The Anniversary of The Great Kanto Earthquake (Sept. 1st) is Disaster Prevention Day in Japan- and- the connection between earthquake prevention and the Kashima Grand Shrine
Tokyo`s Shita-Machi burning after the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923- note Mt Tsukuba on the right
There used to be a cannon, located in the plaza in front of Tokyo’s Imperial Palace, which since 1871 had been used to announce the arrival of 12 noon. On September 1, 1923 the usual DON (bang!) never sounded. A little more than a minute before midday, a tremendous earthquake, whose epicenter was in Sagami Bay, hit Tokyo with terrific force. Tokyo University’s seismograph, the only one in the vicinity to have survived the first violent spasm, recorded nearly 2000 more shock waves over the next 3-day period. Over that time, much of the Shita-Machi area of Tokyo had burned down, leaving more than 200,000 dead. Though Tsukuba lay beyond the reach of what came to be called The Great Kanto Earthquake (Kanto Daishinsai) many native Tsukubans and Ibarakians have heard from their grandparents how at that time the sky glowed red to the south at night, and was darkened in the day by drifting smoke .
Since 1923, September First has been a day to commemorate that tragedy and also to remind all those residing in this disaster prone land of the need to be ready for any possible scenario. Thus, this day is both Shinsai Kinenbi (震災記念日, Great Kanto Earthquake Memorial Day), with its annual service at Yokoame Park in Sumida Ward (where the greatest number of victims perished), and Disaster Prevention Day (Bo-sai no Hi, 防災の日), on which you might see firemen leading schoolchildren in evacuation drills (though you are more likely to see this on Sept 2nd as the 1st is the first day back to school!), and plenty of safety tips offered on TV. You might want to take a look at Tsukuba City’s advice for earthquakes. It is both informative and amusing. We are instructed to hide under a desk, secure an exit and turn off the gas and electricity among other things, all at the same time! We are also rightly warned not to listen to rumors, which is an important lesson learned from 1923 when rumors of Koreans poisoning the wells led to the slaughter of large numbers of Koreans by rioting mobs, and the subsequent suppression of Socialists (who were said to be egging on the Koreans!)
I don’t mean in any way to make light of this subject. Though it’s been a long time since 1923, the Great Hanshin Earthquake of 1995, which had Kobe burning helplessly for days, and more recently the Earthquake in Niigata Prefecture (a few years back) which had left people living in shelters for years ( they STILL might still be there !), show us that there is still a long way to go in terms of preparedness and prevention of death and destruction. I don’t want to seem pessimistic, but the BIG ONE WILL COME SOMEDAY. Sometimes it’s as if you can FEEL the pressure building up on the tectonic plates. It probably would be a very good idea to read up on how to prepare.
As you know, earthquakes are not the only threat. In fact, this area has had much worse luck with flooding over the years. That is one reason why, to the astonishment of many foreigners, most Japanese don’t complain about the concreting over of ALL THE RIVERBANKS. For centuries they have been living in fear of unpredictable rivers and flooding. For them, concrete means progress and security (and it seems to have worked this year!). Tsukuba City also offers some tips on dealing with typhoons, floods and fires.
The KANAME ISHI Stone
Before the disciplines of geology and seismology were introduced to Japan, there was a very CURIOUS understanding of the cause of earthquakes and this has a STRONG CONNECTION to Ibaraki Prefecture.
A Namazu-E ( Catfish devotional painting) depicting the God of Kashima restraing the earthquake causing catfish with the KANAME-ISHI Stone
The trembling of the earth was believed to be caused by the slashing about of a giant subterranean CATFISH (namazu). In order to keep this very dangerous fish restrained, the God of Kashima (Kashima Myojin) pressed down on its head with a heavy stone called the KANAME ISHI (要石), which can be found to this day within the precincts of Ibaraki’s most important shrine, Kashima Jingu. This protective stone became especially popular after a terrible earthquake hit Edo in 1855. That disaster struck in the 10th month, during which it is believed that ALL THE 8,000,000 Gods of Japan leave their own shrines and go to Izumo (Shimane Prefecture). It thus became a firm conviction among most Edo-ites that the earthquake had occurred because the God of Kashima had been away and unable to keep the giant catfish under control. The people beseeched the God to be more vigilant after that and the catfish and kaname ishi became popular subjects of devotion.
The stone, which now protrudes slightly out of the ground, is still considered by believers to keep Kanto safe from earthquakes.
The KANAME-ISHI at Kashima Grand Shrine in Eastern Ibaraki Prefecture. It has long been believed that this stone helps prevent earthquakes by pressing down on the head of a giant subterranian catfish!
