HEIAN - takenoko bamboo shoot legends

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. Legends - Heian Period (794 to 1185) - Introduction .
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Legends about bamboo shoots 筍 / 竹の子 伝説　takenoko densetsu

. Edo no takenoko 江戸の筍 bamboo shoots in Edo .
- Introduction -

The most famous legend about bamboo is



Taketori Monogatari 竹取物語 The Tale of the Bamboo cutter
also known as
. Kaguya Hime かぐや姫 Princess Kaguya, Shining Princess .

There is a famous picture scroll about it


CLICK for more photos !

Taketori Monogatari Emaki 竹取物語絵巻


- quote -
... a 10th-century Japanese folktale. It is considered the oldest extant Japanese prose narrative.
Taketori no Okina 竹取翁 The Old Man who Harvests Bamboo
... after she went back to Heaven
The parents became very sad and were soon put to bed sick. The officer returned to the Emperor with the items Kaguya-hime had given him as her last mortal act, and reported what had happened. The Emperor read her letter and was overcome with sadness. He asked his servants, "Which mountain is the closest place to Heaven?", to which one replied the Great Mountain of Suruga Province. The Emperor ordered his men to take the letter to the summit of the mountain and burn it, in the hope that his message would reach the distant princess.
The men were also commanded to burn the elixir of immortality since the Emperor did not wish to live forever without being able to see her. The legend has it that the word immortality (不死 fushi, or fuji) became the name of the mountain, Mount Fuji. It is also said that the kanji for the mountain, 富士山 (literally "Mountain Abounding with Warriors"), are derived from the Emperor's army ascending the slopes of the mountain to carry out his order. It is said that the smoke from the burning still rises to this day. (In the past, Mount Fuji was much more volcanically active.)
The protagonist Taketori no Okina,
given by name, appears in the earlier poetry collection Man'yōshū (c. 759; poem #3791). In it, he meets a group of women to whom he recites a poem. This indicates that there previously existed an image or tale revolving around a bamboo cutter and celestial or mystical women.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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There are more legends and tales about bamboo shoots in various parts of Japan.
Many are about Kappa, the water goblin (with different names in various regions) and his problems with humans eating the bamboo shoots.

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oo takenoko 大筍 very large bamboo shoots
oo take 大竹 very large bamboo


source :　mi-na-to.com/takenoko

In the Genroku period (around 1690) in a certain temple the ground had swollen over night to almost a mountain. After another day a huge bamboo had begun to grow there. There was no bamboo grove near the temple, so this was quite strange. The bamboo grew until its diameter was almost one meter (3尺). People came from far and wide to have a look at it.
Later in the year, the bamboo was given to a guard as an alms and he made containers out of it.
Another ending tells of the head priest cutting the bamboo and sharing the huge cuts as containers with his villagers.

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Once upon a time
There lived a son of great filial piety 親孝行息子.
One day grandma said "I would love to eat some bamboo shoots!" He thought to himself:
"You know it is winter now and snow is falling, there are no bamboo shoots growing anywhere."
But since he was full of filial piety, he just went off to the mountain forest. He begun digging in the bamboo grove and suddenly found one bamboo shoot sprouting off the root.
So he cut that off and went back home.
Then he cooked the bamboo shoot and gave it to grandma to eat.
People say that the gods make an exception if the filial piety is truly felt.
- source : siran13tb -

Filial piety is a virtue highly praised in the teachings of Confucius
"Never disobey," said Confucius -- it is one of his several definitions of filial piety . . .
. Confucius 孔夫子, Kung Tzu, Kung Fu Tzu, Kung Fu Zi, .


....................................................................... Chiba 千葉県

香取郡 Natori

futamatadake 二股竹 / 二股の筍 two-pronged, bifurcated bamboo shoot



In the year when the secret statue of Kannon Bosatsu is shown, two-pronged bamboo shoots are made as offerings. The homes where it grows make the offering and take care to grow more.
Once there was a family that did not want make an offering. But their only son got very ill and they decided to offer the precious bamboo to pray for his recovery.



....................................................................... Ehime 愛媛県

宇和島市 Uwajima town

enko ゑんこ / エンコ - Kappa

Once the owner of a boat had a meal of bamboo shoots. While he was enjoying his lunch, an えんこ Enko (local name of the Kappa) came along and wanted to eat some too.
The man told him to come back the next day for his treat. So the man grilled some bamboo sticks and offered them to the Kappa as lunch on the next day.
The Kappa took a bit and was quite surprized: "Whow, these humans here must have very strong teeth!"
And he escaped hastily, never to come back again.

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

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城辺町 Johen town

tanuki 狸 Tanuki badger

Once a grandpa who went to the forest to dig out bamboo shoots was bewitched by a Tanuki.
He was balancing up and down a log for hours and could not help it.
Then to get his revenge, one rainy evening, he pretended to be bewitched again, sat in the shade of a tree with his hair hangning down like a lady and waited for the Tanuki to show up. When the Tanuki came by, he killed him with his ax.

. The Japanese Tanuki racoon dog .



....................................................................... Fukuoka 福岡県

久留米市 Kurume

Kappa 河童 The Water Goblin

In Kurume people eat bamboo shoots for the Boy's Festival in May.
They also cook rice with the roots of bamboo and offer this at the shrine 水天宮 Suitengu.
Later this offering is floated down the river. This will make the local Kappe believe the people here are very hard and tough and difficult to chew, so he will not cause any water accidents.

. Kappa Legends from Kyushu 　河童伝説　- 九州 .

. tango no sekku　端午の節句 Boy's Festival .



....................................................................... Fukushima 福島県

gogatsu no sekku 五月の節句 Boy's Festival

For the seasonal Boy's Festival in May you have to eat yam (Dioscorea japonica) and bamboo shoots.
If you do not keep this custom, you will be turned into a 蛆 maggot.


. tango no sekku　端午の節句 Boy's Festival .

. uji 蛆 (うじ) maggot - Made, Fliegenmade .



....................................................................... Gifu 岐阜県

上宝村 Kamitakara village

yamaotoko, yama-otoko 山男 the "Mountain Man" monster
"kindly giant of the hills"


by 竹原春泉 Takehara Shunsen

Once a man from the village went to the forest to dig for bamboo shoots, but he was captured by the "Mountain Man" and never came back.

