Amazing Turn-Around ! Moxibustion Gets Fetus to Move Out Of The Breech Position and Thus, C-Section is Avoided!
Acupuncture, moxibustion and massage teacher and therapist Naruto Yoshida
This is testament to the indefatiguable efforts of generations of traditional Chinese physicians who over the years built up a vast body of data on which points of the body, when stuck with needles, pressed, or heated, affected OTHER specific parts of the body. Their endeavor goes all the way back to a time when someone realized that a pain in one part of their body, perhaps the lower back, suddenly disappeared when another part of their body was pierced, perhaps by an arrow.
No matter how they hit upon the idea, this system of treating bodily complaints became a part of the STANDARD PRACTICE of maintaining human health within the vast traditional Chinese cultural sphere of influence, including of course, Japan ( to which these techniques were probably introduced in the 6th century).
In recent decades, these traditional forms of East-Asian medical treatment have become more and more accepted outside their usual home turf and acupuncture clinics are now common in the US and many European countries.
( more than 30 years ago James Reston, a highly respected journalist for The New York Times, was in China on assignment and had to be hospitalized for what I think was appendicitis. After his surgery his pain was controlled with acupuncture. The reports of his experience helped make Americans more open minded about this, then, very exotic for of medical treatment.)
Though stories of the successful treatment of headaches, stiff necks and lower-back pain are impressive, for me, the MOST AMAZING thing I had ever heard of acupuncture and moxibustion`s powers was that it could be used to get a fetus in the breech position ( with its head up) into the right position ( with the head down), merely with the application of heat to the small toe!
A tiny cone of MOXA placed on the outer side of the little toe
It sounds incredible, but I have found that it really does often work, even when the pregnancy is in its late stages.
Recently, I talked with Naruto Yoshida Sensei, a teacher and practitioner of acupuncture, moxibustion and massage therapy, who had just successfully gotten a soon-to-be-born fetus to turn over into the proper position, thus sparing the expectant ( though anxious) mother from having to have a Caesarean section.
This is what the treatment involved in this particular case:
When Yoshida Sensei first met the patient, he talked with her to try to gauge her emotional state. Finding her to be quite stressed about her baby being in the breech position ( and dont pregnant women and their husbands have enough to be worried about already), and thus probably stiff and TIGHT throughout her body, he decided to begin with some soft massage. He gently worked on her shoulders, lower back, arms, legs, hands and feet.
Feeling that she had become appropriately relaxed and phyically loosened up, he had the patient lie on her side. He then proceeded to place a tiny cone made up of the mugwort plant on the side of the small toe of her right foot, and proceeded to burn it. This took a few minutes and gave her a slight burning sensation. This was then repeated two more times.
The same was done to the small toe of her left foot.
A SENENKYU applied to the same spot
This acupuncture ( and moxibustion) point on the small toe is called the SHI IN NO KYU, and this spot which, when stimulated in the proper way, gets the fetus to turn upside down ( which in this case is the right side up!)
As is usual with acupuncture or moxibustion, one time does not always do the trick. In this case as well, especially considering the late stage of the pregnancy, it took two sessions with Yoshida Sensei for things to take a proper turn. And this happened a few days after the last treatment. The patient had continued the treatments on her own at home, with a special moxibustion applicator ( with a small base), called a SENENKYU.
What a relief for the mother-to-be. She can now go ahead with a natural childbirth, which is what she wanted.
And for us, it gives us an dramatic proof of moxibustions powers ( though 100 percent success cannot, of course be guaranteed.
The SHI-IN NO KYU point on the little toe
By the way, the English word moxibustion, or moxa treatment derives from one of the Japanese words used for the plant mugwort- MOGUSA.
Another word for the same plant is YOMOGI. And I have recently written of how it is used in an important sprintime snack in Japan- KUSA MOCHI.
A SENENKYU applicator, on the left and a moxa cone, on the right
Another interesting point that I would like to mention is that for many older Japanese people moxibustions brings back bad memories of childhood punishment! It was not unusual for parents to discipline their kids by making them sit and endure the little moxa cones buring on their hands.
By the way, in Japanese acupuncture is HARI 、and moxibustion OKYU.
POSTSCRIPT- Acupuncture and Asthma
Right after I had completed and posted the original version of this article, I set off to join a group (consisting of family and friends) at a Chinese restaurant ( which are always more fun with large groups- you can share more dishes!).
