Usaka Festival

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Usaka Festival (Usaka matsuri)

***** Location: Toyama
***** Season: Mid-Summer
***** Category: Observance

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Explanation

Usaka matsuri 鵜坂祭 (うさかまつり)
Usaka Shrine festival
..... shimoto matsuri 楉祭（しもとまつり）
... 苔祭（しもとまつり）
shiridachi no matsuri 尻太刀祭（しりだちのまつり）
"festival of hitting the bottom"
..... shiriuchi matsuri, shiri uchi matsuri
尻打祭（しりうちまつり）
... shimotodachi 苔太刀（しもとだち）"sakaki stick"
Usaka no tsue 鵜坂の杖（うさかのつえ）Sakaki stick of Usaka


Main festival at the shrine Usaka jinja 鵜坂神社.
Toyama town, Fuchu Village, 富山市婦中町　鵜坂神社 .楉祭



On the 16th of the fifth lunar month.
Other sources say the 16th day of the sixth lunar month or even the 23th day of the seventh lunar month.
Now on June 16.

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




source : bambino

The stick for hitting was made of the sacred sakaki tree (Cleyera ochnacea).
Some say the stick was made of a sakaki branch cut during the new year to cook the special rice porridge with seven herbs (nanakusagayu), so the women would give safe birth.
Even Matsuo Basho has written about this festival.

This festival was abolished during the Meiji period.
Later, during the Taisho period, a horse appeared and ran around the shrine three times. This was used to be hit with the sacred stick.

Nowadays, this custom has been completely abolished.



Here is my information about the "rice gruel stick"

."rice gruel stick" kayuzue 粥杖 (かゆづえ)


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The main deities of the shrine are

鵜坂姉比咩神
鵜坂妻比咩神

淤母陀琉神 . 訶志古泥神
Omodaru and Kashikone



The sixth of the first seven generations of kami, produced immediately prior to Izanagi and Izanami. It is generally believed that the two kami actually represent a single being, Omodaru being the male half and Kashikone the female, but no other specific attributes are known.

According to Motoori Norinaga, the characters used to write Omodaru's name mean "face and leg, indicating a being without imperfection; whether in face or in the limbs, every part is furnished complete" (Kojikiden). Other theories suggest that the names mean the face of the earth or the land was perfect and complete, or that the names were mutually complementary epitaphs used by the pair of kami.

In the medieval period, shrines appeared in the Kantō area worshiping Omodaru no mikoto under the name Dairokuten ("the sixth deva"). This name was based on the association of Omodaru with the sixth deva within the Buddhist theory of the heaven of thirty-three gods
quote
source : Nakayama Kaoru


In Memory of Obiko no mikoto 大彦命, a general of the Hokuriku Army, visited the area during the reign of Emperor Sujin Tenno 崇神天皇 (148 BC), the shrine was build in 652 and venerated with envoys from Kyoto.
Soon there was also a temple of the same name 鵜坂寺.

The present building of the shrine is new, from 1873.


越中國婦負郡 鵜坂神社
source with photos : www.genbu.net


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

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


. Discussing the Festival, Larry Bole


. Tsukuma Festival 筑摩祭 (つくままつり)


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. Dairokuten Ma-O
第六天魔王 （だいろくてん まおう)
Big Number Six Heavenly Deity
Omodaru no Mikami 於母陀流神 and
Ayakashikone no kami 阿夜訶志古泥神.



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Daruma at the Town Hall in Usaka
鵜坂公民館


source :　toyama kodomo gekiyo


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HAIKU



ゆだんしていくなうさかの尻打ち祭り　　
油断していくな鵜坂の尻打祭　
yudan shite iku na Usaka no shiriuchi matsuri　　

do not be off guard
at the bottom-hitting festival
at Usaka shrine
Tr. Gabi Greve


pay attention
at the bottom-beating festival
at Usaka shrine
paraverse by Larry Bole


. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .
Visiting Shinto Shrines


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あなこわや鵜坂祭りの音にむち　　　
ana kowa ya Usaka matsuri no oto ni muchi　　

Takarai Kikaku 宝井其角


. . . . .


いかにせん鵜坂の森に身はすとも　
君が笞(しもと)の数ならぬ身を

Minamoto no Toshiyori 源俊頼


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Related words

***** . WKD : Main Index 　


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Tsuburosashi Sado

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. Sadogashima 佐渡島 Sado Island - Introduction .
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Tsuburo fertility dance (tsuburosashi)

***** Location: Sado Island, Japan
***** Season: Mid-Summer
***** Category: Observance

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Explanation

tsuburosashi つぶろさし Tsuburo fertility dance
June 15

Performance of a special fertility dance at the shrines Sugawara, Hamochimachi and Kusakari in the south of Sado Island, Niigata.

菅原神社 新潟県羽茂町
太神楽つぶろさし
鬼舞つぶろさし




There are two performers, a man, Tsuburosashi, and a woman, Sasarasuri ささらすり.
Tsuburosashi holds a stick formed like a phallus and jumps around rubbing and waving it. Sasarasuri holds a stick made of bamoo.

They both hop around and rub these sticks.

The group of performer carry a special drum decorated with ancient zeni coins,
Zenidaiko 銭太鼓.

