Darumapedia

11 Jan 2015

KAPPA - Names of Kappa

LINIK
http://kappapedia.blogspot.jp/2014/12/names-of-kappa.html

source :　National Diet Library

Suiko juni-hin no zu 水虎十二品之図
Illustrated Guide to 12 Types of Kappa

- quote
The name is a combination of the word kawa (river) and wappo, an inflection of warabe (child).
A hairy kappa is called a Hyōsube (ひょうすべ).
There are more than eighty other names associated with the kappa in different regions...
... The kappa is typically depicted as roughly humanoid in form and about the size of a child. Its scaly reptilian skin ranges in color from green to yellow or blue.
... webbed hands and feet to live in the water ...
... Although their appearance varies from region to region, the most consistent features are a carapace, a beak for a mouth, and a plate (sara), a flat hairless region on the top of the head that is always wet, and is regarded as the source of the kappa's power. This cavity must be full whenever a kappa is away from the water; if it ever dries out, the kappa loses its power and may even die.
Another notable feature in some stories is that the arms are said to be connected to each other through the torso and can slide from one side to the other.
While they are primarily water creatures, they do on occasion venture on to land. When they do, the plate can be covered with a metal cap for protection. In fact, in some versions of the legends, kappa spend spring and summer in the water, and the rest of the year in the mountains as Yama-no-Kami (山の神, "mountain deities").
Although they are reported to live throughout Japan, they are often said to be particular to Saga Prefecture.
... Kappa are usually seen as mischievous troublemakers or trickster figures. Their pranks range from the relatively innocent, such as loudly passing gas or looking up women's kimonos, to the malevolent, such as drowning people and animals, kidnapping children, and raping women.

- Politeness -
It was believed that, if one was confronted with a kappa, there were a few means of escape. Kappa are obsessed with politeness, so if a person makes a deep bow, it return the gesture, the water in the plate on its head spills out and it is rendered unable to leave the bowing position until the plate is refilled with water from the river in which it lives. If a person refills it, the kappa will serve that person for all eternity.

... Kappa are not entirely antagonistic to human beings. They are curious about human civilization, and they can understand and speak Japanese. They may even befriend human beings in exchange for gifts or offerings of nasu (茄子, Japanese eggplant), soba (そば or 蕎麦, buckwheat noodles), nattō (なっとう or 納豆, fermented soybeans), or kabocha (カボチャ, 南瓜, winter squash), but especially cucumbers, the only food kappa are known to enjoy more than human children.
Japanese parents sometimes write the names of their children, or their own names, on cucumbers and toss them into waters believed to be infested with kappa in order to mollify the creatures and allow the family to bathe.
In some regions, it was customary to eat cucumbers before swimming as protection, but in others it was believed that this act would guarantee an attack.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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. Aragoroo Daimyoojin　荒五郎大明神 Aragoro Daimyojin .
- - - - - in Tanushimaru, Fukuoka

. Arakapu アラカブ - Kyushu .

dangame

enkoo, enkō "Monkey"

. Fukutaroo, Fukutarō　福太郎　Fukutaro, The Lucky Kappa .

gangi kozoo ガンギコゾウ with body hair and saw-like teeth

gappa ガッパ
gappadoko ガーッパドコ drowning of a kappa

. Garakapu ガラカブ - Kyushu .

. garappa ガラッパ .
from 八代地方 Yachidai, Kumamoto, Kyushu

gataroo, gatarō がたろう

gawappa

hanzaki はんざき "torn or cut in half" / hanzaki daimyoojin　ハンザキ大明神
(referring to the tail that might come off in danger, but the animal is not killed by this)
オオサンショウウオ/大山椒魚 Japanese giant salamander (Andrias japonicus)
. Salamanders of Japan . *　

. hyoosube, hyōsube ひょうすべ Hyosube .

hyoosubo ヒョウスボ (mixed body parts)

. kahaku, kawa no kami, kawako 河伯 River Deity, 川の神 "river chief" .
and hitobashira 人柱 human sacrifice, "human pillar"

. Kappa Daimyoojin 河童大明神 Kappa Daimyojin, Great Kappa Deity . 　　
Kappa Myoojin カッパ明神 Kappa Myojin

. Kappii かっぴー / カッピー .
. . . . . Iroha Kappii いろはカッピー / Kappii kun ikka カッピーくん一家 Kappikun Family

Karin-chan and his pink wife Kururin-chan - カリンちゃん and くるりんちゃん
town mascot of　. Tono 遠野 - Iwate　岩手 . 　　

kawako 川子 / 河子 "river-child"

. kawako 河伯 "earl Kappa", river earl . - Matsue

kawaranbe 河ランベ

kawaso

kawataroo, kawatarō 河太郎 Kawataro

komahiki, komabiki 　駒引き "horse puller"

koogoo, kōgo

. Kyuuchan キューちゃん Kyu-Chan . - Ushiku 牛久 Ibaraki -

. 九千坊河童　Kyusenbo kappa　- Kusenbo Kappa . from Kyushu

. - Otter 獺魚 kawauso as kappa - . 　

Sanpei, 河童の三平　Kappa no Sanpei by Mizuki Shigeru　水木しげる
- More in the WIKIPEDIA !

senoo kappa 妹尾河童

. Shibaten しばてん / 芝天 otter and Kappa from Tosa Kochi - Shikoku .

. - Shikoku 四国 - Kappa Mascots - .
エンコ Enko from Tokushima monster village
かんちゃん Kanchan
まつちカッパ Matsuchi Kappa
オクラかっぱ Okura Kappa
しんちゃん / ころちゃん Shinchan and Kokorochan
トッシー Tosshi
わじきカッパ君 Wajiki Kappa kun

shookichi Kappa 正吉河童 from Bungo, Oita
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

suijin 水神 "water deity"

suiko 水虎 "water beast"

Suitenguu 水天宮 Suitengu
. - Suijin 水神 Kappa water deity - . 　　