"Mountain Man" - a monster found in many parts of Japan.
He is usually half-naked and very hairy. He kidnappes people. If someone meets him in the forest and escapes, he usually gets ill. But gnerally the Mountain Man is a gentle monster, helps the woodworkers carry their loads in exchange for some food.
He is a hero of the 絵本百物語.
Legends from 静岡県, 新潟県, 神奈川県,青森県
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA - 山男 !
- reference -

- 56 legends to explore - yokai database -


Most probably identical with
. - Yamawaro, Yama-Waro やまわろ / ヤマワロ / 山童 "Child of the Mountain" .
- - - - - and his alter ego
Kappa　河童 "Child of the River"


....................................................................... Gunma 群馬県

勢多郡 Seta district

seri to takenoko 芹，筍，dropwort and bamboo shoots

Dropwort begins to grow in the fifth (lunar) month, bamboo shoots come out after the summer solstice (and Summer retreat for Buddhists 半夏 bange).
Plants that come out on the 11th day after the solstice (now this is the 2nd of July) are forbidden to eat.



....................................................................... Hiroshima 広島県

dokuro, sharekobe 髑髏 skull

One of the oldest books of yuurei ghost stories is the 日本霊異記 Nihon Ryoiki.
There is a story of the year 774 from Bingo no Kuni 寶龜９年備後國.
When people passd a bamboo grove after the sun has set, they will have pain in the eyes and even cry for a long time.
Examining the bamboo grove the villagers found a skull, through the eyes had grown a bamboo shoot. So they pulled it out and re-burried the skull. Later it came out of the grove to thank the villagers.

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呉市 Kure

enko エンコ Enko Kappa

One day a man was preparing a stone wall for his fields when a Kappa showed up and challenged him to a round of sumo wrestling. If the man lost, the Kappa would be allowed to suck the treasure out of his anus.
The man wrestled with all his might and full of fear, but the fight just went on and on. After some time they both got hungry and stopped for lunch. When the Kappa saw the man eat some bamboo shoots, he mistook it for the stem of bamboo and thought: "If the humans have such strong teeth to chew bamboo, they can easily chew me up . . . !" and he run away in fear, never to come back.

. enkoo, enkō 猿猴 Enko Kappa, "ape of the waters" .



....................................................................... Hyogo 兵庫県

At the shrine Hirota Jinja 廣田神社 / 広田神社
there is one bamboo shoot sprouting every year on the third day of the third month in the early morning.
One year it begun to sprout much later in the day and people were quite surprized, calling it almost a miracle.



....................................................................... Kagawa 香川県

三豊郡 Mitoyo district, 詫間町 Takuma village

People throw bamboo shoots and Sasa dango (Sasa mochi 笹餅) rice dumplings into the pond as offerings. Later when the children come to swim there, there will be no water accidents, because the local Kappa is too busy eating the offerings.

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yumemi 夢見 seeing a dream

A man on a pilgrimage to Konpira san in Shikoku had a dream on his way. He saw two bamboo shoots grow up rapidly to the hight of a human and begun to sing:
"We don't need a flute or drum . . . we long for our daddy!"
He got worried and hurried home. Here he found that his second wife had killed the two daughters from his first marriage.
In this region is is therefore a bad omen to see a dream with bamboo shoots.



....................................................................... Kagoshima 鹿児島県

熊毛郡 Kumage districe 上屋久町 Kamiyaku village

takenoko onjo 筍おんじょ　The old man and the bamboo shoots
onjo is the local dialect for an old man in Kagoshima.

Around the middle of June the Takeonjo are coming out.

When smelling a bamboo shoot, you can hear the sound of pokkii pokkii ポキッポキッ in the distance upstream.
Following this sound, you come to a road with three forks, where the Takeonjo is lingering.
If you ask him the way, he will not say a word but point to the mountain. You must be careful and walk back in just the opposite direction as he points to get out of the mountain forest.





....................................................................... Kumamoto 熊本県

yamawaro ヤマワロ Yamawaro Kappa

In the village of 七滝村 Nanataki the Yamawaro likes to eat bamboo shoots. He begins to bite into them from the side, so it is easily recognizable.
Once a man was preparing the path between his rice fields when a small child came along and told him there were many bamboo shoots that someone had pulled out. Nothing was to be seen but it must have been Yamawaro, thought the man hand hit the air with his hoe. Then he heard a sound in the water as if someone had jumped in.
But later this farmer became quite ill and had to stay in bed.


. Yamawaro, Yama-Waro やまわろ / ヤマワロ / 山童 .
"Child of the Mountain" -
- - - - - and his alter ego - Kappa　河童 "Child of the River"


....................................................................... Kyoto 京都府

綾部市 Ayabe town

One of the seven wonders on the seven days of January of the 志賀郷 Shiga district are the bamboo shoots of Shinoda Shrine 篠田神社の竹の子.


CLICK for more photos !

There is also a 竹の子祭り　Bamboo Shoot Festival a the shrine in February, to foretell the outcome of the harvest according to the size of the bamboo shoots. It shows the trust of the farmers in the growth of things and their relation to the deities.

志賀郷の七不思議。
正月１日に満開になる藤波神社の藤。
作物の豊凶などを占える阿須々伎神社の茗荷と、
篠田神社の竹の子。
正月２日に花を咲かせて耕作の豊凶を示す若宮神社の萩。
正月５日の朝に突然実をつけ、一日で熟す諏訪神社の柿。
正月６日に滴が落ちて日柄や水難を示す向田の里の滴松。
正月７日に風もないのに揺れて吉凶を知らせる向田の里の揺ぎ松。


かんあけやしのだのもりのこみちかな　
kan-ake ya shinoda no mori no komichi kana

end of the cold season -
the small path in the forest
of Shinoda shrine . . .

芳月 Yoshizuki

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北区 Kita ku

shi no yochoo 死の予兆 omens of death

If the birds sing in a long, sad voice, if the blossoms of udonge 優曇華 cluster fig tree begin to bloom in the garden, if a person gets black warts and spots on the skin (死黒子) this is all an omen of approaching death.
If a person sees a dream where his teeth fall out, or where bamboo shoots or mushrooms begin to grow wildly, this is an omen of approaching death.


....................................................................... Nagano 長野県

下伊那郡 Shimoina district

atama ga hageru 頭が禿げる to become bald

If bamboo is broken off and stolen you have to rub salt into the cut. Then the head of the person who stole the bamboo will become bald.



....................................................................... Niigata 新潟県

巻町 Maki town

Onca an old woman on her way to sell bamboo shoots lost her footing and fell near the end of the long slope. The almost went over the cliff, but someone (most probably お地蔵さま Jizo Bosatsu) grabbed the basket on her back and pulled her back to the road.



....................................................................... Shimane 島根県

隠岐郡 Oki district, 都万村 Tsuma village

Kawako カワコ / 川子 "The River Child" (Kappa)

During the 川子祭り Kawako Festival at 西郷町 Saigo village 西郷町 bamboo stems cut in rings is floated down the river and bamboo shoots are boiled for humans to eat.
So the Kappa in the river will think that the humnas have such strong teeth and will run away.

