms", hana no miyako 花の都 .


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. Arashiyama 嵐山 Storm Mountain .


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Takao San Festivals

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. Tengupedia - 天狗ペディア　- Tengu ABC-List.
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Takao San Festivals
and Izuna Daigongen 飯縄大権現

***** Location: Mount Takao, near Tokyo
***** Season: See below
***** Category: Observance

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Explanation



quote
Mt. Takao-san 高尾山, located west of Tokyo and at the eastern edge of the Kanto Mountains, is a sacred mountain that represents the Tama area. The area is designated as Meiji-no-mori Takao Quasi-National Park. Emperor Shomu ordered Yakuo-in Temple to be built halfway up this mountain in 744, and people have worshiped at the temple for more than 1,200 years.

At the mountain is a statue of a 'tengu,' a long-nosed mythical figure. Tengu is believed to be a deified image of a man who mastered the rigorous ascetic disciplinary customs associated with an ancient Japanese practice of mountain worship to acquire magical and spiritual powers. This statue is now a symbol of Mt. Takao-san. Between April and October, you may at times see ascetic devotees participating in a religious practice that includes standing beneath the cascading waters of the Biwa-daki or Hebi-daki Falls.
source : www.jnto.go.jp

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Temple Yakuo-In 薬王院 (Yakuoo in)

quote
The Buddhist temple on Mount Takao is formally known as Takao-san Yakuo-in Yuki-ji, and most commonly as Yakuo-in. It was established in 744 on the orders of Emperor Shomu as a base for Buddhism in eastern Japan and its founder was Gyoki, a charismatic priest closely associated with the erection of the Great Buddha at Todai-ji Temple in Nara.

Yakuo-in was restored late in the 14th century by Shungen Daitoku 俊源大徳, a priest from Mount Daigo in Kyoto, one of the most sacred sites of Shingon esoteric Buddhism, with close connections also to Shugendo (mountain asceticism). He performed a very demanding goma fire ritual dedicated to the deity Fudo Myo-o (Immovable King), burning 8,000 goma sticks, and he subsequently received a living vision of the deity Izuna Daigongen and enshrined this deity as the principal image. Shungen Daitoku is as a result often described as the second founder. Through his efforts, Yakuo-in became connected to the Shingon esoteric Buddhism and Mount Takao flourished as a Shugendo center.

During the civil war period that lasted from the late 15th to the late 16th century, a number of powerful warrior lords, such as Takeda Shingen and Uesugi Kenshin, looked to Izuna Daigongen as a protector deity. The Hojo family, who held the Kanto region under their sway, were particularly strong devotees and they placed Mount Takao under their special protection.

It was no accident either that the mountain occupied an important strategic position. During the Edo period (1603–1867), Yakuo-in expanded under the patronage of the ruling Tokugawa family. Today Yakuo-in is one of the three head temples of the Shingon-shu Chisan-ha Sect, the others being Narita-san Shinsho-ji and Kawasaki Daishi Heiken-ji.

Iizuna Daigongen 飯縄大権現 Izuna Daigongen




Shungen Daitoku enshrined Izuna Daigongen at Yakuo-in as the principal image. Izuna Daigongen is a form in which Fudo Myo-o appears to bring people to salvation. The angry-faced Fudo Myo-o is in turn an avatar of the Dainichi Nyorai (Buddha of Cosmic Life). The Izuna cult had begun at Mount Izuna in present-day Nagano Prefecture in the Heian period (794–1185), and eventually it spread to shrines throughout the land.

Izuna Daigongen combines the elements of five deities: Fudo Myo-o, Karuraten (Garuda, a divine bird), Dakiniten (a demon that feeds on human hearts), Kangiten (a fertility deity with the head of an elephant) and Benzaiten (the deity of water, music and victory in battle). Izuna Daigongen protects devotees from harm and brings them happiness and security in their daily lives.

Read also about the Tengu of Mt. Takao:
source : www.takaosan.or.jp

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Priest 俊源大徳 Shugen Daitoku


Izuna Gongen appears to priest Shungen Daitoku


source :　www.zoeji.com - 俊源大徳



source :　www.butudanfujisawa.jp

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scroll with Izuna


shuin　朱印 temple stamp


. Fudo statues and Gongen Manifestations - Akiba Gongen


飯縄不動尊 Izuna Fudo Son
The Izuna Daigongen at Mount Takao used to be called this way.
. Tengu and Fudo Myo-o　天狗と不動明王 .