Unagappa うながっぱ
town mascot of　. Tajimi 多治見 - Gifu 岐阜 . 　　

yamawaro ヤマワロ kappa of the mountains

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. - benevolent Kappa 慈善河童　jizen no Kappa -
helping people, teaching people . 　

The three most famous Kappa regions of Japan 日本三大河童地帯

. - Tanushimaru 田主丸 in Fukuoka 福岡 - . 　

. - Ushiku 牛久 in Ibaraki 茨城 -. 　

. Tono 遠野 in Iwate 岩手 . 　

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- Check out more about this Kappa Anatomy
- source : flamboyant.jp/monster ***

from a suiko and turtle スイコ×カメの系統

from a suiko and monkey スイコ×サルの系統

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河童の呼称 - Names of Kappa

名前の系統それぞれの呼び名

ガーッパ系カッパ、ガッパ、ガラッパドンなど
川太郎系カワタロウ、ガタロウ、ガータロ、ガワンタロなど
川原坊主系カワラコゾウ、カワラボウズ、カワソウなど
川の殿の系カワノトノ、カワントン、カワノヌシなど
猿猴系ホンコウ、ユンコサン、エンゴザルなど
その他メドチ、ガメ、ヒョウスンポ、コマヒキなど

《｢日本伝奇伝説大事典｣乾/小池/志村/高橋・角川書店》

- long list of more vocabulary and books
- source : www.ishinotent.co.jp

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. - - - Join my Kappa friends on facebook ! - - - .

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. Regional Kappa mascots and characters .
Hokkaido, Tohoku, Kanto, Chubu, Kansai, Chugoku, Shikoku, Kyushu

. Mingei 民芸　Regional Folk　Art from Japan .

- kappanames -
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[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]

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--
Posted By Gabi Greve to Kappa - The Kappapedia on 12/28/2014 05:14:00 am

KAPPA - Michael Dylan Foster

LINK
http://kappapedia.blogspot.jp/2015/01/michael-dylan-foster.html

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- KAPPA - 河童 / かっぱ /　カッパ - Books and Reference -
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- Michael Dylan Foster -

The Metamorphosis of the Kappa
- Transformation of Folklore to Folklorism in Japan

The kappa is a mischievous water goblin of Japanese folklore. This article presents an overview of some of the characteristics of the kappa, including the dish-like cavity on its head, its penchant for eating cucumbers, its aversion to gourds and to iron, and its habit of trying to pull horses, cattle, and humans into the water. Some of the major critical literature regarding the kappa is discussed, including work by Yanagita Kunio, Orikuchi Shinobu, Ishida Eiichiro, and structural anthropologist Cornelis Ouwehand.
The concept of folklorism (folklorismus) is briefly defined and applied to the kappa belief.
Through folklorism, artists, writers, cartoonists, and commercial interests have transformed the kappa from a malicious and unpleasant water deity into a harmless and lovable mascot.
- source : Nanzan University - PDF file

..............................................................................................................................................

The Book of Yokai

... His first book — "Pandemonium and Parade" — grew out of these studies and forged many of his Japanese connections in the yokai world.

Leaving Japan in 1993 after nearly four years, Foster did not yet think of folklore as an area of study, although his Japanese had progressed enough to enjoy the local stories, particularly on a trip to Tohoku and Iwate Prefectures, and the city of Tono, an area rich in folkloric traditions where, coincidentally, the founder of folklore studies in Japan, Kunio Yanagita, had extensively researched. Returning to the University of California at Berkeley to start a master's degree in "something practical," Foster realized he could not forget the stories —
particularly the stories about the kappa, a Japanese water sprite legendary in Tono. Luckily, the university offered a master's program in Asian studies, and he wrote his thesis on kappa.
After graduating and returning to Japan to study the language intensively, Foster moved onto Stanford University, graduating in 2003 where he wrote his doctorate dissertation on yokai.
... "As a folklorist, I like to have ambiguity. If I get one thing across in "The Book of Yokai" it is that there are many different versions of all these creatures, and you can not say anything definitive about them except to create broad categories."
source : Japan Times, January 2015

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. Kappa and . Sumo　相撲　Sumo wrestling . .

- quote
COMBAT and SUMO
The chief delight of the mischievous Kappa is to challenge humans to single combat. Indeed, the Kappa delights in Japanese sumo wrestling, and often challenges its victim to a sumo bout.
Writes scholar Michael Dylan Foster: :
"In one legend involving sumo, some children are playing by the water when a child with whom they are unacquainted appears and challenges them to sumo. Observing this child closely, they realize it is actually a kappa, and that there is water in the sara on its head. Accordingly, they shake their own heads; the kappa imitates them, spilling the water. Bereft of all strength, it is forced to leave.
This love of the sport of sumo can be found throughout much kappa lore. One common method for defeating the kappa when challenged to sumo, or any other confrontation, is simply to bow politely. The kappa, though mischievous, is essentially a polite creature who defers to human ritual; it will bow in response, spilling its water, and thus losing its power."
- source : Mark Schumacher

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. - benevolent Kappa 慈善河童　jizen no Kappa - .

Michael Dylan Foster:
"The kappa is notorious for attempting to lure horses and cows to a watery death; but the key word here is attempting. In most versions of this legend, the kappa fails; its plan backfires and it (or just its arm) is pulled by the startled horse all the way to the stable. The kappa's success rate in fondling women's shiri in the toilet may be slightly higher, but often on its second attempt its arm is grabbed and yanked from the body. And when its mischief goes awry, when it is weakened from losing water from its sara or incapacitated (emasculated) by a yanked-off arm, the honest and benevolent side of the kappa's nature surfaces.
In order to be set free or receive back its arm (the arm can often be reattached within a certain number of days), the kappa will take an oath. It will pledge, for instance, to stop harassing people in the area, or to assist with work in the fields, or to teach its captor secret bonesetting techniques and formulas for making medicine and salves. It should be noted that this last trait - the kappa's familiarity with bonesetting and other medical procedures - is one of the most widespread of the beliefs associated with the kappa."
- source : Mark Schumacher

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. Food and the Kappa .