. kahaku, kawa no kami, kawako 河伯 River Deity, "river chief" .


....................................................................... Wakayama 和歌山県

中津村 Nakatsu village

goora ゴーラ　Gora Kappa

A child of five years went to go swimming to the river, but it fell down the embankment. He saw something like the face of a monkey near the sandy part of the river bed.
He brought some bamboo shoots and rolled them up and down on the embankment, then he saw the monkey-like creature run away.
This was a Gora, they say. (goora ゴーラ is the local dialect for Kappa.)


. Koora Booshi 「甲羅法師」Kora Boshi Kappa .


....................................................................... Yamagata 山形県

西村山郡 Nishimurayama district

鳥海山の筍，月山の筍 Bamboo shoots from Mount Chokaisan and Gassan

At 竜が岳 Mount Ryugatake there are some flat areas with just sand and stones. Legend knows that the Tengu mountain goblins come here to practise sumo wrestling. Once the wrestlers Chokaisan to Takenoko and Gassan no Takenoko fought the whole day but none could win. They spent some time in a hot spring but their backs hurt very much and they could not stand straight any more.



This is the reason why the bamboo shoots from both mountains are now bent.
The shoots are best harvested early in the morning and eaten in miso soup. They contain not so many bitter substances.


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source :　京都・左司馬の河童さん日記 - Kyoto
Kappa and Bamboo at shrine 大原野神社 Oharano Jinja.


- Reference in Japanese -

- Reference in English -

yokai database　妖怪データベース
- source : - - 筍 and 竹の子 -

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. . minwa 民話　folktales / densetsu 伝説　Japanese Legends . .
- Introduction -

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- #heianlegendstakenoko #takenokolegends #bambooshootlegends #yamaotoko #bambookappa -
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Posted By Gabi Greve to Heian Period Japan on 6/25/2015 09:28:00 a.m.

KAPPA - Suikosama Water Beast

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- KAPPA - 河童 / かっぱ /　カッパ - ABC-Index -
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- Suiko 水虎 Water Tiger, Water Beast -



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- quote -
ALTERNATE NAMES: sometimes mistakenly referred to as kappa
HABITAT: rivers, lakes, ponds and waterways; found throughout Japan
DIET: omnivorous; prefers human blood and souls

APPEARANCE:
Suiko are found in both China and Japan and are often confused with kappa, which they closely resemble. However, suiko are far more dangerous, violent, and hot-tempered than their kappa cousins. Suiko have the body of a small child and are covered in extremely tough scales like a pangolin's. They have sharp, hook-like growths on their kneecaps which resemble a tiger's claws. They live near riverbanks and in large bodies of water.

BEHAVIOR:
Suiko rank above kappa in the hierarchy of water goblins, and as such are sometimes placed in charge of them, with one suiko placed in charge of 48 kappa. (They are sometimes called the oyabun, or yakuza bosses, of kappa.) In turn, suiko report to the Ryū-ō, the dragon king, who lives in his palace, Ryū-gū, at the bottom of the sea. The reason suiko kill humans is to look tougher among the other suiko and increase their standing with the dragon king. (Likewise, when kappa attack humans, it is to make them look tougher and increase their standing with their suiko boss.)

INTERACTIONS:
Suiko who live in inhabited areas like to sneak out of the water at night to play pranks oh humans, knocking on doors and running away, or possessing people and making them do strange things. Like kappa and other water spirits, suiko enjoy using their superior strength to pull humans into water and drown them, although unlike kappa they have no concern for the shirikodama. Instead, suiko drain their victims of blood like vampires, then eat their souls (reikon) and return the dead, drained body to the surface.
It is possible to keep suiko at bay by leaning a sickle against the side of a house and sprinkling flax seeds or black-eyed peas on the ground outside. Suiko are afraid of these and will keep away.

There is one known method to kill a suiko.
It involves the corpse of a person who has had their blood drained by a suiko. First, a small hut made of grass and straw is built in a field. Then the body, instead of being buried, it is laid on a wooden plank and placed in the hut. The suiko who sucked that person's blood will be drawn to the hut, where it will start running around and around in circles. (Suiko have to ability to become invisible, so it is likely that it will only be heard rather than seen; or else only its footprints will be visible.) As the dead body gradually decays, so will the suiko. By the time the body has rotted completely, the suiko will have died, its magic will have ceased, and the decayed corpse of the suiko will be visible on the ground near the body.
- source : yokai.com/suiko -


- quote -
The suiko (lit. "water tiger")
is a king-sized variety of kappa living in and around the Chikugo River (Kyushu), Lake Biwa (Shiga prefecture), and other bodies of water across Japan.



In addition to prowling around at night and making mischief, the suiko has the power to possess people. Those possessed by a suiko descend into a temporary state of madness, but they recover quickly after the creature withdraws.

At least once a year, the suiko drags a human victim into the water, sucks out his blood, and returns the body to shore. It is best not to have a funeral for the victim of a suiko attack. Instead, the body should be left on a wooden plank inside a small thatched hut in a field. If done properly, this course of action causes the flesh of the suiko perpetrator to slowly rot until it dies.
- source : monstropedia.org -

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Suiko Sama 水虎様
from North-West Tsugaru, Iwate 西北津軽

There are more than 80 temples and shrines in Iwate and Aomori where this deity is venerated.



He comes in various forms and robes.



He is a deity people come to pray for the prevention of water accidents.

In East Tsugaru it is often the feature of a woman standing on a turtle.

Look at more photos :
- source : marugoto.exblog.jp -

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Suikosama 水虎様
Aomori, Kizukuri machi 青森 木造町　July 20



At the temple Jissooji 実相寺 Jisso-Ji

Look at many more photos of other Suiko Sama from the region !
- source : sadisticyuki10 -

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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 - Legends - Introduction .

. Mingei 民芸　Regional Folk　Art from Japan .

- #kappasuiko #suikosama #kappatiger -
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Posted By Gabi Greve to Kappa - The Kappapedia on 6/27/2015 02:26:00 p.m.

HEIAN - Silk Road Asian Highway

- BACK to the Daruma Museum -
. ABC List of Contents .
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Silk Road シルクロード　- Asian Highway アジアンハイウェイ
Maritime Silk Road 海のシルクロード

. kinu 絹　silk in Japanese culture .
- Introduction -

. Dunhuang 敦煌 Tonko Oasis and Buddhism .

A lot has been written about the importance of the Silk Road and Japanese culture.
Here I will concentrate on the Heian period . . . and the latest developments since 2015.