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kigo for mid-spring

Takao-san no Hiwatari Matsuri
高尾山の火渡り祭 (たかおさんひわたりまつり)
Walking through hot embers at Mt. Takao
fire-walking ritual




On the second Sunday of March
each year a large open-air fire ritual called Saito Goma-ku is held in the open area in front of the Kito-den Hall at the foot of Mount Takao. As though it were by the hands of Izuna Daigongen, worshippers rub their bodies with sticks called nadegi, which are later thrown into the flames.



When the fire dies down, yamabushi and participants walk barefoot over the hot coals, praying for protection against sickness and calamity and for safety within the family. The flames are considered to purify people by burning all defilements away.
source : www.takaosan.or.jp





I visited this ritual when I still lived in Kamakura. It was one of the most powerful events I ever participated. Our hair was standing on end because of the electricity caused by the huge flames.
And to watch all these brave people, after the yamabushi, stepping in a heap of salt before stepping on the hot embers ... running as fast as they could through the dying flames ...


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kigo for mid-spring
(sometimes listed for late spring)


. Takao-san onnna moode 高雄山女詣, 高尾山女詣　（神護寺）
Ladies visiting Jingo-Ji, Takao-san 　

Kooboo Memorial Day, Koobooki (Kobo-ki)　弘法忌
Kuukai Memorial Day, Kuukaiki (Kukai-ki) 空海忌

March 21


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Other rituals at Mt. Takao and temple Yakuo-In
Goma fire ritual at the New Year

Setsubun, February 3


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Tengu waffles, filled with green tea cream
天狗焼き Tengu Yaki

Sold only in the summer season

. WASHOKU
Waffles filled with cream - dorayaki 　

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Takaosan Tengu Curry 高尾山　天狗 カレー







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Things found on the way

. Tengu and Daruma 天狗とだるま

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



Takaosan 高尾山 Legends about Mount Takao-San and its Tengu 天狗

The Tengu from Mount Takaosan is a sub-family member from 天狗飯縄三郎 Tengu Iizuna Saburo from 飯縄山 Mount Iizuna in Nagano.
He rides a 白狐 white fox like 茶吉尼天 Dakini Ten and holds a 宝剣 sword in the right hand, a kensaku 羂索 rope in the left, like Fudo Myo-O.
When the villagers wanted to make a road to the mountain top, there were the large roots of a huge cedar tree, but the Tengu removed the tree over night and the road was clear.


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HAIKU

火渡祭高尾の春のはじまれり
hiwatari sai Takao no haru no hajimareri

fire-walking ritual -
spring at Mount Takao
starts from here

Shimasaki Shufu (Shuufuu) 島崎秀風



Hiwatari rituals are also performed at other temples in Japan.


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Related words

. 関東三十六不動霊場 - Nr. 08
Pilgrimage to 36 Fudo Temples in Kanto (Bando) .


***** . Fire Festivals


***** . Shugendo 修験道 Yamabushi Mountain Ascets 　

***** . 高雄内供奉 - Takao Naigubu - a Tengu from Nara .
柿本僧正 Kakinomoto Sojo

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. Hachiooji 八王子 Hachioji district
and 高尾山 Mount Takaosan .

. Tengupedia - 天狗ペディア　- Tengu ABC-List.

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- #takaosan #takaotengu #tengutakao-
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Kashima Shrine

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Katori Jingu Shrine, see below. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Kashima Shrine (Kashima Jingu)

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

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Explanation

Kashima Shrine 鹿島神宮 Kashima Jingu

This shrine is dedicated to the deity

Tekemikazuchi standing on a catfish

Takemikazuchi no mikoto (武甕槌大神)
Kashima Daijin (鹿島大神) "Great God at Kashima".
a patron of the martial arts.

In the precincts ther is a famous training hall (doojoo) for martial arts, especially sword fighting (kendoo　剣道).

The "Great God of Kashima" rode on a white deer from Kashima all the way to the Kasuga shrine in Nara as a divine messenger, and the deer became the symbol of Nara.
The Kasuga Deer Mandala tells the story.