The penis is called tsuburo, also a name for the bottle gourd.
sashi refers to it rubbing in a ritual prayer for fertility for the fields and the families.

The dance dates back to the 16th century. Legend knows, that a messenger of the village was send to Kyoto to learn about the tea ceremony. He saw a similar dance durng the Gion festival in Kyoto and introduced it to his home village, when he came back. Later it was picked up at the local Shinto shrines during the annual festival, to pray for thousands of rice grains coming from one seed.

.

Since tsuburo is such a colorful local word, it mighe even be translated with a more "down to earth" word in other languages, like

big dick dance festival

Here is a long list for synonymes

beaver basher
baby-maker
bell on a pole
beef whistle
boomstick
burrito
bishop
bratwurst
braciole

and so on until Z

source : namingschemes.com/Penis


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At shrine Kusakari jinja 草刈神社


source :　dojoccosado



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HAIKU





つぶろさし花見婆さまのけぞつて
tsuburosashi hanami basama nokezotte

tsuburo fertility dance -
a woman dressed for cherry blossom viewing
bends far backward


Kishida Chigyo 岸田稚魚 (1918 - 1988)
大正7年）1月19日 - 1988年（昭和63年）11月24日


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Related words

***** . Penis Festivals for a bountiful harvest 　

***** . ondeko 鬼太鼓 (おんでこ) Demon's Drums


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Sato Koroku

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Sato Koroku Day (Kooroku Ki)

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

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Explanation

Satoo Kooroku 佐藤紅緑
1874年（明治7年）7月6日 - 1949年（昭和24年）6月3日）


Kooroku Memorial Day, Kooroku Ki 紅緑忌 (こうろくき)
June 3. He was 75 years old.



He was born in Hirosaki, Aomori prefecture and later worked for the Nihon Shinbun newspaper in Tokyo. Here he met Masaoka Shiki for the first time and became his haiku student.
In 1895 he returned to Hirosaki because of illness and worked for a newspaper there.
He also translated works from Dumas and Victor Hugo.

In 1905 he stopped working for the newspaper and founded a haiku group.
In 1922 he married the actress Mikasa Mariko 三笠万里子.
In 1923 he travelled to Europe to study more about cinema.

He wrote a lot of popular literature. Many of his novels for young boys were published in the famous magazine
"Young Boys Club" Shoonen Kurabu 少年倶楽部.



His Manuscript, the red marks are from Kyoshi.

©　Aomori Museum ... look at more pages.



His Grave

"A poet should write about ideal situations.
If you just state the daily complaints of your wife,
that does not make you a good novelist!"


©　PB5H-OOTK



- Reference : 佐藤紅緑


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HAIKU


賭け事にかけし羊生紅緑忌
kakegoto ni kakeshi hitsushi nushi Kooroku Ki

this sheperd
started gambling ...
Kooroku Memorial Day

©　hokubei shinbun Senryu collection

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戦中も少年に夢あり紅緑忌　
senchuu mo shoonen ni yume ari Kooroku Ki

even during the war
young boys have dreams -
Kooroku Memorial day

Kotani Shun 小谷俊

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All Tr. Gabi Greve

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Related words

***** Introducing Japanese Haiku Poets　


***** Memorial Days of Famous People
....... A WORLDWIDE SAIJIKI




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Radio Day

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Radio Day (denpa no hi)

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

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Explanation

denpa no hi 電波の日 (でんぱのひ) "radio day"
denpa kinenbi 電波記念日（でんぱきねんび） radio memorial day

Electro-magnetic Waves Day

June 1
This is a constitutional holiday, introduced in 1950, marking the enactment of Japan's radio law and broadcast act.





There is a theory, that because of a similarity in pronounciation
6 can be read MU and 1 can be read SEN, the word

musen "ムセン"(無線) wireless

used for wireless radio transmission, the first day of the sixth month was choosen as this day.


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Each year on 18 April, radio amateurs celebrate
World Amateur Radio Day.


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HAIKU


風生先生矍鑠として電波の日
Fuusei sensei kakushaku to shite denpa no hi

Master Fusei
is still so vigorous . . .
Radio Day


Kishi Fusanro (Fuusanroo) 岸風三樓 (1910 - 1982)
(He was born in Okayama)


Kishi was a student of haiku master Fusei sensei.

. Tomiyasu Fusei (Tomiyasu Fuusei )富安 風生　
1885 - 1979　


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radio--
they walk side by side
sharing earphones

radio--
a man dances slowly
crossing the road

radio-
men sit a round to listen
to the arsenal match

radio--
she leaves me speaking
to myself

radio--
they shout to the changing
regea music

radio--
they shout energetic
to the unseen goal

radio--
he's twisting his small head
all the time

passengers enjoy
their morning ride -
radio music

radio--
cool passengers in a bus
burst in laughter

radio--
an old man is bargaining
for a modern system

Barrack Elung'ata
Kenya, Feburary 2011


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***** WKD Reference

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Kifune Shrine Festivals

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Kifune Shrine and its festivals

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

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Explanation

Kifune matsuri 貴船祭 (きふねまつり) Kifune festival
... Kifune shinji 貴船神事（きふねしんじ）Kifune Shinto ritual
gokoosai 御更祭（ごこうさい）"changing the robes of the deity"
itadori matsuri 虎杖祭（いたどりまつり "knotweed festival"
kigo for mid-summer

Kifune, sometimes read Kibune (きぶね).