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The Silk Road or Silk Route - Seidenstrasse -



is a network of trade and cultural transmission routes that were central to cultural interaction through regions of the Asian continent connecting the West and East by merchants, pilgrims, monks, soldiers, nomads, and urban dwellers from China and India to the Mediterranean Sea during various periods of time.
- source : wikipedia -


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The Asian Highway (AH) project, also known as the Great Asian Highway,



is a cooperative project among countries in Asia and Europe and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), to improve the highway systems in Asia. It is one of the three pillars of the Asian Land Transport Infrastructure Development (ALTID) project, endorsed by the ESCAP commission at its 48th session in 1992, comprising Asian Highway, Trans-Asian Railway (TAR) and facilitation of land transport projects.
- source : wikipedia -


China's New Silk Road initiative
- source : Japan Times, June 2015 - (fb)

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One Belt, One Road (Chinese: 一带一路 also known as the Belt and Road Initiative; abbreviated OBOR)
is a development strategy and framework, proposed by People's Republic of China that focuses on connectivity and cooperation among countries primarily in Eurasia, which consists of two main components, the land-based "Silk Road Economic Belt" (SREB) and oceangoing "Maritime Silk Road" (MSR). The strategy underlines China's push to take a bigger role in global affairs, and its need to export China's production capacity in areas of overproduction such as steel manufacturing.
- source : wikipedia -


- quote - Japan Times Jun 23, 2015 -
China's Indian Ocean strategy
Brahma Chellaney
NEW DELHI –
What are Chinese attack submarines doing in the Indian Ocean, far from China's maritime backyard, in what is the furthest deployment of the Chinese Navy in 600 years? Two Chinese subs docked last fall at the new Chinese-built and -owned container terminal in Colombo, Sri Lanka. And recently a Chinese Yuan-class sub showed up at the Pakistani port city of Karachi.
The assertive way
China has gone about staking its territorial claims in the South and East China seas has obscured its growing interest in the Indian Ocean. This ocean has become the new global center of trade and energy flows, accounting for half the world's container traffic and 70 percent of its petroleum shipments.
China's newly released defense white paper, while outlining regional hegemony aspirations, has emphasized a greater focus on the seas, including an expanded naval role beyond its maritime backyard. The white paper says that, as part of China's effort to establish itself as a major maritime power, its navy will shift focus from "offshore waters defense" to "open seas protection" — a move that helps explain its new focus on the Indian Ocean, with the Maritime Silk Road initiative at the vanguard of the Chinese grand strategy. To create a blue water force and expand its naval role, China is investing heavily in submarines and warships, and working on a second aircraft carrier.
President Xi Jinping's pet project
is about expanding and securing maritime routes to the Middle East and beyond through the Indian Ocean, which is the bridge between Asia and Europe. Xi's dual Silk Road initiatives — officially labeled the "One Belt, One Road" — constitute a westward strategic push to expand China's power reach. Indeed, Xi's Indian Ocean plans draw strength from his more assertive push for Chinese dominance in the South and East China seas.
The Chinese
maneuvering in the Indian Ocean — part of China's larger plan to project power in the Middle East, Africa and Europe — aims to challenge America's sway and chip away at India's natural-geographic advantage. Xi has sought to carve out an important role for China in the Indian Ocean through his Maritime Silk Road initiative, while his overland Silk Road is designed to connect China with Central Asia, the Caspian Sea basin and Europe.
The common link
between the two mega Silk Road projects is Pakistan, which stands out for simultaneously being a client state of China, Saudi Arabia and the United States — a unique status.
During a visit to Pakistan in April,
Xi officially launched the project to connect China's restive Xinjiang region with the warm waters of the Arabian Sea through a 3,000 km overland transportation corridor extending to the Chinese-built Pakistani port of Gwadar. This project makes Pakistan the central link between the maritime and overland Silk Roads. The Xi-launched corridor to Gwadar through Pakistan-held Kashmir — running in parallel to India's Japanese-financed New Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor — will hook up the two Silk Roads.
Indeed,
a stable Pakistan has become so critical to the ever-increasing Chinese strategic investments in that country that Beijing has started brokering peace talks between the Pakistan-backed Afghan Taliban and Kabul. This effort has been undertaken with the backing not just of Pakistan but also of the U.S., thus underscoring the growing convergence of Chinese and American interests in the Afghanistan-Pakistan belt.
snip
The Maritime Silk Road initiative, with its emphasis on high-visibility infrastructure projects, targets key littoral states located along the great trade arteries. At a time of slowing economic growth in China, infrastructure exports are also designed to address the problem of overproduction at home.

By presenting commercial penetration as benevolent investment and credit as aid, Beijing is winning lucrative overseas contracts for its state-run companies, with the aim of turning economic weight into strategic clout. Through its Maritime Silk Road — a catchy new name for its "string of pearls" strategy — China is already challenging the existing balance of power in the Indian Ocean.
Beijing,
while seeking to co-opt strategically located states in an economic and security alliance led by it, is working specifically to acquire naval-access outposts through agreements for refueling, replenishment, crew rest and maintenance. Its efforts also involve gaining port projects along vital sea lanes of communication, securing new supplies of natural resources, and building energy and transportation corridors to China through Myanmar and Pakistan.
One example
of how China has sought to win influence in the Indian Ocean Rim is Sri Lanka. It signed major contracts with Sri Lanka's now-ousted president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, to turn that country — located along major shipping lanes — into a major stop on the Chinese nautical "road." The country's new president, Maithripala Sirisena, said on the election-campaign trail earlier this year that the Chinese projects were ensnaring Sri Lanka in a debt tap, with the risk that "our country would become a colony and we would become slaves."
- snip -
Beijing is also interested in leasing one of the 1,200 islands of the politically torn Maldives. Xi has toured several of the key countries in the Indian Ocean Rim that China is seeking to court, including the Maldives, Tanzania and Sri Lanka.
From China's artificially created islands in the South China Sea
to its ongoing negotiations for a naval base in Djibouti, the maritime domain has become central to Xi's great-power ambitions. Yet it is far from certain that he will be able to realize his strategic aims in the Indian Ocean Rim, given the lurking suspicions about China's motives and the precarious security situation in some regional states.

One thing is clear though: China wants to be the leader, with its own alliances and multilateral institutions, not a "responsible stakeholder" in the U.S.-created architecture of global governance. It is building naval power to assert sovereignty over disputed areas and to project power in distant lands. Determined to take the sea route to secure global power status and challenge the U.S.-led order, China is likely to step up its strategic role in the Indian Ocean — the world's new center of geopolitical gravity.
- source : Japan Times -

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- Reference in Japanese -

- Reference in English - silk road Japan -

- Reference in English - maritime road -

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Posted By Gabi Greve to Heian Period Japan on 6/23/2015 09:49:00 a.m.