Kashima Deer, Photo from Rob Geraghty

Look at more
. . .Japan Photos from Rob Geraghty

Thank you, Rob, for sharing your photos!
Rob lived in Kashima for quite a while in 2002.

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- quote -
The Katori Shrine (香取神宮 Katori Jingū)

is a Shintō shrine in the city of Katori in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. It is the ichinomiya of former Shimōsa Province, and is the head shrine of the approximately 400 Katori shrines around the country (located primarily in the Kantō region).
The main festival of the shrine is held annually on April 14, with a three-day Grand Festival held every 12 years.
The primary kami of Katori Shrine is Futsunushi (経津主神, Futsunushi-no-kami), the kami of swords and lightning, and a general of Amaterasu.
- - - - - History
The foundation of Katori Shrine predates the historical period. Per the Hitachi Fudoki, an ancient record and per shrine tradition, it was established in 643 BC, the 18th year of the reign of Emperor Jimmu. During this period, the Ō clan (多氏, Ō-shi) migrated from Higo Province in Kyushu, conquering local emishi tribes, and forming an alliance with the nearby Nakatomi clan, the progenitors of the Fujiwara clan at what is now Kashima Jingū.
In the mid-Heian period Engishiki records, it is ranked alongside Ise Jingū and Kashima Jingū as one of three shrines with the Jingū designation.
- source and more : wikipedia -

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kigo for the New Year




Kashima no kotobure 鹿島の事触 (かしまのことぶれ)
Kashima diviners, itinerant priests
..... kotobure 言触（ことぶれ）

36 people walk around the villages and shout the outcome of the divination at the shrine Kashima (鹿島神宮), which occured on January 4.
see below

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. . hakubasai, hakuba sai 白馬祭（はくばさい）
Festival of the White Horse 　

If you see a white horse during the New Year celebrations, you will live a long life and ward off evil for the coming year and stay healthy. Therefore shrines with a white horse make a parade for all to see the animal.
In Kashima, they parade seven white horses. If you pick up a small stone where the horses walked or have your hankerchief trodden on, this will bring your love to fulfillment.
On this day, white sweet ricewine (amazake) and porridge of seven herbs is also served.



Ema votive tablet from Katori shrine 香取神宮

. Amulets and Talismans from Japan .　

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kigo for mid-spring



Kashima Saitoosai 鹿島祭頭祭 (かしまさいとうさい)
Kashima Saito-Sai Festival

March 9

The Saito Sai dates back more than 1200 years to the Nara Period (710 to 794). Soldiers called sakimori 防人 were sent off to do duty in far-away Kyushu. Before leaving, they gathered at Kashima Jingu to offer prayers for victory in battle and a safe journey. Many people paraded through the streets to see them off and wish them well. Lately this has become a wild parade through the city.

Now the festival is held to pray for a good harvest of the five crops, rice, wheat, beans, foxtail millet and egg millet. Officials in traditional garb with sashes to hold back the long sleeves in the five colors representing these crops parade through the street.

Others with long poles jump around a drummer, dance and sing the special festival song "Soranbushi ソーラン節". There are many wild groups of this kind, all in different colored robes.

. Reference


quote
The Legacy of Sakimori - the frontier guard conscripts
The term SAKIMORI first appeared in 645, and it is interesting to look at its etymology. Though the Japanese characters used to write it are now 防人, which is a compound difficult even for Japanese to read and literally means DEFENDING PEOPLE, the origin of the word as it PRONOUNCED comes from the characters 崎守 SAKI MORI, which means defenders of the capes, the fringes of the country, or 境守, SAKAIMORI, literally border protecters.

Another way of writing the word sakimori 先守, sheds further light on the intended purpose of this conscripted force as it means the pre- defenders, or the first line of defense, which is in fact what they would have been in case of an invasion. Their role would be to hold off the enemy long enough for a large army made up of soldiers from Western Japan to show up.

. . . The Sakimori system, which actually remained in operation for a period of 163 years ( until 826), imposed great hardships on the conscripted men and on their families ( which was why the system was eventually abolished, along with the fact that the fear of invasion also eventually faded away).

The Songs of The Sakimori - SAKIMORI NO UTA
made their way into the Manyoshu.