Sitting next to me, was a old buddy, who also happens to be a native New Yorker. When I asked him how his day had been, much to my surprise, he told me that he had just come from acupuncture treatment ( every day is teeming with coincidence) !
Apparently, he had once gone to a clinic because he had been having some sort of pain, but when the acupuncturist found out that my friend suffered from asthma he quickly and confidently asserted that he could treat that as well.
According to my friend,the treatments HAVE been effective, and he has in fact been able to cut down on his intake of prescribed medication.
Print This Post
Changing of the Gods: Mt Tsukuba’s Onzawari Ceremony (Every April and November 1st)- revisited
At 877 meters it is not very high or majestic. But for those of us who live on the vast (by Japanese standards, of course!) plain to its south, the slightly crushed M figure of Mt Tsukuba is like a trusty old friend, always reassuring us of where we are and helping us get our bearings when we are lost. Its forested slopes put Japan’s seasons on display while on the flatlands below the greenery has been disappearing at a frightening pace and snow accumulation has become a most rare occurrence.
For the Japanese, Mt Tsukuba has also been a sacred mountain since time immemorial. Its peaks are where the ancestral Gods of Japan, Izanagi and Izanami, are enshrined. The mountain has attracted many holy men over the years and during the Edo Period (1600-1867) a temple was built half-way up its southern slope to protect Edo castle from the unlucky North-Eastern quadrant. This temple, Chuzen-Ji, was generously endowed and supported by Japan’s long-ruling clan, the Tokugawa.
In 1868 Japan underwent revolutionary reforms and the Emperor was restored (again?) to supreme power (in name only, most say). The Meiji government also carried out a probably ill-advised policy (though not as ill-advised as some other policies set in those days!) of separating Buddhism (a foreign import) from the pure, native belief which came to be called Shinto. Thus Chuzen-Ji became what is now Mt Tsukuba Shrine, a place popular to pray for marital happiness because of its association with the mythological couple Izanagi and Izanami.
The priests of this shrine, together with the assistance of local residents, continue to perform the most important of the mountain’s ancient rituals- Onzagawari (御座替り） which can also be pronounced Ozagawari. This ceremony is held twice a year, on April and November 1.
The ceremony at first appears to be a typical Japanese Mountain God festival in which the deities are brought down to the fields in spring to bring abundant harvests, and are then escorted back up to their mountain abodes for the winter.
Mt Tsukuba’s spring and autumn rituals seem at first glance to be of this pattern, but there is a twist. Since the ancestral couple are enshrined on its peaks and the shrine half-way up the mountain is dedicated to family harmony, instead of focusing on agriculture, the Onzagawari emphasizes love and protection of children.
Last year, despite vicious winds, I watched the CHILD god being carried symbollically in a small omikoshi (portable shrine) up the mountain, where it is cool and high above the soon to be sweltering lowlands and the PARENT gods carried down to the center of ( the halfway point up) the mountain. The positions of the parents and child will be switched back again in autumn.
The ceremony begins early in the morning and continues till late afternoon ( rain, wind or shine) as carriers bear the omikoshis up and down the mountain (they use the cable car for some of the way!), often battling the ferocious and unrelenting gusts of wind which this area is famous for in this season.
Maybe the most special thing that a visitor can do on these ceremony days is to cross the sacred bridge (a red, wooden, covered bridge of rare design) which is only open on the first day of April and November.
Maybe I`ll see you there on the 1st ( Thursday). Come prepared for the cold and wind!
Ive also written about a ceremony held at Tsukuba`s ancient and once thriving SILKWORM SHRINE- KOKAGE JINJA:
http://blog.alientimes.org/2008/03/ancient-custom-hanging-on-by-a-silk-thread/
and more on Mt Tsukuba and RAINBOWS in Japanese culture:
http://blog.alientimes.org/2008/12/a-celestial-bridge-for-the-gods-of-mt-tsukuba/
Print This Post
OHAGI- special snacks and offerings for the Equinox weeks (and the question of what to call them)
Home-made BOTAMOCHI ( ohagi)
One of the great pleasures of living in Japan is sampling bits of the month by month procession of its SEASONAL and CEREMONIAL sweets. Whether at supermarkets, convenience stores or specialty WAGASHI ( Japanese sweets) SHOPS (and their outlet counters found in department stores), it is always a delight to the eyes, and later to the tastebuds, to find that the types of sweets on display have changed each month, giving us a strong sense of SEASON and an awareness of upcoming festivals and traditional events.