EDO - niuriya food

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. Food vendors in Edo .
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niuriya, niuri-ya 煮売屋 / 煮売り屋 / にうりや selling simmered, boiled food
saiya 菜屋
niurizakaya 煮売り酒屋 selling simmered food and sake
ichizen meshiya 一膳飯屋 quick lunch vendor
ochazuke ya お茶漬け屋 selling o-chazuke



source :　cleanup.jp
niuri zakaya 煮売り酒屋 selling simmered food and sake
A kind of famires, fami res 　ファミレス "family restaurant" .

They sold all kinds of simmered food, like fish, beans and boxes with a variety simmered food (nishime 煮しめ). This is the forerunner of "fast food" in Edo. Most walked around in Edo to sell their food, others had a fixed stall (yatai 屋台). Specialised shops were called
niuri chaya 煮売茶屋 tea stalls selling simmered food.
They also sold soups, sashimi raw fish, nigiri sushi, nabemono hodge-podge and other kinds of "family food".
They sold their food in the stalls on small tablets, which were placed on the tatami beside the customer.
The true 居酒屋 izakaya for drinking only did not even have a place to sit.



source :　shokubun/izakaya

Most of them made their business in the evening, but theirs was also a source of fire, so they had to be very careful with open fires to heat the food.
The niuriya business was strictly forbidden in Edo to work at night from 1661 to 1799.


Others sold their food from a boat, floating along the canals of Edo.
niuribune　煮売船 / 煮売り船
They sold to customers on ferries or pleasure boats.



source :　suganet_2005/sasie


. chaya, -jaya 茶屋 tea shop, tea stall in Edo .


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Niuriya - 落語 a Rakugo story  - told in English !
- source : kamigatarakugo.wordpress.com/ -

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煮売屋の入り婿 The son-in-law of the Niuriya shop
山中公男

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source :　江波文學塾

niurizakaya 煮売り酒屋 selling simmered food and sake

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- - - - - H A I K U and S E N R Y U - - - - -

我が庵や元日も来る雑煮売
我庵や元日も来る雑煮売
waga io ya ganjitsu mo kuru zooni uri

my humble hut -
but on the New Year's Day
the soup vendor comes
Tr. Gabi Greve

Kobayashi Issa

Since people were not supposed to cook on the New Year day, the vendors were very busy.
Issa lived in Edo, Hatchobori, when he wrote this haiku.

. WKD : Zoni... 雑煮　(ぞうに) New Year Soup.
- kigo for the New Year -

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富士仰ぐ一膳飯屋のさくらえび
Fuji aogu ichizenmeshiya no sakura-ebi

looking up to Mount Fuji
the cherryblossom shrimp
of the quick lunch shop

平林孝子　Hirabayashi Takako


CLICK for more photos !


. sakuraebi, sakura ebi, sakura-ebi 桜蝦 "cherryblossom shrimp.
- - kigo for late spring -

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- - - To join me on facebook, click the image !

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. - Doing Business in Edo - 商売　- Introduction .

. senryu, senryū 川柳　Senryu poems in Edo .


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[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]- - - - - #edoniuriya #niuriya - - - -
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Posted By Gabi Greve to Edo - the EDOPEDIA - on 6/21/2015 01:17:00 p.m.

HEIAN - Emon Saburo

- BACK to the Daruma Museum -
. Persons of the Heian Period (794 to 1185) .
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Emon Saburoo, Emon Saburō 衛門三郎 Emon Saburo
and the beginning of o-settai, settai 摂待

- quote -
a legendary figure of early ninth-century Japan associated with Kūkai and the Shikoku Henro 88 temple pilgrimage.

Legend
A mendicant visited the house of Emon Saburō, richest man in Shikoku, seeking alms. Emon refused, broke the pilgrim's begging bowl, and chased him away with a broom.



After his eight sons fell ill and died, Emon realized that Kūkai was the affronted pilgrim and set out to seek his forgiveness. Having travelled round the island twenty times clockwise in vain, he undertook the route in reverse.
Finally he collapsed exhausted and on his deathbed Kūkai appeared to grant absolution. Emon requested that he be reborn into a wealthy family in Matsuyama so that he might restore a neglected temple. Dying, he clasped a stone. Shortly afterwards a baby was born with his hand grasped tightly around a stone inscribed "Emon Saburō is reborn."


source :　David on facebook
- - - This is the rock (5.4cm). - At Temple 51.

When the baby grew up, he used his wealth to restore the Ishite-ji (石手寺) or "stone-hand temple", in which there is an inscription of 1567 recounting the tale.



Monuments
Emon Saburo's grave is beside the path between Temple 11 and Temple 12, at the spot where he fell. Near Temple 46 there is a burial mound said to contain his eight sons. At Ishite-ji there is a casket containing the eponymous stone.

Interpretation
The legend supports a number of practices of the Shikoku pilgrimage:
it encourages the custom of osettai or alms; suggests wealth should be spent endowing temples; gives an origin for the practice of reverse circuits of the island; and promises absolution for pilgrims.
- source : wikipedia -




衛門三郎と弘法大師（
at Tsuesugi-An 杖杉庵）
- source : Japanese wikipedia -


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Monju-in, the 9th Bangai Temple in Shikoku

It was from here that Emon Saburo began his pilgrimage in search of Kukai....



- source : ojisanjake.blogspot.jp -


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. Ishiteji 石手寺 Ishite-Ji .

. o-settai, settai 摂待 giving alms to Henro pilgrims .
kado-cha 門茶 "tea at the gate", giving tea as alms at the temple gate

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- Reference in Japanese -

- Reference in English - Emon Saburo -



source :　facebook

the "Shikoku Pilgrimage Community Salon" (Ohenro Koryu Salon),
located between Temple 87 and 88 in Kagawa prefecture.
- source : www.topia.ne.jp -

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. Shikoku Henro Temple List .

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Posted By Gabi Greve to Heian Period Japan on 6/19/2015 02:22:00 p.m.

HEIAN - Sei Shonagon

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. Persons of the Heian Period (794 to 1185) 平安時代 .
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Sei Shōnagon, Sei Shoonagon 清少納言 Sei Shonagon
(c. 966 – 1017/1025)

daughter of the poet Kiyohara Motosuke 清原元輔.



- quote -
Sei Shōnagon, lesser councilor of state Sei
Japanese author and a court lady who served the Empress Teishi (Sadako) around the year 1000 during the middle Heian period.
She is best known as the author of The Pillow Book (枕草子 makura no sōshi, Makura no Soshi).