霰降り鹿島の神を祈りつつ
皇御軍士に我は来にしを

arare furi Kashima no kami o inoritsutsu
suberamikusa ni ware wa ki ni shi o

I have come, as a warrior for the Emperor,
to pray before the God of Kashima

source : blog.alientimes.org


arare furi 霰ふり hail falls
is a special word (makurakotoba) to denote the God of Kashima in the Manyoshu poetry.

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kigo for early autumn




Kashima matsuri 鹿島祭 (かしままつり)
Kashima Festival
Kashima goshinkoosai 鹿島御神幸祭（かしまごしんこうさい）

September 1 and 2
(it used to be in the seventh lunar month)


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observance kigo for the New Year

Hitachi obi no shinji 常陸帯の神事 (ひたちおびのしんじ)
Hitachi Belt Ceremony
Hitachi obi no matsuri 常陸帯の祭（ひたちおびのまつり）
Hitachi obi 常陸帯（ひたちおび）"Belt from Hitachi"
Kashima no obi 鹿島の帯（かしまのおび）"Belt from Kashima"
enmusubi no shinji 縁結び神事（えんむすびしんじ）
ceremony for finding a partner

On the 10th day of the first lunar month.
It is customary for a young girl to present a girdle to the Gods of Kashima and wish for a good partner in life. They would write the name of their future husband on the belt and hope for the Deities to tie the knot for them.

This dates back to Emperess Jingu Kogo and her belt during pregnancy.

. Jingu Kogo 神功皇后 and Japanese Dolls .

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quote
Kashima Shinko 鹿島信仰

It is possible to think of Kashima faith as the sect based at Kashima Jingū in Kashima-machi, Ibaraki Prefecture, but it can broadly be divided into beliefs related to water, "tutelary of roads" (sae no kami 障の神（さえのかみ）), and Kashima shrines. Many regions and shrines bear the name "Kashima," and since these are usually found in river, stream, lake, or swamp areas, we can assume that the origins of Kashima faith are profoundly connected with water.

Images of sae no kami are called Kashima dolls, straw dolls, Shōkisama, and dōsojin, among other names. Most of these images are very large, made of straw, and are characterized by their exposed sexual organs. They protected village borders from the invasion of "plague kami" (ekishin) and were prayed to in order to ensure safety or prosperity. In some regions, during the Kashima Festival dolls are placed in "Kashima boats" and sent out to sea in order to send ekishin away.

According to the Hitachi no kuni fudoki, the "enshrined kami" (saijin) at Kashima Jingū in Kashimamachi, Ibaraki Prefecture is "Kashimanoama no ōkami," but there are many documents, including the Kojiki, which record the saijin as Takemikadsuchi no kami. The latter is worshipped at the first shrine within Kasuga Taisha, and was exalted to a "kami of the nation" (kokkashin) when the imperial court expanded into the Tōgoku region.

In the Heian Period, the Jinmyōchō section of the Engishiki records that "spirit emanations" (bunrei) of the Kashima kami and "honorable child kami" (mikogami) were enshrined in Mutsu no kuni, indicating that the cult may have spread in connection with the government’s expansion into the Tōhoku area.

Even into the early modern period, the distribution of Kashima emblems (shinsatsu) by itinerant Kashima priests called kotobure was a means of spreading the Kashima cult among the common people. The popularity of the "three-shrine pilgrimage" that included Katori, Kashima and Ikisu was the result of the development of inland waterway transport on the Tonegawa and other rivers, and is also related to the growing economic status of the Edo populace.

The ritual of "hitachiobi 常陸帯 " on January 14 at Kashima Shrine became widely known, being mentioned in The Tale of Genji and in a yōkyoku (Noh script).

From the medieval period, the virtues of Kashima were "preached" (shōdō ) by traveling monks. This can be inferred by the inclusion of the chapters "Kashima Daimyōjin" and "Kasuga Daimyōjin no koto" in the Shintoshū. The Hachimangū dōkun (also read dōkin) and various Hachiman "origin legends" (engi) include a story where the Kashima kami is equated with Azumi no isora and a legend about Shioyaki Bunta. Shioyaki Bunta is also the protagonist of the otogi-zōshi tale "Bunshō sōshi," but the Hachiman legend comes from a separate tradition. These stories spread through the preaching of low-ranking religious leaders and Zenkōji hijiri.