One such treat, OHAGI, appear not once a year, as do most other special wagashi, BUT TWICE! This is because these palm-sized patties of partly mashed sticky rice coated with a surrounding layer of mashed sweet beans, are the representative sweet for the EQUINOX DAYS, which as you know come around twice a year, in March and September.
For the Japanese, the equinox days, and the 3 days before and after them, are called O-Higan. During these 7-day periods ( or some time around them), it is customary to visit ones family graves, clean them, and make offerings of incence, water, sake, fruit, and OHAGI ( though now many temples and cemeteries forbid leaving food offerings behind as they attracts crows!).
What makes these sweets an especially complicated topic, is the matter of what to call them. Originally, those prepared for the SPRING EQUINOX were called BOTAMOCHI. This is because the flowers BOTAN ( peonies), bloom in and are representative of spring. Some people and writers still the name BOTAMOCHI when referring to these sweets prepared in March.
On the other hand, the same wagashi ( or a slight variation depending on region and era) were called OHAGI, since the hagi ( bush clover) is one of Japan`s famous flowers of autumn.
For some reason, however, perhaps because using two different names for the same sweet could be confusing for consumers (and is thus avoided at the suggestion of the marketing specialists employed by the big department and convenience store chains), these wagashi are now mostly labelled as O-HAGI whether they be sold in autumn or winter. Most people these days have also started to use the name OHAGI for the equinox cakes in both seasons.
For me, this is a strange state of affairs because the word O-Hagi, clearly deriving from the Japanese name for bush clover, is resplendant with the image of AUTUMN. I thus strongly prefer to use the word BOTAMOCHI for OHAGI in the spring.
In past ages, it was common to have slight differences between the O-Hagi of each season. Sometines we can find remnants of these past customs.
For example, while the autumn O-Hagi might be slightly oval and a little smaller, the BOTAMOCHI would be big and round, like the peonies which bloom in spring ( see the photo above).
Some people have also told me that BOTAMOCHI should be made with sticky rice ( mochi gome), while for OHAGI, regular rice ( uruchi gome) should be used.
In both seasons, past or present, a characteristic of these equinox week sweets has been that the rice be only partially mashed, leaving the grains mostly intact. This was called HAN KOROSHI ( 半殺し), literally half killing, and this term has actually been a nickname of these sweets.
There is a comic story told in which a guest at an inn overhears the proprietor suggesting his wife make some OHAGI by saying HAN KOROSHI NI SHIO-, which could also be taken to mean- lets half kill him!
As you can imagine, the panicking guest, wasted no time in getting the hell out of there! If only he knew he was only going to served some OHAGI!
Four types of Ohagi ( botamochi)-coated with sesame, kinako ( soy bean powder), chunky bean paste ( tsubu-an) and smooth bean paste
In the early 19th century, a WAGASHIYA ( sweet shop) in Edo ( now Tokyo), called Matsuzaka-ya started selling BOTAMOCHI coated with black sesame, soy bean powder ( KINAKO), or smooth or chunky sweet bean paste
These are all popular today, and as this is still the equinox week you can find them wherever wagashi are sold. Each type is delicious in its own way ( and this is doing no good for my slimming-down plans!)
You may ask, as I have, just why this particular type of sweet is eaten during OHIGAN. Well, the fact is no one knows for sure. Sweet beens were long believed to have disease preventing powers and of course rice has traditionally been thought to be heaping with LIFE FORCE.
No matter why they are eaten at the equinox weeks, we can still be happy that we have them to look forward to- TWICE A YEAR!
(I have found, since I wrote and posted this article. that there are some areas of Japan, especially in rural North-Eastern Japan ( Tohoku) and Hokkaido who use the name BOTA MOCHI even today, AND for both seasons! Two women, one from Fukushima Prefecture and another from Hokkaido told me that in their home areas they NEVER say Ohagi. For them, that word connotes the elegant image of the big city, while their local cakes are big , round and rustic- in other words BOTA MOCHI !