Near Ryogoku Station in Tokyo, not far from the Sumo Arena (Kokugikan), is the Tokyo To- Irei Do ( 東京都慰霊堂) which is a museum and memorial hall dedicated to the two great disasters which befell the Shita-Machi area in the 2oth century- The Great Kanto Eathquake of September 1, 1923, and the Great Tokyo Air-Raid of March 10th 1945. There are services held honoring the spirits of those who perished in these tragedies on their repsective memorial days each year.
That means that this Wednesday morning ( Sept 1, 2010) the ceremonies commemorating the Great Earthquake will be held from 10-11 AM.
If you cant make it on that day, a visit ANYTIME you are in Ryogoku is worthwhile.
There are some pictures of the Memorial Hall and its compound at this site:
http://www.cc.matsuyama-u.ac.jp/~tamura/ireidou.htm
The Tokyo Memorial Temple For Two Great Disasters the day before the memorial services for the victims of the Great Kanto Eathquake of 1923
At the time of the great quake of 1923, the grounds of what is now the Earthquake Memorial Park, which surround the memorial hall ( temple), was an unused open area. When the disaster struck and the fires started to spread, thousands rushed to take shelter there. It got so crowded that late comers were turned away. Those who were not let in, proved to be the lucky ones in the end as they would have had to flee elsewhere. Tens of thousands who had come to seek refuge in this place were killed by the fires , heat and smoke which consumed the area.
A monument at the Earthquake Memorial Park
The remains of those who perished at this spot were gathered and placed in large funerary urns. A temple was eventually constructed there 7 years later. Besides the temple there are various monuments ( including one to the Koreans who were massacred after the quake) and a museum which displays some artifacts which attest to the great heat created by the fires ( melted machinery, glass, etc) and to the work done by foreign charities to aid the victims ( blankets, and clothes from the US, France, Austria etc).
In 1951, it was decided that this memorial would also be used to commemorate the vicitms of the great air-raid of 1945.
Once again, I would recommend a short visit to this site to anyone who happens to be visiting Ryogoku at any time of year. If not for anything else, then to put things into perspective. You know never really know what going to happen next- especially in a natural disaster-prone country like Japan. One minute you could be getting ready for lunch in a huge, peacefull and prosperous city, and the next minute.............
Old Red Cross posters calling for donations to help the victims of the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake
Some glass bottles which were melted by the heat created by the post-quake fires
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Tsukuba`s Very Own (?) Nebuta Parade- At this weekend`s Matsuri Tsukuba Festival
Last year`s Nebuta procession as part of the Matsuri Tsukuba Festival
I have always thought it CURIOUSLY inappropriate that the center-piece of Tsukuba`s biggest festival, the Tsukuba Matsuri, should be a procession of Nebuta`s (the floats which are paraded in AOMORI PREFECTURE`s great Nebuta Matsuri), and wondered HOW MUCH IT ACTUALLY COST to transport these very large and delicate objects all the way from the Northern tip of Honshu. Two years ago, I entered the makeshift offices of the festival organizers with the intention of finding out. Here is what happened when I asked.
An uneasy silence filled the pre-fab shed set up in front of Capio Hall. The hapi-coat clad festival organizers shot nervous glances at each other. The man I was addressing stroked the back of his tilted head, as he slowly and audibly drew air though his slightly parted teeth. It was clear that my question had hit a raw nerve. In fact, after many can-we’s and should-we’s had bounced back and forth meekly between those present, I was told that I could not be told an exact figure from their mouths. All they could say was that it required a VERY LARGE SUM to hire, transport and maintain the Nebuta Floats for the Matsuri Tsukuba Festival ( I was later able to confirm that the amount was approximately 200,000 dollars ! ).
This weekend ( August 28th and 29th, 2010 ) will be the 13th time that these world famous NEBUTA floats (just a few of them) have been transported down to Tsukuba by truck from Aomori City. The Nebuta Festival held there is one of Japan’s most celebrated and exciting matsuris, and its long history attests to its deep connection to the Tohoku Region and its people. It is WELL worth a special trip to Aomori (even from abroad!) in the beginning of August to witness the passion of the procession and the eerie beauty of the giant illuminated floats which feature UKIYOE-like paintings of warriors, animals, sumo wrestlers, etc…. here is the ORIGINAL Nebuta`s home page:
What I would really like to know is why Tsukuba City would have to lay out so much dough to bring the Nebutas here for our festival. I could understand it if it were for one year, but EVERY YEAR? The Nebutas have no connection at all to Tsukuba, Ibaraki, or Kanto. Why should we have the LEFT-OVERS of someone else’s festival, no matter how famous? I think there are enough history, legends and traditions around these parts to provide material for creating a new and ORIGINAL Matsuri Tsukuba which native Ibarakians and new and foreign residents could all relate to. It WOULD take some IMAGINATION and DARING. That, however, might be a little difficult to find.