The "Kashima odori" performed in the western area of Sagami Bay involved dancing while dressed up as Kashima no kotobure, who would travel around distributing takusen of good or bad fortune and amulets. The dance may have originated at Kashima Shrine. There is also a legend about a "keystone" (kaname ishi) within the shrine precincts that the kami of Kashima uses to restrain a tremendous fish under the earth, whose movement causes earthquakes.
Thus, Kashima is also famous for its cult of warding off earthquakes.
source : Nogami Takahiro / Kokugakuin University.


常陸国鹿島神社 Hitachi no Kuni, Kashima Jinja


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Things found on the way

米倉鹿嶋神社 献饌行事　Yonekura-kashima-jinja Kensen-gyouji　
The Kensen Ritual at Yonekura Kashima Shrine

The Kensen Ritual is performed on September 9 to 10 every year at Kashima Shrine in the Yonekura area in Osaki City, the rice producing center of Miyagi Prefecture, where famous rice brands such as Sasanishiki and Hitomebore were born.

Kensen is a Shinto ritual of offering food to the god.
It is performed before a shrine priest offers a prayer. As the oldest and most historic shrine in Osaki City, this ritual had been performed by the descendants of the vassals of the Osaki clan (a branch of the Ashikaga clan, who were descended from Seiwa Genji) until the end of World War II. Today it is performed by the hands of local people.

On the first day, the first rice ear of the season is offered to the god in appreciation for a rich harvest. Then, it is followed by other rites and ends with Naorai (banquet), in which holy sake wine and votive offerings are served to the participants. The finale of the festival is the parade of Mikoshi performed on the second day. This solemn ritual is prefecturally designated as an intangible folk cultural property (manners and customs).

Kashima Castle
was located in Shiroyama, Kashima City, Ibaraki Pref. It was built by Kashima Masamiki in the Kamakura period (1192-1333). The Kashima clan was appointed as Sodaigyoji-shoku (general director of rituals) in 1368. Since then the family was called by this title and gained prosperity.

Kashima Shrine Festivals and Kagura Dance
source : nipponkichi.jp


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Kashima Torii 鹿島鳥居 Kashima Shrine Gate
a type of 神明鳥居 Shinmei torii, a rather simple form without an incline or secondary lintel. The topmost lintel is round and longer than the two pillars.
Another sample is at Katori Jinguu 香取神宮.

. Torii 鳥居
The Gate of a Shinto Shrine 　

Katori Shrine sells this :
. amulet against sainan 災難除守 misfortune and disaster .

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. Anzan, Talismans for easy delivery
One very famous historical Anzan Talisman in the shape of a crystal pearl was used by Fujiwara no Ishii 藤原威子 and then donated in 1034 to Kashima Shrine, later it was also used by Emperess Jingu Kogo 神功皇后 Jinguu Koogoo.


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source : 20century.blog2 地震錦絵


. Earthquake myths about Kashima 　

A giant catfish (namazu) lived in mud beneath the earth. The catfish liked to play pranks and could only be restrained by Kashima, a deity who protected the Japanese people from earthquakes. So long as Kashima kept a mighty rock with magical powers over the catfish, the earth was still. But when he relaxed his guard, the catfish thrashed about, causing earthquakes.


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. Yamaoka Tesshu 山岡鉄舟
His father was a retainer of the Tokugawa Government and his mother was the daughter of a Shinto priest from Kashima Shrine.



Tsukahara Bokuden 塚原卜伝
(1489 - March 6, 1571)
塚原小太郎勝義 Tsukahara Kotaro Yoshikatsu
a famous swordsman of the early Sengoku period. He was widely regarded as a kensei (sword saint). He was the founder of a new Kashima style of fencing, and served as an instructor of Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiteru and Ise provincial governor Tomonori Kitabatake.
... He later systematized the teaching of the Kashima area's local martial arts, including such approaches to combat as Kashima no tachi and Ichi no tachi. After allegedly receiving a divine inspiration from Takemikazuchi no kami, the deity of Kashima Shrine, he named his martial system as Kashima Shintō-ryū. He also, for a brief period, called his system Mutekatsu-ryū ("winning without hands").
He died of natural causes in 1571. His grave, in Suka, Japan where Baikouji once stood, is a kind of pilgrimage site for those devoted to Japanese sword-fighting arts (kenjutsu).
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !


. Tengupedia - 天狗ペディア　- Tengu ABC-List.