Sei Shōnagon's actual given name is not known. It was the custom among aristocrats in those days to call a court lady (女房 nyōbō) by a nickname taken from her clan name or a court office belonging either a close male relative. Sei (清) derives from her father's family name "Kiyohara" (清原) (the native Japanese reading of 清 is kiyo, while the Chinese reading is sei), while Shōnagon (少納言, lesser councilor of state) refers to a government post. It is unknown which of her relatives held the post of shōnagon. However, she was called "Shōnagon" ("minor counselor") at court. Her actual name has been a topic of debate among scholars, who generally favor Kiyohara Nagiko (清原諾子) as a likely possibility.
. . . Shōnagon
became popular through her work The Pillow Book, a collection of lists, gossip, poetry, observations, complaints written during her years in the court, a miscellaneous genre of writing known as zuihitsu. The Pillow Book was circulated at court, and for several hundred years existed in handwritten manuscripts. First printed in the 17th century, it exists in different versions: the order of entries may have been changed by scribes with comments and passages added, edited, or deleted. In The Pillow Book, Shōnagon writes about Empress Teishi, and her disappointment after her father's death when Fujiwara no Michinaga made his daughter Shōshi consort to Ichijō, and then empress, making Teishi one of two empresses at court.
- source : wikipedia -

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The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon
Ivan Morris



The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon is a fascinating, detailed account of Japanese court life in the eleventh century. Written by a lady of the court at the height of Heian culture, this book enthralls with its lively gossip, witty observations, and subtle impressions.

Sei Shonagon was the daughter of the poet Kiyohara Motosuke and was in the service of the empress Sadako from about 991 to 1000. Her Pillow Book, which covers the period of her life at court, consists in part of vividly recounted memoirs of her impressions and observations and in part of categories such as "Annoying Things," or "Things Which Distract in Moments of Boredom" within which she lists and classifies the people, events, and objects around her. The work is notable for Sei Shonagon's sensitive descriptions of nature and everyday life and for its mingling of appreciative sentiments and the detached, even caustic, value judgments typical of a sophisticated court lady.

Lady Shonagon was an erstwhile rival of Lady Murasaki, whose novel, The Tale of Genji, fictionalized the elite world Lady Shonagon so eloquently relates. Featuring reflections on royal and religious ceremonies, nature, conversation, poetry, and many other subjects, The Pillow Book is an intimate look at the experiences and outlook of the Heian upper class, further enriched by Ivan Morris's extensive notes and critical contextualization.
source :　www.amazon.com

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Each time of the day has been associated with a season in court poetry.
For example Sei Shonagon 清少納言　wrote:

春はあけぼの 夏は夜 秋は夕暮れ　冬はつとめて

haru wa akebono - in spring the daybreak, dawn
natsu wa yoru - in summer the the night
aki no yuugure - in autumn the dusk, evening
fuyu wa tsutomete - in winter the early morning



. WKD - morning and related kigo .


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Minami Hokkeji 南法華寺 (Tsubosakadera 壷阪寺) - Nara
Nr. 6 of the Saikoku Kannon Pilgrimage

Minamihokkeji Temple is the name of a group of temples, and according to an old head priest of the Temple, it was at the zenith of its prosperity in Heian era when a grand cathedral of total 36 halls and 60 houses including the main buildings, five brand halls and a baptismal hall were constructed. The brand appearance of Tsubosakadera Temple was described with admiration in the storybook of Sei Shonagon abreast of Koya Temple.

. Tsubosakadera 壷阪寺 .

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Legend states that Sei Shonagon spent her old age in misery and loneliness.
- source : readliterature.com -


....................................................................... Kagawa 香川県


At 象頭山 Mount Zozuzan near Kotohira there is a stone memorial said to be the 古墳 burial mound of Sei Shonagon.
Once the villagers wanted to move it to another place but in the dream of the monk 金光院 there appeared a beautiful woman saying:
うつつなきあとのしるしを誰にかはとはれんなれどありてしもがな
And the woman also said:
われは、これ清少納言の霊なり、この塚をな移し給ひそ」
So the villgers kept the mound and repaired it.
But we still do not know wheather this is really her grave or not.

The mound, called 清塚 Kiyozuka is near the Nio-mon Gate of Kotohira shrine 金刀比羅宮の仁王門.


source :　konpirasan-meisyouzue

There is a tea house called
"tsuge no chaya" つげの茶屋 The Tea Shop where the vision happened".
where 大野孝信 Ono Takanobu took a nap.


. Mount Zōzu-zan 象頭山 Elephant Head Mountain .



....................................................................... Tokushima 徳島県

徳島県の清少納言伝説 Legends about Sei Shonagon in Tokushima



legends about igai 貽貝 Igai blue mussel
setogai 瀬戸貝 - same as igai

Sei Shonagon had been disapproved by the son-in-law and been exiled to Tokushima.
There were many ill people in the village and she asked to help them. But they were too ill and her servants just cut them open (killed them) and threw them into the sea.
They turned into the Igai mussles of the region.
To remember this event there is a memorial mound, Amazuka 尼塚.
Peoole now come here for relief from sexually-related diseases.

Another version reports
that Sei Shonagon commited suicide in the village by cutting out her genitals, which turned into the mussles.

Another version reports:
When Sei Shonagon was exiled to Tokushima, she walked along the beach, where a young fisherman passed by and raped her.
She was so angry about this that she cut out her genitals, which turned into the mussles.


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- Reference in Japanese -

- Reference in English -

yokai database 妖怪データベース
- source : www.nichibun.ac.jp -


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. Join the friends on Facebook ! .

- #heianseishonagon #seishonagon -
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Posted By Gabi Greve to Heian Period Japan on 6/20/2015 09:55:00 a.m.

MINGEI -

Aichi Folk Art - 愛知県　
http://omamorifromjapan.blogspot.jp/2011/07/aichi-folk-toys.html

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kidachi 木太刀 large wooden sword
at Noma Daiboo 野間大坊 Temple of the Shingon sect
In memory of Yoshitomo.



It is said that Minamoto no Yoshitomo was killed unarmed while taking a bath at a hot spring. His grave in Aichi Prefecture is surrounded on all sides by wooden swords (bokuto), as by legend his last words were "If only I had even a bokuto (bokutō　木刀) ...".