Print This Post
The Enduring Legacy of the SAKIMORI ( 防人), Japan`s Ancient Conscripted FRONTIER GUARDS ( and separating fact from legend when remembering them)
The Saito-Sai Festival in Kashima on March 9th
One of the good things about living in the Tsukuba Science City, is that in addition to all the local folk ( JIMOTO NO HITO ), you get to meet the SHINJU-MIN (新住民), the people who have come from ALL OVER JAPAN ( as well as from all over the world) to work at or study at the various research facilities and institutions of higher learning located here. Because of this diversity in geographical background , whenever I make new acquaintance I always make sure to ask: SHUSHIN CHI WA DOKO DESU KA? (Where are you originally from?), and since I have been to all of Japan`s 47 prefectures, after hearing their answer I mention that I have been to THEIRS and usually make some comments ( positive of course!) about their home towns. I have found that this always makes for good conversation and sometimes helps lay the foundation for a future friendship.
If someone now living in Tsukuba tells me that they are originally from Fukuoka Prefecture, in Kyushu, Japan`s southernmost MAJOR island, (and there are many such people in Tsukuba), I like to playfully say that they must surely know of the ANCIENT CONNECTION between their native region and Ibaraki Prefecture ( in which Tsukuba is located).
As Fukuoka is about 1300 kilometers south-west of Ibaraki, and is in fact on ANOTHER ISLAND, these people always give me a puzzled ( and slightly embarrassed) look, and ask me just what I exactly it is that am referring to.
I answer with one word- SAKIMORI ( the frontier guards).
In most cases,they still do NOT get what I mean. Obviously, the SAKIMORI have not become the important part of the regional (and prefectural) identity in Fukuoka, that they have become here in Ibaraki.
I then set about to briefly explain what I mean.
The sakimori, the 7th and 8th century frontier guards who were conscripts, usually of humble origin, were for period drafted exclusively from this part of Japan ( its eastern provinces, including Hitachi, the old name for Ibaraki). They were sent to live for 3 years in Kyushu, mostly to TSUKUSHI, what is now Fukuoka Prefecture, and to the Islands of Oki and Tsushima, where they did their military service and grew their own food.
Thats the connection Im referring to!!
In this article, I would like to discuss not just how the SAKIMORI connect Ibaraki and Fukuoka, but I would also like to give tsukublog readers some more details regarding their history, their important legacy( in the form of some of the most moving poems in the Manyoshu anthology of poetry), and how they are remembered today .
The reason that I choose to write about this particular topic at this time, is that it is now March, and it is every year on the 9th of this month, that the SAITO-SAI festival is held in and around the precincts of KASHIMA JINGU ( Kashima Grand Shrine), Ibaraki Prefecture`s most important shrine ( ICHI NO MIYA).
Since the early Showa Period ( I mean starting in the late 1920`s) this ancient spring festival has turned into a celebration of the SAKIMORI. Watching this colorful and passion filled event made me think about the sakimori and their relationship ( in fact or legend) to this shrine.
The festivities move into the precincts of Kashima Jingu ( Kashima Grand Shrine)
Who were the SAKIMORI?
In the year 633, the Yamato ( Japanese) Court sent a naval fleet carrying an army of 27,000 men to assist the Korean Kingdom of Paekche ( Kudara, in Japanese) in fighting off the invading forces of Tang China. The Japanese and its allies were soundly defeated in what is known in Japanese as the Battle of Hakusuno-e (白村江の戦)
After this fiasco, the Japanese government feared that in retaliation there would be an attack by continental ( Chinese or Silla Korean) forces upon Japan.
In preparation for this onslaught ( which never did come), the Yamato Court, which had just been reorganizing under the TAIKA REFORM into a system resembling that of TANG China ( the Ritsuryo System), the government ordered, that men between the ages of 21 and 60 be conscripted and sent to Kyushu ( the part of Japan nearest the Korean Peninsula) to protect the frontier.
Though at first these conscripts came from all over Japan ( except for the Tohoku Region, which at that time was still not under Yamato control), it eventually came to pass that ONLY men from Japan`s eastern provinces ( and Ibaraki, then called Hitachi, was at its eastern limit) were used.
There are many possible reasons for this. First, the Easterners, especially the residents of Hitachi, had long been active in the fighting against the non-Yamato tribes to the north ( the Emishi or Ezo). Thus, they were considered experienced (as well as brave and fierce) fighters AND many had their own weapons ( which the conscripts themselves had to supply!).