Hinamaru Enkai 圓海 / 円海 of Haguro Mountain
? 塚原卜伝十二番勝負
? 塚原小太郎修験者円海と羽黒山 -　Tsukahara Kotaro
. . . CLICK here for Photos : Tsukahara Kotaro 塚原小太郎 !



- quote -
the martial arts master Tsukahara Bokuden receives divine instruction in the art of fencing from a mysterious yamabushi (mountain priest) tengu named Enkai of Haguro Mountain.
print by 月岡芳年 Tsukioka Yoshitoshi
- source : Mark Schumacher -


. Haguro San 羽黒山 . 羽黒出羽三山 Three mountains of Dewa .


塚原卜伝 by 石ノ森 章太郎


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HAIKU


Matsuo Basho

此松の実生せし代や神の秋
kono matsu no mibae seshi yo ya kami no aki

this old pine
sprouted in the age of gods -
autumn of the Gods

Kashima Kiko, Kashima Mairi, Kashima Mode 鹿島詣
Kashima Journal, Pilgrimage to Kashima Shrine
In 1687
He started off by boat from Basho-an on the 14th day of the 8th lunar month to see the full moon.
He visited temple Kashima Konpon-Ji 鹿島根本寺 and stayed with the priest Butchoo 仏頂和尚 Butcho (1643– 1715). Basho practised Zen with Master Butcho.
He came back home on the 25th.


quote
The impact of Zen Buddhism on Basho's haikai is a popular theme for Western writers. Basho's encounter with his Zen teacher, Butcho is estimated to have taken place around 1681 (Tenwa 1) a year after Basho moved to Fukagawa.
We may recall that just before the move he composed an important poem
kare eda ni karasu no tomari taru ya aki no kure
(On the withered branch/ A crow has alighted-/ Nightfall in Autumn. Tr DK).
This autumn poem is said to reflect the influence on him of the monk-poets of the Gozan Zenrin. He made the famous trip to Kashima, east of Edo, to visit Butcho, now an old friend, at the Nemoto-ji Temple in 1687 (Jokyo 4) and it was a year before this that he composed the verse
furuike ya kawazu tobikomu mizu no oto.

. WKD : Karumi and Zen - Susumu Takiguchi .


. Travelling with Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 .

. Zen Master Butchoo, Butchō 仏頂和尚 Butcho and Temple Ungan-Ji .
(1643– 1715)



Even a sake ricewine is named after Basho ! Cheers !


. A visit to Mount Tsukuba　筑波山 .


Basho in Kashima, tr. by Ueda
source : books.google.co.jp

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Another hokku Basho wrote on his trip to Kashima

月はやし梢は雨を持ながら　
tsuki hayashi kozue wa ame o mochinagara

fleeting moon
while rain clings
to the twigs
Tr. Haldane

Written at temple 根本寺 Konpon-Ji.


- Kashima Kikoo 鹿島紀行 - A Visit to the Kashima Shrine -
. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .


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白梅や香取鹿島を一日に
hakubai ya Natori Kashima o ichinichi ni

these white plum blossoms -
Natori, Kashima
visited in one day

Nomura Kishuu 野村喜舟 (1886 - 1983)


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晩稲よき鹿島のふれも噂かな
oshine yoki Kashima no fure mo uwasa kana

late rice plants -
the predictions from Kashima
are just some gossip

Takada Chooi 高田蝶衣 (1886. 1.30 - 1930. 9.23)


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Related words

***** . Nai no kami 地震神 God of Earthquakes 　

. jishin　地震 Legends about Earthquakes .


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Awashima Festival

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Awashima Festival

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

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Explanation

Awashima Matsuri
淡島祭（あわしままつり）Awashima festival
..... Awashima matsuri 粟島祭 (あわしままつり)

March 3 . Awashima Jinja Shrine, Wakayama
. Hina Doll Festival (hina matsuri 雛祭り) 　


The shrine Awashima jinja is well visited by women praying for childbirth, and is most famous for its large collection of hina dolls.
Nagashibina, dolls put on boats and floated in the sea are most popular.




quote
The Shrine Awashima in Wakayama is said to date back to the 3rd century and the legendary empress Jinmu. On the way home from a military expedition to Korea, her ship encountered a storm and was nearly sunk. During the storm, she had prayed to the gods to save her ship, and threw a rush mat called a toma into the sea. She followed the current that the mat was floating down, and arrived safely to an island called Tomogashima (then known as Awashima), where she found a small shrine dedicated to the god Sukunahikona-no-mikoto.