Michael Dylan Foster:
"One of the better known of the kappa's traits is its love of kyuri, or cucumbers. Many of the festivals associated with kappa include offerings of cucumbers (e.g., Takeda 1988, and Orikuchi 1955,). Here again, the complexity of the kappa belief is apparent. As Takeda points out, there are some regions where it is believed that eating a cucumber and then swimming will lead to certain attack by a kappa, while in other areas it is a way to ensure protection against attack (Takeda 1988).
Other foods to which the kappa is partial include nasu (Japanese eggplant), soba (buckwheat noodles), natto (fermented soybeans), and kabocha (pumpkin). .
Although the kappa is attracted to some foods of the uri, or melon, grouping - such as kyuri and kabocha - it is clear that it has an aversion to hyotan (gourds), which are also of the melon group.
The Nihon shoki passage cited above shows that the power of hyotan to confound the kappa was understood early on.
In one of the folktales involving kappa, the so-called kappa muko, or "kappa bridegroom tale" (Ikeda 1971), the same motif appears. A farmer, whose fields have dried up because of drought, offers his daughter to anybody who can irrigate them. A kappa succeeds in this task and receives the reluctant bride. The daughter, however, challenges the kappa to sink some gourds in the river. The kappa soon exhausts itself trying to complete this impossible task, and abandons the marriage."
- source : Mark Schumacher

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. - - - Join my Kappa friends on facebook ! - - - .

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. - Persons writing about the Kappa - Personen - .

. Kappa densetsu　河童伝説, Kappa minwa 河童民話 - Legends - Introduction .

. Mingei 民芸　Regional Folk　Art from Japan .

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[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]

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KAPPA - Foster The Book of Yokai

LINK
http://kappapedia.blogspot.jp/2014/12/reference.html
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Foster, Michael Dylan Foster
The Metamorphosis of the Kappa - Transformation of Folklore to Folklorism in Japan

The kappa is a mischievous water goblin of Japanese folklore. This article presents an overview of some of the characteristics of the kappa, including the dish-like cavity on its head, its penchant for eating cucumbers, its aversion to gourds and to iron, and its habit of trying to pull horses, cattle, and humans into the water. Some of the major critical literature regarding the kappa is discussed, including work by Yanagita Kunio, Orikuchi Shinobu, Ishida Eiichiro, and structural anthropologist Cornelis Ouwehand.
The concept of folklorism (folklorismus) is briefly defined and applied to the kappa belief.
Through folklorism, artists, writers, cartoonists, and commercial interests have transformed the kappa from a malicious and unpleasant water deity into a harmless and lovable mascot.
- source : Nanzan University - PDF file

The Book of Yokai

... His first book — "Pandemonium and Parade" — grew out of these studies and forged many of his Japanese connections in the yokai world.
Leaving Japan in 1993 after nearly four years, Foster did not yet think of folklore as an area of study, although his Japanese had progressed enough to enjoy the local stories, particularly on a trip to Tohoku and Iwate Prefectures, and the city of Tono, an area rich in folkloric traditions where, coincidentally, the founder of folklore studies in Japan, Kunio Yanagita, had extensively researched. Returning to the University of California at Berkeley to start a master's degree in "something practical," Foster realized he could not forget the stories — particularly the stories about the kappa, a Japanese water sprite legendary in Tono. Luckily, the university offered a master's program in Asian studies, and he wrote his thesis on kappa.
After graduating and returning to Japan to study the language intensively, Foster moved onto Stanford University, graduating in 2003 where he wrote his doctorate dissertation on yokai.
... "As a folklorist, I like to have ambiguity. If I get one thing across in "The Book of Yokai" it is that there are many different versions of all these creatures, and you can not say anything definitive about them except to create broad categories."
source : Japan Times, January 2015

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歴史民俗学- 特集：かっぱ・カッパ・河童

「河童」の魅力と謎に迫る内容充実の特集号。■第2回歴史民俗学研究大会での発表報告■銚子かっぱ村、千葉かっぱ村、みちのく岩手かっぱ村紹介■銚子「大内かっぱハウス」紹介■宍戸儀一「河童考」の覆刻掲載■詳細！　河童に関する文献目録■他、コラムも充実。

修験とカッパ伝承～カッパ民俗考　田村勇
大内かっぱハウス［銚子市］　木村まき
銚子地方の河童伝承　永澤謹吾
［座談会］銚子かっぱ村村民に聞く
河伯欣然　小川夏葉
千葉かっぱ村の現在と展望　清野文男
カッパ商品誕生秘話～商品名に見るカッパ　木村まき
1・キンチョウリキッド
2・黄桜、かっぱえびせん
3・きゅうりのキューちゃん、都民の日のカッパバッジ
サンカ異称に見られるカッパ類名～河尻英明氏からのフィールド採取の復元と調査　飯尾恭之
河童伝承の地域性　愛知県の事例を中心に　吉岡郁夫
みちのく岩手かっぱ村　谷村和郎
河童の歴史民俗学～没落した河伯　礫川全次
伊豆半島の河童　桜井祥行
［詩］カッパ考　木村まき
かっぱ橋商店街　田村勇
かっぱ橋商店街［街歩き］　構成・『歴史民俗学』編集部
かっぱとカワウソの実像について　岡見晨明
［俳句］河童探訪　魚泪
芥川龍之介の河童と"怪異"　青木茂雄
会津ゲスモグリ紀行～河童伝承の周辺　尾崎光弘
河童に関する文献　『歴史民俗学』編集部＝編　
河童考　宍戸儀一　
歴史民俗学研究大会［銚子大会］報告
「川の民」考～筏、川魚、世間、職師
source : www.kinokuniya.co.jp