June 1
The most important yearly festival at Kifune Shrine 貴船神社 in the Kurama mountain region.
Its official name is gokoosai 御更祭.
It used to be held twice a year, on the first day of the fourth and eleventh lunar month.
Kibune shrine belongs to the Kamo Shrines of Kyoto (sessha 摂社）.

In the forests around the shrine there grow a lot of itadori, Japanese knotweed.
People pick this plant and compare its length.


. WKD : itadori いたどり Japanese knotweed
Polygonum cuspidatum, looks like a kind of rhubarb.


quote
Kibune matsuri
Formerly this festival was held on the first day of the fourth and eleventh months at Kibune Jinja in Sakyō Ward, Kyōto City, Kyōto Prefecture.
Prior to the Meiji Period, when this shrine had an auxiliary shrine relationship to Kamowakeikazuchi Jinja (also known as Kamikamo Jinja, Upper Kamo Shrine), the festival was observed on a grand scale. In the past, on the day before the festival there used to be a kitchen knife ceremony, and shinsen (sacred offerings) were placed in a chest (karabitsu).
Then, together with birds (kakedori), people presented these to the kami on the day of the ceremony.
After the ritual offering (hōbei) of nusa (sacred paper strips/streamers) and the intoning of norito (prayers) by the shinshoku (priests) they visited the branch and hilltop shrines and performed hōbei, then returned wearing flowers taken from the mountain peak in their hair.

At the midpoint in route between the Kibune and Upper Kamo Shrines a designated person chanted a secret song to which the other priests responded in a repetitive manner. Formerly, during the fourth month festival worshippers used to collect the Japanese knotweed that grew profusely on the mountain near the shrine in a competition for size and amount, thus leading to the popular name itadori matsuri ("Knotweed Festival"). Vestiges of this ancient festival remain in the annual shin'yo (portable shrine) processional held on June 1, and in the festivals for the changing of the kami's robes (gokōisai) held on April 1 and November 1.
source : Mogi Sakae, Kokugakuin Uni


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Kibune Shrine (貴船神社, Kibune Jinja),
also known as Kifune Jinja, is a Shinto shrine located at Sakyō-ku in Kyoto, Japan.
It was founded more than 1600 years ago.
Legend tells us that the goddess Tamayori-hime appeared on a yellow boat in Osaka Bay and said, "Build a sanctuary at the place where this boat stops and deify the spirit of the locality, and the country will prosper." The boat floated up the rivers of Yodogawa to the river Kamogawa, stopping at the beginning of the stream.
The deities enshrined here are Takaokami-no-Kami and Kuraokami-no-Kami. They are the gods of water, and people pray to them for rain during times of drought, and to stop the rain during floods.
One emperor offered a black horse in a drought, and a white horse during a prolonged spell of rain. This is why people now offer up votive plates with the image of a horse.
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 Kibune Shrine.

From 1871 through 1946, the Kibune Shrine was officially designated one of the Kanpei-chūsha (官幣中社), meaning that it stood in the second rank of government supported shrines.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

京都市左京区鞍馬貴船町180


. Kuraokami, Takaokami 高おかみ神 , Kuramitsuha .
Deity of Rain



Amulets from Kibune Jinja


chinowa omamori ちのわ守り for summer purification





龍神札 Dragon God amulet

. The Dragon Art Gallery - 2012 .



御神水せっけん soap from sacred water
清砂 purifying sand
kajitori 梶取守



何事もうまくいく絵馬 - may everything go well - amulet

all kinds of ema votive tablets and more
source : www.kibune.or.jp/jinja/omamori


tsuri yuki anzen 釣行安全　safety when fishing
ruaa mamori ルアー守 luer amulet
. Amulet for fishing from Kibune Shrine .

. Summer Purification (nagoshi, harae) .



むすび守袋型 Musubi bag form
むすび守文型 Musubi letter form

. Enmusubi 縁結び to find a good partner .




貴船神社船土鈴
clay bell of the yellow boat of Tamayori-Hime
A play of words with the name of the shrine, 黄船 "yellow boat".

. Kyoto no dorei 京都の土鈴 clay bells from Kyoto .

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Suzuka Valley and Waterfall, 鈴鹿谷
The Main Shrine, 貴船神社本宮
The Rock Garden, 石庭

Page with many thumbnails of the places within the precincts.
http://www.kibune.or.jp/meisho/

. . .