She was so thankful for being saved that she donated the treasures she was carrying on board her ship to the shrine. The Shrine's deity was a medicine god, who had the power to cure female diseases, and to help women become pregnant. Because of the empress's association with the shrine, it became associated with feminine things like dolls, sewing needles, fertility, and gynecological illnesses.

During the Edo period (1603 - 1867), women began to make offerings of their underwear to Sukunahikona-no-mikoto, hoping that he would cure them of karyoubyou (literally 'flower and willow diseases', a euphemism for STDs) and various other women's complaints.
source : www.quirkyjapan.or.tv





There are many Awashima Halls 淡島堂 Awashima Do, in Japan, dating back to Awashima Gannin 淡島願人 and his followers, who walked all along Japan and dispersed the belief in this healing shrine.


. Jingu Kogo 神功皇后 and Japanese Dolls .


. Sukunahikona no mikoto 少彦名命 Sukuna Hikona, Sukuna-Hikona .
deity of medicine


. Boshijin, Hahakogami 母子神　"Mother-Child Deity" .
at Awashima Jinja 淡島神社 .

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Awashima Jinja 淡島神社
Kada Jinja　加太神社　
118 Kada, Wakayama, Wakayama



With more omamori
source : awashima/omamori

Homepage of the Shrine
source : www.kada.jp/awashima


- quote -
Awashima Shinkō
Devotion to the Awashima kami based on beliefs about the kami's efficacy in curing female ailments, helping to conceive children, and ensuring safe childbirth.
Kada Jinja, the head shrine among the Awashima shrines throughout the country, is in Wakayama Prefecture's Kaisōgun county, and is a one of the shikinaisha, or shrines recorded in the classic Shinto text Engishiki.
Kada Shrine is also called Awashima Myōjin, and popularly referred to as the Ebisu kami.
According to legend, the kami of Awashima, who was the divine consort of Sumiyoshi Myōjin, became afflicted with a female ailment (fujinbyō) and exiled to Awashima. Because of her own suffering, she vowed to heal the illnesses of women.
Today, this legend connecting the two kami of Sumiyoshi and Awashima is attributed to the fact that Awashima was a "shrine land" (shinryō) of Sumiyoshi Shrine.
During the Edo Period, devotees of Awashima, known as "Awashima ganjin," traveled the country carrying small portable shrines (zushi) containing anthropomorphized dolls of Awashima Myōjin bound in pieces of cloth. These devotees performed in front of people's homes in exchange for alms or offered their services as "representative pilgrims" (daisan), leading to the country-wide propagation of this devotion to Awashima.
There is a custom at the shrine whereby people make offerings of hina ningyō (dolls used in the annual Hina Matsuri or Doll Festival), combs, or hair ornaments (kanzashi), and the shrine provides paper Awashima bina dolls to visitors.
- source : Satō Masato - kokugakuin


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Awashima sama　粟島さま
The ladies of Edo who could not make it themselves would give a strip of their robe to a special "substitute pilgrim", who was walking around in Edo with a little Awashima Shrine on his back.
When his collection of tokens was big enough, he started his trip to the real shrine, making the offerings and bringing back amulets for the ladies.
(or so they say . . .)


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nagashibina 流し雛 "floating old hina dolls"
Kitagishima 北木島, Kasaoka



The dolls are placed on a simple boat made from wheat straw. The boats are hand-made by each family and not for sale. Some other islands of the Kasaoka island chain also have this custom. The dolls are floated in the ocean one day after the festival on March 3.
The boats are about 80 cm long. Inside are 12 paper dolls, also made by each family. (One imperial pair, one boatman, 9 palace maiden). On leap years there is one more doll of a palace maiden.

On the sail of the boat, the letters Awashima maru あわしま丸 (boat bound for Awashima) are written.
People hope they will float all the way to Wakayama, to the shrine Awashima Jinja 淡嶋神社 at Kada no Ura 加太の浦.

. Folk Toys of Okayama .