The Folklore Society of Japan (English HP)
4-12-3 Yushima Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo
- source : www.fsjnet.jp/en

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日本伝奇伝説大事典
乾/小池/志村/高橋 - Kadokawa Shoten 角川書店
- long list of more vocabulary and long list of books

【河童(かっぱ)】《｢岩波古語辞典｣大野/佐竹/前田・岩波書店》
【河童(かっぱ)】《｢岩波日本史辞典｣・岩波書店》　
【河童(かっぱ)】《｢岩波広辞苑第五版｣・岩波書店》　
【河童(かっぱ)】妖怪 yookai 《｢日本大百科事典｣・小学館》　
【河童(かっぱ)】《｢世界大百科事典｣・平凡社》　
【河童(かっぱ)】《｢復刻大辭典｣・平凡社》
【河童(かっぱ)】《｢大言海｣大槻文彦・冨山房》
【河童(かっぱ)】《｢隠語辞典｣楳垣実・東京堂出版》　
【河童(かっぱ)】《｢民俗学辞典｣柳田國男監修・東京堂出版》　
【河童(かっぱ)】《｢日本昔話事典｣稲田浩ニ他・弘文堂》　
【河童(かっぱ)】《｢ブリタニカ国際大百科事典小項目版 2007｣》　
【河童石(かっぱいし)】Kappa ishi 《｢日本昔話事典｣稲田浩ニ他・弘文堂》　
【河童川(かっぱがわ)】Kappagawa 《｢日外難読語・固有名大辞典｣・LogoVista電子辞典》
【おかっぱ頭】《｢からだことば辞典｣東郷吉男・東京堂出版》

【河童橋(かっぱばし)】Kappabashi 《｢日外難読語・固有名大辞典｣・LogoVista電子辞典》
【河童駒引き(かっぱこまひき)】Kappa Komahiki 《｢日本昔話事典｣稲田浩ニ他・弘文堂》　
【河童相撲(かっぱすもう)】Kappa Sumo 《｢日本昔話事典｣稲田浩ニ他・弘文堂》　
【河童台(かっぱだい)】Kappadai 《｢日外難読語・固有名大辞典｣・LogoVista電子辞典》
【河童釣(かっぱつり)】Kappatsuri 《｢日本昔話事典｣稲田浩ニ他・弘文堂》笑話。巧智者譚。　
【河童(かっぱ)の川流れ】Kappa no Kawanagare 《｢岩波広辞苑第五版｣・岩波書店》

【河童(かっぱ)の屁】Kappa no he 《｢岩波広辞苑第五版｣・岩波書店》　
【河童(かっぱ)の屁】Kappa no he 《｢からだことば辞典｣東郷吉男・東京堂出版》

【河童忌(かっぱひ)】Kappahi 《｢岩波広辞苑第五版｣・岩波書店》　
【河童火やろう(かっぱひやろう)】《｢日本昔話事典｣稲田浩ニ他・弘文堂》　
【河童巻(かっぱまき)】Kappamaiki 《｢岩波広辞苑第五版｣・岩波書店》　
【河童聟入(かっぱむこいり)】《｢日本昔話事典｣稲田浩ニ他・弘文堂》　
【河童屋(かっぱや)】Kappaya 《｢隠語辞典｣楳垣実・東京堂出版》　
【河太郎(かわたろう)】Kawataro 《｢三州奇談｣・石川県図書館協会》- 森下河伯第十一

【水虎(すいこ)】Suiko 《｢大漢和辞典｣諸橋轍次・大修館書店》　
【水虎(すいこ)】Suiko 《｢和漢三才圖會｣寺島良安・東京美術》
【水神(すいじん)】Suijin (Water Deity) 《｢岩波日本史辞典｣・岩波書店》　　

【妹尾河童(せのおかっぱ)】 Senoo Kappa 《｢現代用語の基礎知識｣・自由国民社》
【詩集=河童】宗左近著 Poems　　
【童話=河童】坪田譲治著 Legends 　　
【屁の河童】《｢からだことば辞典｣東郷吉男・東京堂出版》- →河童の屁　

【民俗学=河童駒引(かっぱこまひき)】Kappa Komahiki 《｢柳田國男全集=山島民譚集｣柳田國男》　
【民俗学=河童駒引考】石田英一郎著副題「比較民族学的研究」

- source : www.ishinotent.co.jp

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河童の正体とは何か？- with many photos

source : tanken.com/kappa.html

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にっぽん妖怪の謎―古代の闇に跳梁した
鬼・天狗・河童・狐たちは生きている!?
Monsters on Old Japan - oni tengu kappa kitsune
阿部正路

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The Last Kappa of Old Japan:
A Magical Journey of Two Friends

Sunny Seki (Author)

The Last Kappa of Old Japan is a warmly written and beautifully illustrated children's book that introduces many aspects of traditional Japanese culture and folklore, while teaching an important lesson about environmentalism.
The story is of a young Japanese farm boy who develops a friendship with a mythical creature— the kappa—a messenger of the god of water. The tale begins in post-Modern Japan when the boy is young and the kappa is healthy and ends when the kappa, now the last one left on Earth, keeps an important promise to his human friend.
- source : www.amazon.com

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Kappa Hakubutsukan 河童博物館 Kappa Museum

なまずに乗る河童キーホルダー Kappa on a namazu catfish - keyholder

Very extensive resource
- source : kappauv.com

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. - - - Join my Kappa friends on facebook ! - - - .