Most probably, however, being far from the centers of Yamato culture, it was easier to put them and their families through hardship ( since they had few political connections or little power compared with those who lived nearer the capital, and thus could make less trouble at that time) and the draft might also have been seen as a way to assimilate the Easterners more deeply into Yamato culture by having them travel through and live in other parts of the empire.
The term SAKIMORI first appeared in 645, and it is interesting to look at its etymology. Though the Japanese characters used to write it are now 防人, which is a compound difficult even for Japanese to read and literally means DEFENDING PEOPLE, the origin of the word as it PRONOUNCED comes from the characters 崎守 SAKI MORI, which means defenders of the capes, the fringes of the country, or 境守, SAKAIMORI, literally border protecters. Another way of writing the word sakimori 先守, sheds further light on the intended pur of this conscripted force as it means the pre- defenders, or the first line of defense, which is in fact what they would have been in case of an invasion. Their role would be to hold off the enemy long enough for a large army made up of soldiers from Western Japan to show up.
The Sakimori`s Living conditions
The Sakimori system, which actually remained in operation for a period of 163 years ( until 826), imposed great hardships on the conscripted men and on their families ( which was why the system was eventually abolished, along with the fact that the fear of invasion also eventually faded away). Amazingly, the law required all conscripts to pay their own way to the port of Naniwa ( now Osaka). By that it was meant that none of the food or lodging expenses for the long journey ( at least two months on foot) would be paid for by the government. As I mentioned earlier, the men had to bring their own swords, bows and armour.
Once the men reached Naniwa, they would board ships and sail therough the inland sea to Kyushu. At Dazaifu, in Tsukushi ( the old name for Fukuoka), they would undergo the necessary training, but still they would be required to GROW THEIR OWN FOOD, even when sent off to their even more remote postings. The term of service was 3 years.
Obviously, having the men of the family away for at least 3 years was a tremendous burden on the poor farming families left behind.
Exotic colors at the Saito-Sai at Kashima Jingu
The Songs of The Sakimori
Though this surely all sounds tragic, you still might be wondering about the historical significance of these conscripted frontier guards, especially in light of the fact that they never did any real fighting in Kyushu. Why are the Sakimori remembered, and why have they become an important part of the regional identity of eastern Japan and especially Ibaraki?
Surprisingly, the great legacy of frontier guards is their POETRY, and the poetic genre they inspired! It happened to be that in the year 755, in the sakimori system`s hayday, Otomo no Yakamochi, the poet and one of the compilers of Japan`s first and what many believe greatest anthology of poems, the Manyoshu ( about 759), was living in Naniwa as an official of the Office of Military affairs! As I mentioned before, the conscripts from Eastern Japan`s destination was Naniwa. Before they got on their ships to Kyushu, many wrote poems, possibly under the encouragement of Yakamochi.
Anyway, about one hundred poems designated as SAKIMORI NO UTA ( poems of the frontier guards) made their way into the Manyoshu.
These poems, for some which the names and the hometowns of the poets ( with several from what is now Ibaraki) are given, reflect a wide range emotions related to a theme which has been worked over in almost every corner of the globe- leaving family and loved ones behind to go and fight for flag and country. There is excitement, pride and enthusiasm in going off to fight for the Emperor ( in a few poems), but more often there is concern for family left behind and a great sadness brought about by separation from ones loved ones and ones hometown.
It is evident from some of the poems that the themes taken up by the sakimori were taken up by poet aristocrats who wrote contributed their own SAKIMORI NO UTA, though they themselves had never shared in the experience of conscription.
This is why the Sakimori are so significant, they left their deep mark on one of Japan`s greatest cultural achievements ( the Manyoshu) and contributed to worlds rich literature on the theme of going off to war.
It is natural that Ibaraki is proud of its ancient poets and the story of the Sakimori and their poems are featured in just about every book and textbook on local history, and there are numerous stone monuments inscribed with various poems to be found across the prefecture.
For some pictures of these inscribed stones in Tsukuba and the rest of Ibaraki see:
http://achikochitazusaete.web.fc2.com/manyoukahi/ibaraki/kahi08.html
Let me give a few examples of these poems.