Kibune Jinja / Kifune Homepage
http://www.kibune.or.jp/jinja/

Festivals
http://www.kibune.or.jp/jinja/event/
http://www.kibune.or.jp/jinja/kibune/saijiki.html

. . . . . every month:
tsukinamisai 月次祭 monthly festival
hatsu tatsusai 初辰祭 festival on the first day of the dragon
masshasai 末社祭 festival of the subordinate shrine

. . . . . Saijiki Events:
hatsu tatsu taisai 初辰大祭
. Grand Festival on the first day of the dragon in January
tondo とんど Tondo fire, January 15
amagoi matsuri 雨乞祭 Rain Ritual, March 9
Kifune matsuri 貴船祭 Grand Festival, June 1
Minazuki no oharae 水無月大祓
. Great Purification ritual in June, June 30
Kifune no mizu matsuri 貴船の水まつり
. Water Festival, July 7
Kikka shinji 菊花神事
. Chrysanthemum ritual, Spetember 9
Meiji sai 明治祭 Meiji festival, November 3
Kifune momiji matsuri 貴船もみじ祭
. celebrating red leaves, November 7

. . . . .


quote
In Kyoto, Kibune Shrine deifies Takaokami-no-kami, who is worshiped as a rain god. It is described in the Shoku-nihongi, the Nihon-koki, the Shoku-nihon-koki , the Montoku-tenno Jitsuroku, and the Sandai Jitsuroku that from 765, the seventh year of Tempyohoji, people prayed almost every year to Niu-Kawakami and Kibune for rain. They are said to have offered a black horse when they wanted the rains to start and a white horse when they wanted the rains to end because it was believed that the spirit of the gods descend to earth on a horse. Black is the color for casting a rain spell as it symbolizes dark clouds bringing rain. In contrast, white is the symbol of the bright sun.
These prayers were held as national events.
Sacred Water in Japan
Iwai Hiromi




The Sacred Water 御神水 goshinsui
Even Murasaki Shikibu was aware of the powers of the water at Kibune Shrine. She came here to pray for the love of her husband, and her prayer was granted. Now the shrine is also worshipped by lovers, praying to the "god of good marriage". Workers also pray for a good relationship with their employers.

Even special soap is sold at the shrine.

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Oku no Miya 奥の宮

In the compounds, at the back of Kibune shrine, there is one of the three sacred

ryuuketsu 龍穴 dragon holes

This dragon hole inhabited by a white dragon, who brings prosperity to those who worship him.
It is a great "power spot" of Japan.

Once a carpenter lost his chisle, as it fell into the hole.
But to his surprize, a strong wind blew out of the whole and his chisle fell back on the ground in front of his feet.



Shrine Muro Ryuketsu Jinja 室生竜穴神社
Nara
. The Dragon Art Gallery – 2012 .

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Water festivel in Kifune
（貴船の水まつり） Kifune no mizu matsuri

at Kifune Shrine, July 7



quote
The origin of this festival is rain-making rituals.
Now is more like for showing our gratitude to water.

The festival consists of offering tea ceremony, dancing and cooking ceremony in front of the Gods. Tea cremony, of course, cannot be done without water, so it's the symbolic ceremony of this festival. And the cooking ceremony is offered by the special cooking school called Ikuma school.

Ancestors of the Ikuma school used to be cookers for the Imperial family. It is said that the current master is 29th-generation of the family.

At the ceremony, he cooks a fish in front of the god without touching it by his hands at all. (The fish is altarage for Gods, so it shouldn't be touched by men.)
source : see-u-in-kyoto.blogspot.com


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. Amagoi Matsuri 雨乞祭 Rain Ritual
March 9
Horses offered to the gods in rain rituals.
水の祀



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quote
Kifune Festival held in Manazuru-cho,
真鶴　貴船まつり
Ashigara-shimo-gun, Kanagawa pref. is counted as one of Japan’s three largest marine festivals and a designated National Significant Intangible Folk Cultural Asset. The origin of the festival is dated back to the middle of the 17th century, when people began to put Mikoshi (portable shrine) on a ship to pray for purification of fishing boats and stone carrying boats in the harbor and then carried it around the village.

This old, traditional and pious festival is held on July 27th to 28th, filling the whole town of Manazuru with air of excitement. As the festival is composed of a lot of exciting spectacles such as the colorfully carved Kobaya-bune boat, Manazuru-bayashi (traditional band playing music) lively cheering up the town, reverent Kashima-odori dance, and flower floats and Kaidenma (the towing boat) for which masculine strength is fully expressed, a lot of tourists from all over the country visit the town of Manazuru.
On these two days, the citizens of Manazuru all pull together to make this festival a great success.
source : nippon-kichi.jp



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HAIKU



新緑や人の少なき貴船村　
shinryoku ya hito no sukunaki Kifune mura

fresh green -
there are few people
in Kifune village

Hatano Soha (Sooha) 波多野爽波 (1923-1991)
source :　weekly-haiku.blogspot.com


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***** . 貴船神社 Kibune Shrine, Buzen Kagura
Iwado Kagura of Buzen, 岩戸神楽 in Kyushu
Autumn, O-Bon

***** . Kibunegiku 貴船菊 (きぶねぎく) wild aster from Kibune
shuumeigiku 秋明菊（しゅうめいぎく） "bright autumn chrysanthemum"
Anemone japonica
kigo for mid-autumn

***** . kawadoko ryoori 川床料理
food served on a riverbed veranda 　
In Kyoto, near shrine Kibune Jinja 貴船神社 served in the forest restaurants along the clean river.
kawayuka 川床（かわゆか）riverbed veranda



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Kamo Shrines Kyoto

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Festivals at the Kamo Shrine complex

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

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Explanation


Miyako Meisho Zue 都名所図会,
vol. 6 巻之六 後玄武再刻, 上加茂社 （上賀茂神社）



The Kamo Shrine complex:
Shimogamo Shrine 下鴨神社 and
Kamigamo Shrine 上賀茂神社 are both recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. They are two of the most important shrines in Kyoto.
They are two of the oldest shrines in Japan.