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. Mingei　民芸 Regional Folk Art from Japan .

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9 Jan 2015

MINGEI - kites from Tosa

LINK
http://omamorifromjapan.blogspot.jp/2011/08/kochi-folk-toys-tosa.html

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Migami willage 香我美町

Tosadako, Tosa no tako 土佐凧 square kites from Tosa

- quote
The square-sailed TOSA dako is similar to Franklin kite, Delta or HATA.
It is popular that the painting on the kite is the crest of the family. The kite takes its name from the vast bay of Tosa on the south side of Shikoku island, within the Kochi prefecture. Detail description about TOSA dako is offered with beautiful pictures on "Kite Lines" Spring-Summer 1997, Vol.12, No.3. by Pierre Fabre.
- source : JAPANESE TRADITIONAL KITES

. . . CLICK here for Photos !

- quote
The Tosa Dako of Japan
IS THIS KITE THE TRUE ANCESTOR OF THE DELTA ?

Relatively few travelers　to Japan include Shikoku in their plans.　The smallest of the nation's four　main islands, this mountainous　land is served only by secondary railway　lines that run through steep valleys.
However, kite devotees will discover in　Shikoku a great diversity of traditional kites, such as the famous wan-wan, the fighting kite of Ikazaki and the Tosa dako, a little-known design that seems a clear antecedent of the delta kite.

The Tosa's homeland
The kite takes its name from the vast bay of Tosa on the south side of the island, within the Kochi prefecture. Dark green mountains descend to a plain of virulent green paddy fields on the Pacific Ocean. Tea plantations spread across the base of hills, and houses built in the traditional style, with gleaming, gray-toed roofs, add the final touch to this peaceful Japanese countryside.
This area is known best for its washy, the handmade paper widely used in Asian kitemaking. The Tosa dako is made from this material and bamboo spurs.
On a splendid day in late May, I took a train to Tosa Yamada, admiring from the window dozens of Koinobori floating in the morning breeze. These colorful carp windsocks are hoisted on tall poles to celebrate the holiday known as Children's Day, and remain displayed for several weeks, along with tall, painted banners typical of this area.
Ryosetsu Shimamura, an expert maker of the Tosa kite, met me at the station and provided a guided tour of the nearby town of Kagami, birthplace of this kite.

Delta-like features
The square-sailed Tosa is a remarkable flier that performs like a delta. Even in light breezes, it climbs to a high altitude and flies at a steep angle.
Its structure is also that of a delta: a spine, two leading edge spurs and from one to three wing-spreaders across the back, the number depending on the size of the kite. The largest I saw was about 20 feet wide, but seven feet is considered the regular size.
The kite is bridled and has no keel. A standard size Tosa has five to six long bridles measuring at least 1.5 times the length of the spine. The longer the bridles, the better the kite will fly in strong winds. The kite can be flown without a tail in light winds.

The spurs are made of carefully selected unsplit bamboo, except on the smallest kites, for which split bamboo is shaved into tri-angular sections. The thinner end of each wing spar is toward the nose of the kite, and the nose end of the spine is Lent backwards to create fore-and-aft dihedral, as often used in fighter kites. This prevents the kite from diving when going for a glide.
Shimamura explained that the best sticks are obtained from 10-year-old bamboo that has been dried for at least one year. Because the wings must be symmetrically flexible, the leading edge spurs should be "twin" sticks of bamboo cut from the same root and matching in diameter. The length between the bamboo nodes must match, too.

The kite sail is always made from traditional washi. Several small sheets are glued together and the overlaps between them act as natural reinforcement grids.
Before being glued to the sail, all sticks except the spreaders are wrapped in paper tape, to provide a better grip when glued onto the washy.
Traditionally, as I learned, flying a Tosa celebrated the birth of a newborn son in a rich farmer's family. For these styles (known as mon-dako), the chord's fancily crest is painted onto the sail in black ink and red dye. These designs are strikingly elegant in the sky, and can be read even from great distances.
Nowadays, kites are just as often decorated with calligraphy (ji-dako) or colorful figurative paintings (e-dako). Shimamura, who went to art college, paints his kites in a variety of styles : some inspired by traditional designs derived from ukiyo-e art and others influenced by modern comic strip images.

Large Tosas are launched carrying a bundle (yakidashi) tied at the bottom of long rice straw tails (waranawa). Once they have reached a high altitude (approximately 1,000 feet), a long white paper ribbon (the jaara) drops from the bundle attached to the tail. As if flutters toward the ground many smaller kites attack it, trying to snag a piece of the ribbon and keep it caught on the flying line as the kite is pulled down to the ground.
A dozen numbered pieces of paper, like raffle ticket, are glued at regular intervals along the length of the ribbon, and these can be redeemed for prizes, such as a bottle of sake or a snack of dried squid (delicious together!). Thus, capturing the longest piece of ribbon offers the best chance for prizes.
The unlucky few who fail to catch a ribbon or bring back a piece of ribbon with no number win nothing.
The bundle flown by the large kites also contains about 50 small stamped cards, which drift to the ground when the bundle opens. Children run to collect these, which may be exchanged for a cup of hot noodles.
To snare a piece of ribbon, the smaller attacking kite is maneuvered to its line first crosses the ribbon, then is drawn upwind to make the cut and leave the severed section draped on the attacking kite's line. No cutting line is involved in the game; all the kites are flown using traditional flax (linen) line. The paper ribbon is reinforced by a very thin taped along it and made slightly harder to cut by slight wrinkling.
The attack is made more difficult by the numbers of small competing kites floating around the tail. A total of 30 large kites are flown during the festival, but no more than three at a time.
The Tosa dako saved

Fifteen years ago, the Tosa dako was gradually fading from view, but an association was formed to receive it. Now, some 50 local kitefliers attend the festival, which is held in fields from which one can see a European-style castle on top of a nearby hill. (now a museum, I was told, the structure was brought here stone by stone from Austria in the 1970s!) Nobody knows exactly when the Tosa was invented, but Shimamura said it is at least 200 years old, and probably derived from kites imported from Kyushu as early as the 17th century, such as the Nagasaki hata.