Sakimori ni tatamu sawaki ni ie no imu ga naru beki koto o iwazu kinu kamo (防人に立たむ騒きに家の妹がなるべき事を言はず来ぬかも). I will try to convey the content of this poem in this way:
I was so caught up in preparing to go off as a sakimori, there was no time to say to my wife all the things I have to say......
Then:
Hitachi sashi ikamu kari mo ga aga koi wo shirushi shite tsukute imo ni shirasemu ( 常陸さし 行かむ雁もが 我が恋を 記して付けて 妹に知らせむ) , which I again poorly paraphrase as:
Good! The geese headed north to Hitachi! Let me attach a sign of my love to them, which they can carry to my wife.
Then:
Aga mote no wasure mo shida wa Tsukubane wo furisake mitsutsu imo wa shinu wa ne (我が面の忘れも時は 筑波嶺を ふり放け見つつ 妹は偲はね)
If the memory of my face starts to become a blur in wife`s mind, lets her look to the misty peaks of Mt Tsukuba in the hope that my image will come back to her ( my paraphrase)
And:
Wa ga tsuma wa itaku koirashi nomu mizu ni kago sae miete yo ni wasurarezu (わが妻は いたく恋いらし 飲む水に 影さへ見えて 世に忘られず)
Surely my wife is yearning for me terribly. I see her in the very water I drink. For all the world I just cant forget her.
- The Saito-Sai (祭頭祭) at Kashima Grand Shrine on March 9
Now it is probably true that more than a few of the men who had been conscripted as sakimori made a pilgrimage to Kashima Jingu before they set off towards Kyushu. The expression Kashima Dachi ( 鹿島立ち) , which literally means SETTING OFF FROM KASHIMA, is commonly applied to the Sakimori`s departure, and this has lead to the popular misconception that all the conscripts from this area would gather at Kashima for a grand ceremony and a last prayer and salutation to the shrine (which is in fact dedicated to TAKEMIKAZUCHI NO KAMI, a God of War, and to the integrity and protection of Japanese territory, and to subduing its enemies).
Many also imagine, incorrectly, that the sakimori conscripts sailed off from Kashima. This is only natural, as kashima IS a port city.
This makes for a perfect story. There are, in fact a few sakimori poems which mention conscripts praying at the shrine before setting off with pride to defend the Emperor. These of course are remembered today at the shrine. Here is an example of a poem set in stone within its precincts:
ARARE FURI KASHIMA NO KAMI O INORITSUTSU SUMERAMIKUSA NI KI NI SHI O ( 霰降り 鹿島の神を 祈りつつ皇御軍士に 我は来にしを )
which can be paraphrased as : I have come, as a warrior for The Emperor, to pray before the God of Kashima
Not one of the more memorable of the frontier-guards extant works ( though certainly SIMPLE and easy to remember).
The fact IS , that MOST of the sakimoris walked to Naniwa after first assembling in what is now Ishioka ( which at that time was the seat of the government office in the Province Hitachi) and NOT set out from or even pay a visit to Kashima.
The existence of the expression Kashima Dachi, which has been used connect the sakimori in the minds of many to the Kashima Grand Shrine does NOT necessarilly imply that someone who is about to make a journey has actually visited the shrine. The term Kashima Dachi can be, used by ANYONE who sets off on a journey. By those who have prayed for safe at ANY shrine ( or someone who has not visited a shrine at all!). The expression itself was believed to bring good luck.
Still the kashima Jingu now strongly associates itself with the sakimori . Every year on March 9th, many of Kashima`a male citizens don colorful costumes, purposely designed to conjure up images of the continent, and take up long poles. They then begin a procession in which small groups form circles and chant fervently while clashing their poles together in the center. This is meant to evoke memories of the sakimori`s proud departure and a prayer for their return.
This celebration of conscripted farmers, however, is not, CANNOT, be very old, as the warrior class ( samurai) would never have permitted it. It would have been a terrible afront to their pride.
It as not until the Meiji Period ( starting 1868), the abolition of the samurai class and th introduction of GENERAL CONSCRIPTION that the shrine, deeply connected to Japan`s militarization, would want to glorify the spirit of tis area`s ancient farmers turned warriors, sent far from home to fight for the Emperor.
What bothers me about the contemporary Saito-Sai Festival ( which in ancient times was a actually spring festival accompanied by Buddhist rites), is that it ignores the melancholy spirit of MOST and the GREATEST of the Sakimori`s songs and instead emphasizes the glory of going off to war.