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Things found on the way


Not to mix this with the island


Awaji Island (淡路島, Awaji-shima, #Awajima, #Awajijima)
is an island in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, in the eastern part of the Seto Inland Sea between the islands of Honshū and Shikoku. The island has an area of 592.17 km². As a transit between those two islands Awaji originally means "the road to Awa", the historic province bordering the Shikoku side of the Naruto Strait, now part of Tokushima Prefecture.

The island is separated from Honshū by the Akashi Strait and from Shikoku by the Naruto Strait. Since April 5, 1998 it is connected to Kobe on Honshū by the Akashi-Kaikyō Bridge, the longest suspension bridge in the world.

According to the creation myth in Shinto Awaji was the first of the ōyashima islands born from the two kami Izanagi and Izanami.
Awaji constituted a province between the 7th and the 19th century, Awaji Province, and was a part of Nankaido 南海道 Southern Sea Road.
Today the island consists of three municipalities, Awaji, Sumoto and Minamiawaji.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !


. The Five-colored Beach Goshiki Hama in Awaji Island 淡路島の五色浜 　


. Takadaya Kahei 高田屋嘉兵衛 　
including my pilgrimage to Shikoku and Awaji, Summer 2005



. だんじり祭り Danjiri Festival at Awajishima 　
賀集八幡神社春祭りだんじり



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HAIKU



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Related words

***** . Awa mikan 阿波蜜柑（あわみかん） mikan from Awa
plant kigo for early summer


***** . Folk Toys from Wakayama .
Awashima jinja no omamori bina 淡嶋神社の守雛
hina dolls from Awashima Shrine
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



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Mie-Ji Temple Festival

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Mie-Ji Temple Festival

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

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Explanation

Mie-Ji Matsuri 美江寺祭り Festival at Temple Mie-Ji March 1 (or March 6) (Mie-Dera, Miedera)



The temple belongs to the Tendai sect.

It used to be held on the last day of the first lunar month. It was celebrating that all rituals are finished (kechigan gyooji 結願行事.

Farmers prayed for a good harvest and for the health of the silk worms, which were a speciality in this region.

So another name for this festival is

o-ko matsuri 美江寺御蚕祭 みえでら‐おこまつり
silk worm festival

Since people got into a fight over the Shojo doll, it was also one of the
kenka matsuri 喧嘩祭り "fighting festivals" .


The festival starts in the morning with a fire ceremony, burning goma sticks 大護摩祈祷.
After the lunch break, there are concerts and making mochi ricecakes.

At three in the afternoon, a kagura dance performance and then
carrying the mikoshi palanquin and the Shojo float to a "travel rest place" (o tabisho togyo 御旅所渡行 / 渡御行列).

At four in the afternoon, the second highlight:




One large float with a shoojoo tripster, standing high with a white fan with a red sun, the Japanese symbol (shoojoo dashi 猩々山車) is the center of attention.
The Shojo trickster doll is taken from the float and "thrown around" 猩々投げ in the lucky direction of the year. Everyone fights to get a chip of the doll to carry home for good luck.

For a grand finale, mochi are thrown into the crowd 餅投げ and lucky lots are drawn.

By the way,
in our days, the silk worm business does not exist in this area any more.

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Mie-Ji is famous for its statue of a Kannon bosatsu with eleven heads, made of dry laquer technique (kanshitsu).
Mie-ji Kannon 美江寺観音





This temple is number 18 on the pilgrimage to 33 Kannon temples in Mino.
美濃三十三観音霊場

It is one of the oldest temples in Japan, founded in 723


HP of the temple, with more photos
http://www.mieji.jp/index.php?maturi



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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way


. Onishi Clay Daruma 尾西のだるま
sold at the local temple festivals, especially at temple Mie-Ji 美江寺.





蚕鈴 bell to protect the silk worms

If this clay bell was hung in the room where the silk worms were kept, the mice would not come to eat the worms.


. WKD : Silk and Silkworms 　



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source PHOTO :　tsuyo

Statue of Fudo Myo-O
in the temple compound.
Tsuyo san visited there in winter, have a look at the link!



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HAIKU

in the midst
of a crowd fighting ...
my mochi!

mie-ji festival
a clay bell sings
to the silk worm

Don Baird


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Related words

***** . Shoojoo Midare 猩々乱 Shojo Midare Dance

. Folk Toys from Gifu .


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