Kamo Shrine (賀茂神社, Kamo-jinja)
is a general term for an important Shinto sanctuary complex on both banks of the Kamo River in northeast Kyoto. It is centered on two shrines.
The two shrines, an upper and a lower, lie in a corner of the old capital which was known as the "devil's gate" (鬼門, kimon) due to traditional geomancy beliefs that the north-east corner brought misfortune. Because the Kamo River runs from the north-east direction into the city, the two shrines along the river were intended to prevent demons from entering the city.

Kamo-wakeikazuchi Shrine
賀茂別雷神社, Kamo-wakeikazuchi jinja)

(賀茂御祖神社, Kamo-mioya jinja)

The Kamo Shrine is so named because its rituals and festivals are designed to assist in the veneration of the Kamo family of kami and other associated deities; and Kamo kami (kami-no-Kamo) is referenced in other Shinto contexts. In the "Congratulatory Words of the Chieftain of Izumo," the "sacred grove of Kamo" is mentioned along with other wooded Shinto sanctuaries at Ō-miwa, Unade and Asuka:

Then, Ō-namochi-no-mikoto said:
"The Sovereign Grandhild will dwell peacefully
in the land of Yamato."
Thus saying, he attached his peaceful spirit
To a mirror of large dimensions,
Eulogizing it by the name
Yamato-no-Ō-mono-nushi-Kushi-mika-tama-no-mikoto,
And had it dwell in the sacred grove of Ō-miwa.

He caused the spirit of his son
Aji-suki-taka-hiko-ne-no-mikoto
To dwell in the sacred grove of Kamo in Kaduraki;
Caused the spirit of Koto-shiro-nushi-no-mikoto
To dwell in Unade;
And caused the spirit of Kayanarumi-no-mikoto
To dwell in the sacred grove of Asuka.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !


Kamigamo Shrine (上賀茂神社, Kamigamo Jinja)
Upper Kamo Shrine
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !


source : Kamigamo Shrine HP


Shimogamo Shrine, Shimogamo Jinja (下鴨神社　/ 下賀茂神社)
Lower Kamo Shrine (sometimes written with the Chinese character for duck.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !





sazare ishi さざれ石 boulder grown from pebbles

"Kimigayo" (君が代) is the national anthem of post-1868 Japan.

君が代は 千代に八千代に さざれ石の
いわおとなりてこけの生すまで

Kimigayo wa
Chiyo ni yachiyo ni
Sazare-ishi no
Iwao to narite
Koke no musu made

May your reign
Continue for a thousand, eight thousand generations,
Until the pebbles
Grow into boulders
Lush with moss

Thousands of years of happy reign be thine;
Rule on, my lord, till what are pebbles now
By ages united to mighty rocks shall grow
Whose venerable sides the moss doth line.
Tr. Basil Hall Chamberlain

©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

There are various sazare-ishi in Japan.
The one for the Kimigayo is most probably referring to 岐阜県揖斐川町春日, now a park with the stone さざれ石公園.


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According to the system of Shikinen Sengu, all shrines in the Shimogamo complex are meant to be rebuilt every 21 years. The purpose of this physical reconstruction is spiritual renewal.
Tadasu no mori, this lush, green forest is a hallmark of Shimogamo shrine.
source : Shimogamo Shrine HP



The name also refers to the ambit of shrine's nearby woods, which are vestiges of the primeval forest of
Tadasu no Mori 糺の森（ただすのもり、糺ノ森.



Tadasu No Mori
which literally means "Forest of Correction," is a sacred grove associated with an important Shinto sanctuary complex known in Japanese as the Kamo-jinja, situated near the banks of the Kamo River just north of where the Takano River joins the Kamo River in northeast Kyoto city, Japan. The term Kamo-jinja in Japanese is a general reference to Shimogamo Shrine and Kamigamo Shrine, the traditionally linked Kamo shrines of Kyoto. The Kamo-jinja serve the function of protecting Kyoto from malign influences.

The ambit of today's forest encompasses approximately 12.4 hectares, which are preserved as a national historical site . It is today the last remnant of a primeval forest which is reputed to have never been burned down. The forest has, in fact, suffered some damage over the centuries when all of Kyoto was burned during successive revolts and wars but the forest growth has rebounded again and again. The forest is left to grow in its natural state. It is neither planted nor pruned.

The forest in ancient times comprised approximately 4,950,000 square meters of virgin forest. Due to wars during the Middle Ages and a supreme edict in the 4th year of the Meiji era, it was reduced to its present area of approximately 124,000 square meters.