源義朝の最期 : 「我れに木太刀の一本なりともあれば」
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

Noma Daibo (Omido temple)
Noma Daibo, or formally named Omidoji Temple, is a temple belonging to the Shingon sect of Buddhism. Its history dates back to the era ruled by Emperor Tenmu in the middle of the 7th century.
Noma Daibo
is famous as the place where Minamoto no Yoshitomo, the father of Yoritomo and Yoshitsune, was killed unarmed when he was taking a bath. In 1159, Yoshitomo was defeated by the Taira clan in the Heiji Rebellion and escaped from Kyoto, heading for the east via Mino province and Chita Peninsula. In the village of Noma, Yoshitomo stayed at the residence of Osada Tadamune, Yoshitomo's retainer Kamata Masakiyo's father-in-law, who betrayed Yoshitomo for the reward from the Taira clan and killed him in the bathroom.
In the precinct
is Yoshitomo's grave, which is surrounded by wooden swaords, as it is said that Yoshitomo's last words were "If only I had a wooden sword, I wouldn't have been killed."
It is also believed that one who dedicates a wooden sword here will have his prayer answered.

The Blood Pond,
where the betrayers washed Yoshitomo's head, and the ruins of the bathroom also remain in the precinct.
- source : //nippon-kichi.jp -

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. Kira no aka uma 吉良の赤馬 red horse from Kira .
Nishio 西尾
and the story of Kira Kozukenosuke 吉良上野介 and the 47 Ronin (Chushingura)

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HEIAN - ABC List Contents

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ABC List of Contents - Heian Period (794 to 1185)　平安時代


. Books about the Heian Period .

. Reference online .
.......................................................................

. Persons of the Heian Period .


. Shrines of the Heian Period　神社 .


. Temples of the Heian Period　寺 .


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- - - - - Keywords, terms, specialities - - - - -


Anna 安和 era (968 - 970)
- source : wikipedia -
- - - - - . Anna Incident - Heian History .


. aoba no fue 青葉の笛 flute with green leaves .
flute of the monsters 鬼笛 onibue


Architecture in the Heian Period
James T. Ulak
In 784 the emperor Kammu (737–806) relocated the seat of government to Nagaoka. Nagaoka was marred by contention and assassination, however, rendering it an inauspicious location for the capital. Thus, in 794 a site to the east of Nagaoka on a plain sheltered on the west, north, and east by mountains and intersected by ample north-south rivers was judged appropriate by geomancers. Named Heian-kyō ("Capital of Peace and Tranquility") and later known as Kyōto, this city was modeled on the grid pattern of the Tang Chinese capital at Chang'an. Heian-kyō remained the site of the imperial residence . . . (100 of 10,500 words)
- source : global.britannica.com/art -


Aristocrats in the Heian Period
- source : patoghee.in/article -

auspicious symbols
- matsukuware tsuru　松くわえ鶴 crane holding a pine branch


. Ban Dainagon Ekotoba 伴大納言絵詞 picture scroll about the fire of Otemon 大手門 .

. Bandits, Pirates, Robbers - Heian History .


. Buddhism in Heian Japan .
- - - - - . Developments in Buddhism .

Buddhist sculptors 仏師 busshi - Heian Era
定朝 Jōchō Busshi (Jocho), 円派 Enpa and 院派 Inpa School
Magaibutsu 磨崖仏 cliff carvings
Artwork of the new sects, Tendai 天台 and Shingon 真言.
- source : Mark Schumacher -

. bussokusekika 仏足石歌, "Buddha footprint poems" .


Cleveland Museum pieces
Art of Japan: Masterpieces from the Cleveland Museum of Art / Heian (14 results)
- source : books.google.co.jp -

Colors of the Heian period
. . . A glimpse of many shades of color at the neck, sleeve and hemline . . .
check : Fujiwara no Teika "Meigetsu-Ki" Bright Moon Diary
. Japanese Colors - Introduction .


. daidokoro, daibandokoro 台盤所 kitchen .

Daijō-kan, Dajō-kan, Daijookan 太政官 Great Council of State
three ministers— : Daijō-daijin (Chancellor), Sadaijin (Minister of the Left) and Udaijin (Minister of the Right)
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

Dazaifu 大宰府 regional government in Kyushu, "the distant capital"
from the 8th to the 12th centuries.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

. dengaku mai 田楽舞 Dengaku dance .


. Food and Drink in the Heian Period .

. Fujiwara regency - Heian History .


. Genji Monogatari 源氏物語 The Tale of Genji .
. . . . . Murasaki Shikibu

. Genpei War 源平戦争 - Heian History .
the Minamoto (源) and the Taira (平). The Heian Period ends with the Genpei War.

. goryoo, onryoo 御霊、怨霊 vengeful spirits .
Sudo Tenno 崇道天皇 and his son,
Iyo Shinno 伊予親王.
his mother, Fujiwara Fujin, 藤原婦人
Fujiwara Hirotsugu, 藤原広嗣
Tachibana Hayanari, 橘逸勢
Bunya no Miyata Maro　文室宮田麻呂
Kibi no Makibi 吉備真備
Sugawara Michizane　菅原道真


haiku about Heian　俳句と平安

hairstyle

. Hanami　花見 "Blossom viewing party" .


. Heian bijin　平安美人 a beauty of the Heian Period, Heian Beauty . *


. Heian matsuri 平安祭 Heian festival - Kyoto .
Jidai matsuri 時代祭 "Festival of the Ages" - October
- - - - - Heian Jinguu 平安神宮 Heian Jingu Shrine


. hiragana　平仮名　ひらがな　writing system .

. History of the Heian Period .
. . . . . Heian History by dates
- source : #heianhistory -

. Hoogen no ran, Hôgen no ran 　保元の乱　Hogen Disturbace - 1156 .



. ikiryō, shōryō, seirei, ikisudama 生霊 Ikiryo, "living ghost" .

Ima Kagami - Fujiwara no Tametsune

. imayoo, imayō 今様 Imayo, popular song, imayoo uta 今様歌 .
Imayo Awase: Song contest in the Heian period

. Ise monogatari 伊勢物語 Tales of Ise .
. . . . . and Yatsuhashi 八橋


. Kagerō Nikki　陽炎日記 / 蜻蛉日記 Kagero Nikki, The Kagero Diary .
- - - - - The Mayfly Diary, The Gossamer Years, by Michitsuna no Haha (ca. 935-95)

. kaiawase, kai-awase,kai awase 貝合; 貝合わせ shell-matching game .

. kanbun (kambun) 漢文 written Chinese, the official language *

kanpaku 関白 Kampaku, regent
first secretary and regent who assists an adult emperor
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

. Kappa 河童 Water Goblin Legends of the Heian period .

. karuta, uta karuta 歌留多 Poetry card game .

. Kimigayo 君が代 the Japanese Anthem .

kimono and fashion
- source : History-of-Kimono -
. juuni hitoe　十二単衣　12 layered court robe .