Although it has no keel, the Tosa dako obviously should be classified in the same family as the delta, which is often said to have been developed in the late 1940s and early 1950s in the United States.
Just as Baden-Powell developed hexagon-shaped kites with no knowledge of the Japanese rokkaku, it is likely most Western kitemakers developed delta variations having never encountered the Tosa dako.
Once again we find evidence that the East is the true birthplace of kites. Anonymous Malaysian, Chinese, Indonesian and Japanese kitemakers should be acknowledged as the first creators of many "inventions" later claimed and patented by Westerners.
- source : Pierre Fabre, 1997

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Shibaten しばてん / 芝天 otter and Kappa from Tosa
Along the rivers live a lot of kawauso 獺魚 otters, which legends often turned into a kappa in his form of a river deity Enko.
Like the people of Tosa, the Shibaten likes sumo wrestling and always challenges people whom he meets on the road.
Nowadays clean natural rivers without concrete banks are seldom, so the Shibaten (and the river otter) is seen much less often.
Shibaten odori dance.

. - Futaba dolls　双葉人形 Futaba turtle dolls - Shibaten Kappa - .

. kawauso uo o matsuru 獺魚を祭る otter festival .
- - kigo for early spring

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. Reference and Photos . Gangu Guide .

. Reference and Photos . Isamu Folk Toys .

. Reference and Photos . Yama no Ie . Folk Toys .

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MINGEI - head dolls from Tokushima

LINK
http://omamorifromjapan.blogspot.jp/2011/08/tokushima-folk-toys.html

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Naruto town 鳴門市

Awa kubi ningyoo 阿波首人形 head dolls from Awa
from the Awaji Joruri Puppet Theater
ichimon deko　一文でこ, Awa no deko ningyo 阿波のでこ人形
They have been made since 1853, with very vivid facial expressions.
But now they are not made any more for the theater, but only as local souvenirs.

source :　yahoo.co.jp/besshohidetoshi

. Kubi ningyoo 首人形 head dolls INFO .

. Bunraku and Joruri 文楽 . 浄瑠璃 .

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MINGEI - wanwan kites tokushima

LINK
http://omamorifromjapan.blogspot.jp/2011/08/tokushima-folk-toys.html

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wanwandako, wanwan tako わんわん凧 "Wanwan" Wan Wan round kite (like a bowl)

WAN 「丸」や「円」 is a word of Naruto and the Awa region, meaning round.
These kites are famous in the Muya region 撫養.

The tradition of these huge kites dates back to 1695 and has been most cherished during the Taisho period around 1935.
Every village makes its own large round kite with a special pattern.

a ranking of the best from 1917 凧番付表　大正6年
- source : www.joruri.jp

- quote
A man-carrying kite would have to be big, but there have been some far larger than is necessary for the task. At least one was large enough to carry a man, together with his wife and child, and perhaps even a small grandmother. Though it in fact did not take on passengers, the largest kite in the world until its demise it was known as the wanwan, which was made and flown in the city of Naruto in Shikoku.

This kite was the apotheosis of Japan's ability to enlarge things normally associated with a modest scale to a size almost beyond comprehension. Reports of the actual size of giant, out-of-the-ordinary objects in Japan tend to be quite contradictory. This is not surprising, for one is hard pressed for accuracy or a point of reference when confronted with such unbelievable size.

The following figures, with attendant qualifications, are, I believe, reliable :
The wanwan kite, made of bamboo and paper, came in a variety of sizes from small to giant. The largest version was sixty-three feet in diameter; its shape was round but slightly flattened on the horizontal. This kite, together with its bridle and tail, weighed 8,800 pounds. Depending on the wind, 150 to 200 men were required to fly it.

The great kite was flown annually in a summer festival from the middle of the nineteenth century until 1914. Eyewitnesses to the wanwan festivals over the years variously reported that the kite was sixty to sixty-five feet in diameter and weighed from as little as 1,700 pounds to as much as 5,500 pounds.

In fact, the size of the giant wanwan varied from year to year. Also, large numbers of kites of different sizes were flown from day to day in the same festival period. The apparent discrepancies in weight can be accounted for by the varying sizes as well as by the inclusion or exclusion in the total of the weight of the bridle and flying line. Thirty-five to one hundred separate bridle lines, depending on the kite's size, would have been required. These lines add considerably to a kite's weight, and as a kite is actually lifting this weight, it is not unreasonable to count the bridles and flying line in the total weight of a kite.

The wanwan required a huge tail to help stabilize its flight; the largest wanwan required one five hundred feet long that was made from lengths of heavy ship rope.
Strong sea winds carried the huge kite aloft. Retrieving it was even more difficult than sending it skyward. The winch that let out the heavy flying line was held securely by virtue of being buried deep in the ground. Winch-reeling it in, however, was often impossible. An alternative was to walk it in ; that is, using a technique whereby the flyers walk down the line toward the kite, in this way shortening the flying line and causing the kite to come down. Not infrequently, the wind was too strong for the kite to be safely retrieved even with the combined strength of two hundred men. In such cases it had to be left flying until the wind died, allowing it to fall back to earth of its own accord.