The wooded area that is called by the name Tadasu-no-mori today lies on the grounds of Shimogamo Shrine, one of the seventeen historical sites in and around Kyoto which in 1994 were designated by UNESCO as Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto.
source : www.medical-answers.org


hotarubi no chakai 蛍火の茶会 tea ceremony and fireflies
in June

There are performances of court and other traditional music with ritual dancing, a demonstration of kimonos in 12 layers (juuni-e), tea ceremony and then fireflies are released to freedom. (This is a good deed said to improve one's karma in the next world.)
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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Busha Shinji (歩射神事, archery ritual) at Shimogamo Shrine (下鴨神社).
The arrow will overleap the huge gate at the left side


- Shared by Taisaku Nogi -
Joys of Japan, 2012

Busha Shinji
Shrine priests use bows and arrows to ward off evil spirits. Other arrow shooting rituals are also held.
source : www.kyotoguide.com




賀茂別雷神社（上賀茂神社）
text by 千玄室
source : www.kamigamojinja.jp/sengu


Kamo Wake Ikazuchi Jinja
賀茂別雷神社　（かもわけいかづちじんじゃ）　
source : www.kyoto.zaq.ne.jp


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yakuyoke no omamori 厄除けの御守り amulet to ward off evil

. . . CLICK here for amulet Photos !

. Yakuyoke - Amulets to ward off evil .

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kigo for early summer


賀茂の競べ馬 - Miyako Meisho Zue 都名所図会,

kurabeuma, kurabe uma 競べ馬 horse race

. Kamo keiba 賀茂競馬（かもけいば）
horse race at Kamo shrine
"The Ritual of the Racehorses"
kurabeuma, kurabe uma 競べ馬 (くらべうま) horse race
kisoi uma きそい馬（きそいうま）
koi uma きおい馬（きおいうま）
muda hashiri 空走り（むだはしり）"free run"
kachiuma 勝馬（かちうま）winning horse
makeuma 負馬（まけうま）loosing horse
hashiri uma 走り馬（はしりうま）running horse
ashizoroe 足揃（あしぞろえ） "getting the legs together"
May 5

. . . . .




. Aoi Matsuri 葵祭 Aoi Festival
May 15
Shimogamo and Kamigamo shrine in Kyoto
..... Kamo no matsuri 賀茂祭（かものまつり）

source : Kamo-sai (Aoi-matsuri)


Kamo Mikage Matsuri
賀茂御蔭祭 (かもみかげまつり)
"honorable shadow festival" mikage matsuri
mi-aregi 御生木（みあれぎ）
shibakiri shinji 芝切神事（しばきりしんじ）
"Lawn Cutting Ceremony"
May 15
(during the Aoi Matsuri Festival)

. . . . .


kigo for late summer

. Shimogamo no misogi
下賀茂の御祓 (しもがものみそぎ)
Shimogamo purification rituals
visiting for the Mitarashi festival, mitarashi moode
御手洗詣 みたらしもうで
Tadasu no suzumi 糺の納涼（ただすのすずみ）
coolness of the Tadasu forest
mitarashi dango 御手洗団子（みたらしだんご)
rice dumplings
Nagoshi-no-harae
June 30


Maybe related to Christian baptism rituals?

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


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kigo for early autumn



. yatori shinji 矢取り神事
Shimogamo Shrine Arrow Ceremony
Beginning of August


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kigo for the New Year

. hatsumari　初鞠 first kick-ball bame
..... kemari hajime　蹴鞠初め

January 4 at Shimogamo Shrine in Kyoto.　

. . . . .

Kamigamo Nentoosai
上賀茂燃燈祭 (かみがもねんとうさい)
"Lantern Festival at Kamigamo"
hatsune no tamabooki
初子の玉箒（はつねのたまぼうき）
"precious broom on the first day of the rat"
A broom (brush) used to clean the silkworm room for the first time on the first day of the rat. The broom was made of Chinese lespedeza, Lespedeza cuneata (medohagi蓍萩) and first pine seedlings.


source :　unokanda


. Pulling Pine Seedlings (komatsu hiki)


. . . . .

Kamigamo otana kazari
上賀茂御棚飾 (かみがもおたなかざり)
shelf decorations at Kamigamo shrine
January 14
This ritual dates back to the Heian period.

After making donations to the four districts, they were divided into six districts.
On this day, offerings from the six districts were made.
Lately on one shelf offerings of fish, foul, rice and other food items are made and ritual music is played.

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Karasu-zumo "Crow Sumo (wresling celemony)"
烏相撲（からすずもう）
karasu sumoo
September 9, Kamigamo Shrine



In this very unusual ritual, shrine officials imitate the voice of crows and their manner of jumping to the side, then children perfom sumo for the entertainment of the Kami. It has been designated by the city of Kyoto as an "Intangible Cultural Property".
source : www.kamigamojinja.jp

. . . . .

More festivals at Shimogamo Shrine

New Year's Festivities
Kinensai Matsuri (Toshigoi Matsuri)
Mitarashi Matsuri
Meigetsu Kangen Sai
Ohitaki Sai
Yakushu Wakamizu shinji “medicine wine, young water.”
source : www.shimogamo-jinja.or.jp

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Dragon Ema for 2012



Shared by Promenade in Kyoto
Joys of Japan


. Dragon Ema votive tablets - 2012 .

. The Dragon Art Gallery .