The origins of the Tsukuba Nebuta connection are also shrouded in mystery and perhaps intrigue. The group responsible for having started bringing down the floats eleven years ago is the Junior Chamber International Tsukuba Branch .When I asked them to tell me the story they claimed it would take 2 hours to do so and then quickly explained that some big-shot in their organization knew (was connected with) someone up in Aomori. Well, I think we would all agree that JCI is not representative of Tsukuba and shouldn’t be the ones to decide how the festival budget should be spent. I would also not be surprised if someone were making a bundle off our matsuri.
You CAN get a look at some of Tsukuba`s OWN traditional matsuris, if you get to the Tsuchiura Gakuen Road ( I recommend the corner on the western side of Jusco) well before the Nebuta procession ( around 5pm). The portable shrines ( O-Mikoshi), floats, dragons, etc. from Tsukuba`s old neighborhoods make a couple of loops up and down the road, while representatives of each of these hamlets strut their stuff. These are all quite interesting, and its too bad they have to play second fiddle!
Most of the people who come to enjoy Matsuri Tsukuba (and there are surprisingly many!) probably don’t even catch a glance of the famous floats (they are usually wrapped in plastic). That is because of the shape which the festival has taken. Yes, I’m talking about the actual shape of the festival if viewed on a map or from above. Just like Tsukuba University, the festival has grown very long and slender. At its most crowded it becomes like too much water being forced through a narrow gorge, and in total there are only 3 or 4 outlets where the water (the crowd) can run off into other directions. On humid days it is quite tiring to navigate the entire length of the festival and then back again. With all the different performance (mostly third rate) venues set up and ALL THE FOOD stalls up on the main pedestrian path, the layout of the festival is not conducive to viewing the Nebutas. I say scrap it and spend the money in better ways!
One tip for those who plan on visiting Matsuri Tsukuba next year is DON’T EAT BREAKFAST, or even dinner the night before, for that matter! From the DAYZ TOWN building all the way to the Expo Center it is wall-to-wall food (with some stalls for scooping up live fish thrown in here and there!)! Just how much can a person eat? And can someone give me a clue as to how to choose which yakisoba stand to buy from out of the dozens you find every few meters (and that goes for okonomiyaki, takoyaki, taiyaki, jagabata, etc., as well). Two foreign foods which have become almost as common are Indian curry and kebabs. Every once in a while you come across a rare find. For example, I was happy to find a stall serving Tunisian food. A special feature of the Tsukuba hawkers scene is the presence of many amateurs, especially foreigners who serve up their countries’ dishes.
Though Matsuri Tsukuba is NOT one of the best festivals in the Kanto Area, it is still fun to be out with the crowd, see all the colorful yukata, probably run into some old friends on the narrow path, and of course EAT. It is very surprising and interesting to note how many young girls dress up in traditional wear. Their presence provides a real lift to the festival’s atmosphere
And now…… having thought about it for a long time, I realize that many TRADITIONAL LOCAL FESTIVAL, for example the Gion Festivals so popular in this area for centuries, were only IMITATIONS of the original, first held in Kyoto.
So….. I guess we COULD say that- in Japan, borrowing another city`s festival IS traditional!
UPDATE:
For the past few days this years`s (2010) Nebutas could be seen being readied for this weekend`s festivities.So here is a preview of some of the floats you will see this year:
This mouse, is being originally made for the Matsuri Tsukuba by students. Why a mouse? Because this year is The Year of The Mouse- That`s why!
I have also written this year of how fetsivals called Nebuta Matsuri were held in summer in various parts of Japan with the aim of helping to shrug off the lethargy brought on by the summer heat. These festivals, it seems, evolved out of a ritual called NEMURI NAGASHI ( washing away sleepiness) which was often perfomed on the morning of the 7th day of the 7th month ( according to the old calendar)- Tanabata. This involved wiping ones eyes with the flower of the silk tree, which is called the NEMU NO KI ( or the NEBU NO KI)- the sleep tree. The flower, which has absorbed THE SLEEP from the eyes, was then cast away into a stream, river, or the sea.
You can read more about it here:
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Hand-Held Fireworks (Senko-Hanabi) Make Japanese Summer Nights Sparkle!
Kids playing with fireworks in the family garden
I have said it before- In Japan summer means fireworks. I forgot to mention, however, that by fireworks ( hanabi), I was not only referring to the kind that are launched up into the sky.
If pass through any Japanese residential neighborhood in late July or August at night, do not be surprised to spot a colored glow, not high up above, but low to the ground, often behind a wall or fence- in fact eminating out of someones garden. This will more often than not be accompanied ( or preceded) by the smell of smoke and the sound of excited young voices. If you have a chance to peek through the gate, or over the fence, you surely see some kids, usually under the supervision of barbecueing or beer drinking parents, playing with HAND-HELD fireworks ( senko-hanabi, literally- incence stick fireworks).