ORIENTAL KITES: A BRIEF HISTORY
- source : Tal Streeter

a traditional Wan Wan from northern part of Shikoku Island. The image is Three Geishas from a print by Torij Kiyonaga (1752-1815). The Wan Wan is unique in Japan for its round shape -- reputedly based on a typical lacquer plate.
The washi and bamboo kite is six inches in diameter with an extended spar another three inches long.
- source : Gomberg Kites

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. Oasahiko Daruma 大麻比古
Deutsches Haus Naruto

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8 Jan 2015

EDO - Shikoku - Gallery

LINK
http://edoflourishing.blogspot.jp/2015/01/shikoku-gallery.html

Ehime / Iyo 愛媛 / 伊予
Kagawa / Sanuki 香川 / 讃岐
Kochi / Tosa 高知　/ 土佐
Tokushima 徳島

- quote
Shikoku (四国, "four provinces")
is the smallest of the four main islands of Japan, located south of Honshū and east of the island of Kyūshū.
Its ancient names include Iyo-no-futana-shima (伊予之二名島), Iyo-shima (伊予島), and Futana-shima (二名島). The current name refers to the four former provinces which made up the island: Awa, Tosa, Sanuki, and Iyo.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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- - - - - Introduced in the Darumapedia - - - - -

Henro 　遍路　 Shikoku Henro Temple List
Pilgrimage to 88 temples in honor of Kobo Daishi Kukai
. Shikoku Henro Temple List .

. Matsuri - Festivals in Shikoku .

. Mingei - Toys and Amulets from Shikoku .

. Washoku - Regional Dishes from Shikoku .

. Sweets from Shikoku .

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- - - - - Famous people from Shikoku - - - - -

Iwasaki Yataroo 岩崎弥太郎 Iwasaki Yataro
(1834 - 1885)

. Masaoka Shiki 正岡子規 - Haiku Poet .
(1867 - 1902)

. Sakamoto Ryooma 坂本龍馬 Sakamoto Ryoma .
(1836 – 1867) - Sakamoto Ryuma

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6 Jan 2015

KAPPA - kigurumi costume

LINK
http://darumadollmuseum.blogspot.jp/2007/07/stuffed-dolls-nuigurumi.html

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kigurumi きぐるみ【着包み】 doll costumes to wear

Here is one for a baby.

. . . Yamadaruma san wearing a Daruma Costume

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Green Kappa Pleuche Jazz Cloth Funny Kigurumi

source :　www.milanoo.com

. kappa　河童 / 合羽　/ かっぱ Kappa water goblin - Kappapedia .

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. Regional Folk Toys from Japan .

Alphabetical Index of the Daruma Museum

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KAPPA - Futaba dolls

LINK
http://kappapedia.blogspot.jp/2015/01/futaba-dolls.html

- source : www.ebay.co.uk

- quote
Japanese Cloth Turtle Character Dolls
hand-painted stockinette dolls

These two turtle character dolls are from a Japanese fable.
The bottom of the wood base to the tip of top of hair each measures approx. 6 1/2 - 7" tall. They have hand painted faces with side glancing eyes. The turtle with the light brown/titian hair is marked on the bottom of base: JAPAN in black ink and then has a store tag that reads: Futaba Doll Atelier Kochi. He has a small hole back of right leg.
The dark brown hair turtle has two brown stains by the right part of his mouth and one at the right side of his hair. He is marked: MADE IN JAPAN on bottom of his base.

Both are made of silk stocking material with human hair wigs and hand painted features.
- source : www.rubylane.com

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- shared by Jill, facebook

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. . . CLICK here for Photos !

- reference -

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. - - - Join my Kappa friends on facebook ! - - - .

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. Kappa densetsu　河童伝説, Kappa minwa 河童民話 - Introduction .

. Mingei 民芸　Regional Folk　Art from Japan .

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DARUMA KAPPA - hitobashira

LINK to
http://gokurakuparadies.blogspot.jp/2015/01/hitobashira.html

CLICK for more photos !

日南市宮崎県 Nichinan Town, Miyazaki

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Iwakuni town 岩国市 - Yamaguchi

ishi ningyoo 岩国の石人形 dolls from stone
... ningyoo ishi 人形石

They are hand-made stone dolls, made from the nest of an insect called "ningyoo tobikera　石蚕" which is found in the very clear and clean rivers in Iwakuni. The dolls are said to be the incarnations of the souls of people who died during the construction of the Kintai bridge 錦帯橋 or were human offerings made during that time (hitobashira 人柱).
The most common are the seven gods of good luck, Jizo Bosatsu and other religious figures.
source : www.iwa.gr.jp

. Yamaguchi Folk Art - 山口県　 .

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- quote
Tales of "human pillars" (hitobashira)
people who were deliberately buried alive inside large-scale construction projects -- have circulated in Japan since ancient times. Most often associated with castles, levees and bridges, these old legends are based on ancient beliefs that a more stable and durable structure could be achieved by sealing people inside the walls or foundation as an offering to the gods.

One of the most famous tales of construction-related human sacrifice is associated with Matsue castle (Shimane prefecture), which was originally built in the 17th century. According to local legend, the stone wall of the central tower collapsed on multiple occasions during construction. Convinced that a human pillar would stabilize the structure, the builders decided to look for a suitable person at the local Bon festival. From the crowd, they selected a beautiful young maiden who demonstrated superb Bon dancing skills.
After whisking her away from the festival and sealing her in the wall, the builders were able to complete the castle without incident.
- source : pinktentacle.com

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- quote
Hitobashira (人柱 human pillar)
practiced formerly in Japan, is a human sacrifice, buried alive under or near large-scale buildings like dams, bridges, and castles, as a prayer to the gods so that the building is not destroyed by natural disasters such as floods or by enemy attacks. Hitobashira can also refer to workers who were buried alive under inhumane conditions.