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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way


. "Kamo Dolls (kamo ningyo　加茂人形)
Willow Dolls (yanagi ningyo　柳人形)



. Kannabi 神奈備 "purified place"


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HAIKU

御座をはけこよひ初子の玉箒
goza o hake koyoi hatsune no tamabooki

cleaning the mats
tonight with a precious broom
on the first day of the rat

In the Haiku Collection Enoko Shuu 犬子集(1633)


Enokoshu, part of the Shoki Haikai Shu 初期俳諧集
江戸初期の俳諧集
17 maki in 5 volumes


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黄昏に孫と散歩の鴨の川

Twilight stroll
Old couple and a grandson
Along Kamo river

Esho Shimazu
Joys of Japan, February 2012


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Related words

***** . Kyoto (Hana no Miyako) 　


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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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Things found on the way


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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Oyamato Shrine Festivals

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for koma inu　狛犬 guardian dogs see below


Ooyamato Shrine Festivals

***** Location: Nara, Tenri Village
***** Season: See below
***** Category: Observance

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Explanation

Ooyamato shinkoosai 大和神幸祭 (おおやまとしんこうさい)
Festival at shrine Oyamato Jinja
chanchan matsuri ちゃんちゃん祭 Chanchan festival

observance kigo for late spring



source :　iron.cocolog-nifty.com/matsuri
大和神社ちゃんちゃん祭り


April 1
at the shrine Ooyamato Jinja 大和神社 Oyamato Jinja
奈良県天理市新泉

The mikoshi is carried to the large stone otabisho 御旅所 resting place.

source and more photos :　tyantyan/index.html
中山町での「お旅所祭」
The tabisho is also called 岸田の市場.


Many prayer gongs (shooko) 鉦鼓　are rung when the mikoshi arrives, therefore the festival is also called "chanchan", like the sound of the gongs.


Chimaki mochi 粽餅 steamed rice dumplings are offered to the deities.

Various dances are performed.
ryuu no mai 龍の舞 "dragon dance"
.....「竜の口」舞い

ta no mi no mai 田の実の舞 "field fruit dance"
ogina mai 翁舞 a kind of sarugaku dance

Showing the sacred horse 神馬曳き and other rituals.



MORE
photos from this festival :
source : 09-6tyantyan



quote
Held on April 1, this is the annual high festival (reitaisai) of Ōyamato Jinja in Tenri City, Nara Prefecture.
On the day before the festival, those people who are to participate in the togyo (sacred procession) present offerings of taihei (large nusa, ritual purification wands) at the shrine. In an event called the yoimiya watashi, the shinshoku (priest) receives the taihei and makes a ceremonial offering (hōbei) with the performance of a norito.

The Chan-chan matsuri begins at ten o'clock the next morning, and with the transfer of the god (mitama utsushi) to the shin'yo (sacred palanquin) at approximately two o'clock, the procession sets forth. The syllables "chan-chan," representing the sound of the bells that accompany the procession to the otabisho (temporary destination or resting point), became the common name of the festival.

This is also the largest shinkō procession among festivals in the Yamato region. During the otabisho rites, there are offerings (kensen) of steamed rice cakes (chimaki mochi) and dedications (hōnō) of artistic performances.
source : Mori Sakae, Kokugakuin 2007


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Deities in residence are

Yamato no Ookuni Tama no Kami 倭大国魂神
（やまとのおおくにたまのかみ）
Okunitama no Kami
日本大国魂大神 in the central hall 中殿

Yachihoko no Kami 八千矛神（やちほこのかみ）to the left

Mi-Toshi no Kami 御年神（みとしのかみ） / 御年大神 to the right

. Toshigami 年神 God of the Year .
, Toshidon and other names


quote
Yamatonoōkunitama
[Yamato no ōkunitama] (Nihongi)
Other names: Yamato no ōkunitama no kami
The central deity (saijin) of the Ōyamato Shrine, but possessing ambiguous attributes. According to Nihongi's record of the sixth year of Emperor Sujin's reign, Yamato no Ōkunitama was originally enshrined together with Amaterasu ōmikami inside the palace, but the emperor feared the power of the two kami, and decided to no longer dwell under the same roof with them. Amaterasu possessed the maiden Toyosukiirihime no mikoto and led her to a new place of enshrinement at Kasanui no mura in Yamato, while
Yamato no Ōkunitama possessed Nunakiirihime no mikoto and was enshrined at the Ōyamato Shrine.

In his Kojikiden, Motoori Norinaga denied the theory that Yamato no Ōkunitama was the same as Ōkuninushi no kami, but the Ōyamato Jinja chūshinjō (1167) claims that Ōkunitama is the "rough spirit" (aramitama) of Ōnamuchi (another name for Ōkuninushi).
source : Matsunaga Naomichi, Kokugakuin 2005


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Other festivals


1月4日 -- January 4
O-yumi hajime 御弓始式 First Archery Offering
from the Ogasawara line of archery 小笠原流弓術

Sansan kudebasami shiki 三々九手挟式 shooting ritual

The arrows for this ritual are called
jintooya 神頭矢 and made from white shirano bamboo 白箆.
Feathers from an eagle or hawk.
source :　ogasawararyu kamakura


. WKD : Horses and Yabusame .