Kin'yō Wakashū 金葉和歌集 Collection of Golden Leaves
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

Kokin Wakashū 古今和歌集 Waka poetry anthology
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

Konjaku Monogatari 今昔物語, Konjaku Monogatarishū 今昔物語集 Anthology of Tales from the Past
collection of over one thousand tales written during the late Heian period (794-1185)
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

. Korea - Contact with Korea - Heian History .



. Legends of the Heian Period .

. Literature of the Heian Period　平安時代の文学 .


Makura no Sōshi 枕草子 Makura no Soshi, The Pillow Book
. by Sei Shōnagon 清少納言 Sei Shonagon .


. 2 Masakado's Rebellion - Heian History .
. Taira no Masakado 平将門 (? – 940) .

. Medicine - Honzo Wamyo 本草和名 . *

. Modori-bashi, modoribashi 戻橋 / 戻り橋 'Returning Bridge' . - Kyoto

. Motives and Symbols in Art .


. Ogura Hyakunin Isshu 小倉百人一首 Poetry Collection of 100 Poets .


. onmyoodoo 陰陽道 Onmyo-Do, The Way of Yin and Yang .
Abe no Seimei 安倍晴明 (921 – 1005)

. Onsen - Eight old Hot Springs 八古湯 and their legends .

Ookagami, Ōkagami 大鏡 Okagami, The Great Mirror - historical tale
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !


. plum blossoms 梅花 loved in the Heian period.



. red and white 紅白 kohaku (koohaku) .
and the Battle of Dan-no-Ura 壇ノ浦の合戦

Romance - Forced Affection - Rape as the First Act of Romance in Heian Japan
- source : Stuart Iles -

Ryoounshuu, Ryōunshū 凌雲集 Ryounshu - kanshi poetry anthology
- source : wikipedia -


. samurai　侍 Samurai - servant .
In the early Heian period the word samurai meant servant and it had no military connotation and did not refer to a person of elite status.
. 4 The beginnings of the warrior (bushi) class - Heian History .
- - - - - . Rise of the military class .

Senzai Wakashū 千載和歌集 "Collection of a Thousand Years"
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

sesshoo, sesshō 摂政 regent
a title given to a regent who was named to assist either a child emperor before his coming of age, or an empress.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

Shika Wakashū 詞花和歌集 "Collection of Verbal Flowers"
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

Shinsen Shōjiroku 新撰姓氏録 "New Selection and Record of Hereditary Titles and Family Names")
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

shooen, shōen 荘園 or 庄園 shoen system
. 2 The development of the shoen system - Heian History .
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

. soohei, sōhei 僧兵 Sohei, monk-warrior, monk-soldier .


. Sumitomo's Rebellion - Heian History .
Fujiwara no Sumitomo 藤原純友 (? - 941)
. . . . . provincial official and pirate, most famous for his efforts to establish a sort of pirate kingdom for himself in the Inland Sea region between 936 and 941.

. Suzakumon 朱雀門 Suzakumon (Shujakumon) Gate .

. Symbols and Art Motives .



. Taketori Monogatari 竹取物語 Tale of the Bamboo Cutter (Kaguyahime かぐや姫) .

. Tosa Nikki 土佐日記 Tosa Diary .
-. . . . . Ki no Tsurayuki 紀貫之 (872-945)


. Waka poetry and Buddhism 　和歌と仏教 .


. yookai, yōkai 妖怪 Yokai monsters .

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Posted By Gabi Greve to Heian Period Japan on 6/06/2015 10:07:00 a.m.

MINGEI - Iwate yakubarai dolls

LINK
http://omamorifromjapan.blogspot.jp/2011/06/yakuyyoke.html


yakubarai ningyoo 厄払い人形 doll to ward off evil
yokuyoke ningyoo 厄除け人形


CLICK for more dolls !

from Iwate, 岩手県和賀郡白木野地域 Waga district, Shirokino area
for the festival on January 19, when all is deep under snow. A huge straw doll of about 1 meter is bound to a tree at the entrance of the village to ward off deities of epidemic to come in and do harm, They pray for one year of good health.
Small dolls are now a souvenir of the region.

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MINGEI - Hakata Hanakasa Dolls

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

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Yamakasa ningyoo 山笠人形 Yamakasa festival float dolls



. . . CLICK here for Photos !

- quote -
Hakata Gion Yamakasa Festival (Yamagasa)
A resplendent and gallant summer festival with men racing through the streets while bearing 1-ton floats on their shoulders

Men carrying yamakasa, which are large 1-ton floats elaborately decorated for this festival, race through the streets of Hakata at full speed. The sight of the men concentrating all their energy into the floats captivates the hearts of the spectators who number as many as 1 million people.

The yamakasa floats come in two categories, namely, colorful floats for decorative purposes called kazariyama, and
floats to be carried in the festival known as kakiyama.
The decorated floats are set up on the street corners on July 1st for display, and you can take a look at them while strolling through the city. They are almost 10 meters tall, and are decorated with samurai or popular anime character dolls produced through the expertise of master Hakata Doll craftsmen. Formerly, men used to run about carrying these tall decorated floats, but because they would get stuck on electric cables and lights, it was decided that they were more suited for display purposes only. The floats exhibited at the Kushida-jinja Shrine can be viewed all year round.



The carried floats are borne by the men from the 10th and the festival culminates in excitement on the 15th. Early in the morning, at 4:59 on this final day of the festival, the first float sets off at the signal of beating drums. This is a contest in which men compete on the time taken to race along a 5 km course, over more or less 30 minutes; although speed is important, they are also required to maintain a graceful and heroic style as they run carrying the floats on their shoulders.

The interesting thing about this festival is that the citizens of Hakata refrain from eating cucumbers during the festival period. Even if they happen to find slices of cucumber in a bowl of salad, they will pick them out. This practice is said to derive from the fact that the pattern of the round cucumber slices resembles the emblem of the festive deity called Gion-sama enshrined in Kushida-jinja Shrine.
- source : www.jnto.go.jp -


The Hakata Gion Yamagasa festival is a religious ritual of Hakata's grand tutelary shrine, Kushida Shrine. It is concentrated on "Decoration Floats", Kazari Yamagasa, which are covered with beautiful Hakata dolls and set up in various places around the town.
As opposed to the elegant and feminine Kazari Yamagasa, the masculine "Kaki Yamagasa" is carried around the city from the 10th. The climax of the festival is the Oiyama race that starts from early morning on the 15th.

. Hakata no Gion matsuri 博多の祗園祭 Hakata Gion Festival.
Hakata matsuri 博多祭（はかたまつり） Hakata festival
..... yamagasa 山笠（やまがさ）floats
oi yamagasa 追山笠（おいやまがさ）race of the floats
.... oiyama 追山（おいやま）
- - - - - kigo for lage summer - - - - -

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