Some of the earliest written records of hitobashira can be found in the Nihon Shoki (The Chronicles of Japan). One story centered on Emperor Nintoku (323 A.D.) discusses the overflowing of the Kitakawa and Mamuta Rivers. Protection against the torrent was beyond the ability of the stricken populace. The Emperor had a divine revelation in his dream to the effect that there was a person named Kowakubi 武蔵人強頸 in the province of Musashi and a person called Manda no Muraji Koromono-ko 河内国の茨田連袗子 in the province of Kawachi. If they should be sacrificed to deities of the two rivers respectively, then the construction of embankments would be easily achieved.
Kowakubi was subsequently thrown into the torrent of the Kitakawa river, with a prayer offered to the deity of river. Through the sacrifice it was possible to construct the embankment completely, Koromono-ko however escaped being sacrificed.

source :　www.geocities.jp/kakejiotto

The Yasutomi-ki, a diary from the 15th Century documents the famous tradition of "Nagara-no Hitobashira". According to the tradition, a woman who was carrying a boy on her back was caught while she was passing along the river Nagara, she was buried at the place where a large bridge was then to be built.

Hitobashira traditions are almost always connected with complex and dangerous projects that were required to be built and mostly with water. The stories of hitobashira were believed to inspire a spirit of self-sacrifice in people.
Stories of hitobashira and other human sacrifices were common in Japan as late as the sixteenth century.
Currently, hitobashira is no longer practiced in construction.
. . .
- Maruoka Castle
Maruoka Castle is one of the oldest surviving castles in Japan and is rumored to have been constructed with a human pillar which can be found in the legend of "O-shizu, Hitobashira". ...

- Matsue Ohashi Bridge
The Matsue Ohashi Bridge according to legend used a human sacrifice in its construction.
... The nearby park is named Gensuke in honour of the human sacrifice along with a memorial dedicated to the victims who died during the bridges construction. ...

- Matsue Castle
According to legend the Matsue Castle is also said to have been constructed on a human sacrifice that was buried under the castle's stone walls. ...
- source and details : wikipedia

- source : Japanese wikipedia

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grave of Masuya Ihei 舛屋伊兵衛の墓, the human pillar

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Wanouchi Town 輪之内町 - Gifu
The kanji for Wanouchi (輪之内) literally translates to "within in a circle." This name is derived from the fact that Wanouchi is situated between the Ibi River and the Nagara River. Historically, these two rivers ran together and the area known as Wanouchi today was one of many ring-levees in the middle of the river. Naturally, these levies were prone to frequent flooding and so the waters had to be diverted. Hence, Wanouchi's physical environment and history has been greatly shaped by the constant threat of floods.

In 1754, the Edo (modern Tokyo) Shogunate, under Shogun Tokugawa Ieshige, ordered the rich and powerful Satsuma feudal lord, Shimazu Shigetoshi (whose great wealth was regarded as a threat to the Shogunate) to send his samurai and resources to the Gifu area. Their task was to build embankments in order to divert the rivers. It seems the Shogun hoped that this project would weaken the Satsuma lord's power. This becames known as the Hōreki Period River Improvement Incident.

The construction of these banks was extremely dangerous and difficult. It is said that a human sacrifice was made in the Wanouchi area during the construction when a local retainer (Masuya Ihei) voluntarily gave his life by remaining under the rushing waters in order to keep a foundation pillar from moving until it could be secured from above. As well as aiding in the construction, this sacrifice was also treated as an offering to the gods ensuring the successful completing of the project. In Japanese, this sacrifice is referred to as hitobashira (人柱) meaning "human pillar."

Despite the many difficulties, the initial construction was completed in 1755. More than 80 lives were lost. The graves of 8 of these men are located around Wanouchi, serving as a constant reminder of the great sacrifices made so that people could live in a safer environment.
- source : wikipedia

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Kawanokami　川の神
A generic name for kami of rivers and streams. The lineage of this kami is not described in the classics. Nihongi's record of Emperor Nintoku's reign contains an anecdote regarding the offering of human sacrifices (hitobashira) to the river deity called "Lord of the River" (Jp. kahaku; Ch. Hebo) at the occasion of constructing a riverbank, and Nihongi's record of Empress Kōgyoku likewise notes that during a great drought, prayers were offered without effect to the "Lord of the River."
The Man'yōshū includes poems indicating that the river kami serves the emperor, and numerous records from the Nara period reflect the offering of prayers to the kami of famous mountains and great rivers.
- source : kokugakuin

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kahaku, kawa no kami 河伯 River Deity, "river chief"
originally a Chinese river deity with a demon-like face.
Sometimes his face is part of a "demon tile" onigawara 鬼瓦　to protect a building from fire.
In Japan, another name for the water goblin Kappa

. kappa　河童 / 合羽　/ かっぱ Kappa water goblin - Kappapedia .
河伯（かわのかみ）kawa no kami 河の神 river deity / Kahaku Shushin 河伯主神
安福河伯神社 Abuku Kahaku Jinja, Miyagi

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. O-Mamori お守り　Amulets and Talismans .

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

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雪晴や柱をやめる人柱
yukibare ya hashira o yameru hitobashira

Takano Mutsuo 高野ムツオ (1947 - )

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橋の月誰人柱泣く夜かな
hashi no tsuki dare hitobashira naku yo kana

. 正岡子規 Masaoka Shiki .

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水鳥や美しければ人柱
野村喜舟

荒利根の蛇もなじめり人柱
高柳重信

蛾(ひひる)に暗し昼の/火の根に人柱
林桂

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. Pilgrimages to Fudo Temples 不動明王巡礼
Fudo Myo-O Junrei - Fudo Pilgrims - INTRODUCTION .

. Japan - Shrines and Temples - ABC .

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5 Jan 2015

FUDO - zushi shrine

LINK
http://fudosama.blogspot.jp/2010/11/fudo-small-shrine.html

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Two zushi from the museum in Swizzerland
shared by Walter in the facebook group

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. Narita Fudo ... 成田不動尊　
Temple Shinsho-Ji (Shinshooji) 新勝寺

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