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6月30日 -- June 30
chinowa kuguri 茅の輪くぐり Summer purification

. Summer Purification Ceremony (nagoshi) .
chinowa 茅の輪 sacred ring
passing through the sacred ring, wagoshi matsuri　輪越祭


More festivals at the shrine:
source : ooyamato

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quote
Oyamato Shrine
is located in Tenri City, Nara Pref. It was called “Yamato no Miya” in ancient times. It is said that Emperor Sujin (B.C. 97-30), who was afraid of the sacred power of Okunitama no Okami, which was enshrined at the Imperial Place with Amaterasu Okami, ordered his daughter, Nunaki Iri Hime, to relocate it to this place. Later the emperor built the shrine here, assigning Ichishi no Nagaoichi as the head priest.


In the early Heian period, the shrine flourished and possessed the second largest shrine territory next to Ise shrine.
However with the capital relocation to Kyoto, the shrine fell into decline. From the nominal link, the deity of this shrine was imparted to Battle Ship Yamato, and the war memorial stone for the crew on Yamato is placed in the precinct.
Annual festival of “Chan Chan Festival,” in which a parade of people in ancient costumes walk through the town, carrying mikoshi and beating shoko (bronze gongs), is enjoyed by people as the charming sight of the spring.
source : nippon-kichi.jp




Homepage of the shrine: OOYAMATO SHIRINE 大和神社
source : ooyamato


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狛犬大神 Komainu Daijin
八幡大神 Hachiman Daijin
道祖大神 Dooso Daijin
The amulets come in a beautiful wooden box.


a shrine with the same kanji, but different reading

小諸市の大和神社（やまとじんじゃ)
Shrine Yamato Jinja, Komoro Town, Nagano
from 宗教法人「紀元会」Kigen Kai
source : cult.s295


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Things found on the way


. Ookunitama 大国魂神社 Okunitama Jinja .
Miya-Machi,Fuchu-Shi,Tokyo


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quote
komainu, koma inu　狛犬
Lit. 'Korean dog'.
A pair of lion-like guardian figures placed at each side of a shrine or temple entrance; believed to ward off evil spirits. Thought to have been brought to Japan from China via Korea, their name is derived from Koma 高麗, the Japanese term for the Korean kingdom of Koguryo 高句麗.

In the early Heian period (9c) the two statues were clearly distinguished: the figure on the left, called shishi 獅子 (lion), resembled a lion with its mouth open agyou 阿形;
the figure on the right, called komainu 狛犬 (Korean dog), resembled a dog with its mouth closed ungyou 吽形, and sometimes had a horn on its head.
Gradually the term komainu came to be used for both statues, and their shapes became indistinguishable except for the open and closed mouths a-un 阿吽. In the Heian period (9-12c) komainu were used as weights or door-stops for curtains and screens in the Seiryouden 清涼殿, Kyoto Gosho 京都御所.

Other famous examples include a pair of painted wooden komainu (10-11c) at Yakushiji 薬師寺, Nara; 14 painted and lacquered wooden figures at Itsukushima Jinja 厳島神社,(12-14c) Hiroshima prefecture, and the stone figures inside the south gate of Toudaiji 東大寺, Nara, made by the 12c Chinese sculptor Chinnakei 陳和卿.
source : www.aisf.or.jp/~jaanus






. Shiisa シーサー Lion Dogs from Okinawa.



- quote -
The term A-un (阿吽) is the transliteration in Japanese of the two syllables "a" and "hūṃ". Written in Devanagari as अहूँ.
The original Sanskrit term
is composed of two letters, the first and the last of the Sanskrit alphabet. Together, they symbolically represent the beginning and the end of all things. In Japanese Mikkyō Buddhism, the letters represent the beginning and the end of the universe.
The term is also used
in Shinto and Buddhist architecture to describe the paired statues common in Japanese religious settings, most notably the Niō and the komainu. In most cases one of the two, the right one, has its mouth open to pronounce the sound "a", while the other has it closed to utter the sound "um". The symbolism is the same already seen. The generic name for statues with an open mouth is agyō (阿形 lit. "a" shape), that for those with a closed mouth ungyō (吽形 lit. "un" shape").
The term a-un
is used figuratively in some Japanese expressions as "a-un breathing" (阿吽の呼吸 a-un no kokyū) or "a-un relationship" (阿吽の仲 a-un no naka), indicating an inherently harmonious relationship or non-verbal communication.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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Komainu Daruma　だるま狛犬


source : facebook

市ヶ谷亀岡八幡宮 Kameoka Hachimangu

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. shishigashira 獅子頭 lion head mask .


. koma usagi 狛兎 rabbit statues as guardians at the gate .
Tsuki Jinja 調神社 , Saitama


. koma ...　 狛　 shrine guardian animals .

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in the limelight
for two seconds -
photographer's luck!


. Shrine Ichi no Miya, Wadakita, Ohaga .
和田北 一宮神社, my local shrine


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HAIKU



郷中の旗押し立てて春祭　　
gojuu no hata oshi-tatete haru matsuri

all over my home village
the flags are jostling -
spring festival

丘ひとつすっぽり包む桃の花

常朝
With more photos
source : teisyo.blogspot.com



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Related words

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

***** . Drums and Gongs .



source :　facebook
Tokyo Asakusa Sanja Jinja 浅草『三社神社』　
. Amulets and Talismans from Japan .　

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. koma-inu 狛犬 / 高麗犬 / 胡麻犬 "Korean Dog" .
- Introduction -

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