IN FEW PLACES in the world does one nation spend so much time in joyous worship ! Like
adventurers flying west into an eternal sunset, the Japanese honor deities , nature, their relatives,
culture, and history almost 365 days a year. Among the oldest mats uri, or festivals, are
those belonging to the fall, or aki. Shintoism, the original pantheistic religion of Japan , inspired
the majority of the country's aki matsuri, although several significant Buddhist traditions
are also honored in September, October, and November. Often, traditional ceremonies combine
the religious spirit of Shinto folk faith with rituals derived from seasonal planting and harvesting
of Japan's rice crops.
The exact origins of each locale's festival are often only dimly recalled. But the unfolding of events has changed little over generations. The matsuri usually takes place under the sponsorship of a local shrine. Once or twice a year, in the spring and fall, the ujigami , or local spirit, is said to visit the fields from its home in the mountains. Thus yama-no-kami descends to become ta-no-kami and takes up residence in the shrine. On the fes tival day, the spirit is housed in a portable shrine called a mikoshi . Usually these are ornately designed miniature shrines attached to long wooden poles.
The men parade the ujigami through local streets in a turmoil of sound, lantern light, pageantry, artistry, and hedonistic fervor. Children, men, and women in traditional dress swell the ranks and add their dancing, singing and playing of musical instruments to the celebrations.
Matsuri are distinguished from one another by spectacular additions such as the burning of giant
bonfires during Kurama's hi mats uri, the October 22 Fire Festival. A t Nagasaki's Suwa
Shrine, the okunchi fills three days with many dances of Chinese origin, including the dragon
dance. A t Himeji's kenka matsuri, mikoshi "quarrel" with each other for supremacy. And finally, giant dashi floa ts called yamagasa in the form of lions and modern-day storybook characters fill the streets of Karatsu during the annual okunchi.
The details of the tens of thousands of matsuri would fill volumes. But among the most
exceptional are those that break somewhat from the traditions of the Shinto observances.
Kyoto, capital city of Japan for more than ten centuries, annually recalls its history in the jidai
matsuri , or Procession of the Eras, that originated in 1895. Men and women in authentic
dress portray the people of periods from the He ian period to the Meiji Restoration. All pass
in front of the Heian Shrine and before thousands of viewers.
Tokyo is not without its festivals either. Two or three times during November, for example, citizens are reminded of the approaching New Year's holidays during the tori-no-ichi, or Fowl Market. Those an xious to guaranty good luck during the new year can purchase kumade, or good-luck bamboo rakes. Earlier in the fall season , Tokyoites can buy chigibako, a toy set of three boxes, or more important t, fresh ginger at the Shiba Daijingu Ginge r Festival. Oeshiki , the Commemorat ion of Nichiren , is another occas ion for celebration in Tokyo
Whenever a festival occurs, in fall, winter, spring, or summer, the feeling is always the same. Miraculously, modern commercialism has not touched Japan's matsuri in the same
way it has blemished Western Christmas, Easter, and Valentine's Day. The most striking feature of a Japanese festival is its atmosphere of authenticity.
0 comments:
Post a Comment