It is not mentioned anywhere, not in any guidebooks or on the shrines website, that celebration of he Sakimori as part of the Saito-Sai began in the early Showa Period, a time of growing militarism and nationalism, which reflects the fact that the shrine, a place traditionally used to pray for victory and good fortune in war, used the image of the sakimori to inspire Japan`s 20th century conscripts, boys from Hitachi who were called up to go fight for the Emperor in far off places.
This was the shrines way of using history as propaganda, telling the farm boys of Ibaraki that they had a proud and ancient tradition of serving the Emperor.
Still the festival is colorful and exciting ( if you dont think about its content), and well worth a visit.
I have much more to say about the Kashima Jingu, which is one of the most interesting shrines in all of Japan, and which a familiarity with is vital for an understanding of this region. That will have to wait for a seperate article.
In the meantime, please give a little thought to the sakimori of old, the hardships and loneliness they endured, and the lasting contribution they made to world culture. They wrote poetry which went beyond jingoism and expressed sensitive, truly HUMAN feelings .
Ibaraki SHOULD be proud of them.
And, if you are interested, I have recorded ( with the Tsukuba based band The Tengooz) one of the great songs dealing with the suffering brought on by war. Its our reggae-punk version of the old Irish anti-war song Johnny I hardly knew ya. We call it Johnny I. Have a listen here:
http://www.jamendo.com/en/track/5698
Print This Post
Around The Spring Equinox, All things Begin to Stir in Japan- Even The Graveyards! (revisited)
Fresh flowers on an old mound type grave in Tsukuba`s Higashi-oka
As the daylight hours grow longer, and the air, soil, and water gradually begin to warm up, all around us things begin to stir. Plants, animals, and humans gradually emerge from their state of FUYUGOMORI (冬篭り, hibernation, holing up or bundling up for the winter), and by the week of the spring equinox, when daytime and nighttime hours are just about equal, Tsukuba (and the rest of the Kanto Plain) is bursting with life and activity — EVEN THE GRAVEYARDS !
This is because, in Japan, the two equinox days, and the three days before and after them, are a traditional time to visit the family graves (O-Haka Mairi , お墓参り), clean them and the area around them, and make offerings of flowers, incense, and even the favorite foods and/or beverages of the deceased. Thus during the equinox weeks, or O-Higan (お彼岸) , the cemeteries of Japan are teeming with activity (sweeping, sprinkling, and praying), smells (various types of incense) and color (all sorts of unusual flowers left as offerings).
Though the word HIGAN (彼岸) is of Indian origin and refers to THE OTHER SHORE (as opposed to THIS SHORE, the world we live in), or the Buddhist Paradise, this way of observing the equinox days by visiting the family graves is UNIQUELY Japanese. It seems to have developed as an amalgamation of traditional ancestor worship, ancient agricultural rites, and Buddhism.
In ancient times, farmers would visit the graves of their ancestors on the equinox days, in spring, just before preparing the fields for planting, and then again in autumn, just before the harvest, and pray that the spirits intervene in helping to bring about abundant crops. After the introduction of Buddhism, and especially the concept of the Saiho-Gokuraku-Jodo (the Western Paradise), the equinoxes became more significant still, as the sun sets almost exactly DUE WEST on those days, giving the universe a perfect alignment with paradise.
The first recorded Buddhist ceremonies referred to as O-Higan were held in the early ninth century by the Emperor Heizei, in an effort to pacify the spirit of the Emperor Sudo, who had died after having been accused of involvement in an assassination. However, some scholars suggest that Prince Shotoku (Shotoku Taishi 573-621), an early and enthusiastic promoter of Buddhism, held Buddhist style rites on the day that the Japanese traditionally worshiped their ancestors, in order to link the two.
It is also interesting that in the Heian Period, Higan lasted for eleven days after the equinox days. It was only in the 1830s that Higan began to be celebrated for a one-week period, the 3 days before and after the equinoxes. The reason for the additional six days around the actual equinox days is that they are meant to represent the Six Cardinal Virtues of Buddhism (rokuharamitsu, 六波羅蜜).
I have written about O-Higan before, so for additional information please have a look at :
http://blog.alientimes.org/2008/03/in-line-with-the-far-side/
Print This Post