When these are lit, they sparkle brightly, eerily illuminating the wide-eyed excited faces of the kids playing with them. The smoke they give off, obscures parts of this scene, now here, now there, and then drifts off , carrying its acrid, gun-powdrery smell. The laughter, crackling, sparkling, and the sulphorous scent, all combine to make a distinctively atmospheric Japanese Summer`s night.
As magical and FLEETING as childhood itself.
Hand-held fireworks for sale at a Hundred Yen Shop
You can by cheap packs of these hand-held fire-works ( also called Te Hanabi, hand -fireworks, or niwa-hanabi, garden fireworks) at convenience stores or toy stores.
A close-up of one of the fireworks packages
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Last Night`s Full-Moon was the Bon-Moon (Bon no Tsuki, 盆の月), for those who still celebrate the ancient O-Bon Festival in its MOST AUTHENTIC way
Bon no Tsuki- The Bon Moon, on the night of August 23rd, 2010- with my cell-phone camera
I have already told you in the pages of Tsukublog, how in Tokyo and in or around Yokohama, the ancient O-Bon Festival in which the spirits of ancestors are welcomed back home and entertained, is celebrated from the 13th to the 15th (or 16th) of JULY.
I have also gone on to tell you that in most of the rest of Japan, the same festival is celebrated between the 13th and 15th ( or 16th) of AUGUST.
So you might start feeling even more confused when I tell you, that for some people, in fact those who still celebrate the Festival for Ancestors in its MOST AUTHENTIC WAY, this year`s O-Bon celebrations started on the evening of AUGUST 22nd, when the ancestral spirits were guided back to their homes where they will stay until the morning of the 25th, when they will be sent off , back to the OTHER WORLD. Today is the main day of the festival as heralded by last night`s FULL MOON- the Bon no Tsuki, around which the Festival had traditionally been celebrated.
You see, since at least as far back as the reign of the Empress Suiko ( during which the occurence of Bon ceremonies was first recorded in the late 6th century AD) and until the Japanese calendar was CHANGED from the traditional Luni-Solar calendar to the Western (Gregorian) calendar by the internationalizing and modernizing Meiji government of Japan in 1873, the Bon rites were held each year from the 13th to the 16th of the 7th month according to the old calendar.
One important characteristic of that calendar is its close connection to the waxing and waning of the moon, with the eve of the 15th of each month always being a FULL-MOON ( with the calender a new day began at sundown!). That means that the period during which the ancestors were believed to come back home was always centered around the full moon, since the MAIN DAY of the festival has always been the 15th.
When the Meiji government ordered that the calendar be changed, however, in order to facilitate Japan`s integration with the rest of the world, the O-Bon Festival started to become disconnected from its roots. Yes, The festival was still to be celebrated in the seventh month, from the 13th to the 16th, but now this was to be the 7th month according to the NEW ( Gregorian) calendar- which is July, meaning that it would fall approximately 30 earlier than it always had been ( since with the Gregorian Calendar the first month, January, begins about a week after the winter solistice, while in Japan the first month traditionally began between 25-45 days after the solistice).
It also meant that the link between O-Bon and the full-moon would be severed.
And though even back then in 1873 this did not matter much to the people in the big cities of Tokyo and Yokohama who could easily make this change,for the farmers in the provinces this approxiamately 4 week difference was huge. The middle of July was just TOO BUSY of a time back then, with the weeding and dealing with pests, to take the time off to celebrate a proper O-Bon.
For this reason, it has been the custom, to this day, for natives of Tokyo and Yokohama, to celebrate O-Bon strictly according to the new calendar, on July 15th ( the new 15th day of the 7th month), while those living in other areas, celebrate it one month later according to the new calender, at a time when farmers have traditionally had more free time, on August 15th. Being the 15th according to the Gregorian Calendar, however, means that O-Bon rarely coincides with the full moon.
There are still those few, however, who out of respect for tradition, and the understanding that since ancient times, long before the Buddhist Urabon-e ceremonies were introduced to Japan in the 6th century, that the Japanese have made offering to their ancestors in connection with the phases of the moon, especially the beautiful moons which can be seen in August, September, and October ( which would also coincide with the times of year for beseeching the ancestors spirits to help bring about abundant harvests).
You might think Im a LUNATIC, but walking outside last night, bathed in the mysterious glow of the Bon-Moon, I realized how much has been lost by calendar change. O-Bon should not be celebrated on ANY OLD Day or NIGHT- it should be centered around the Bon no Tsuki, the first full moon of autumn! When else could Bon-Odori dancing seem so magical?
- The nearly full moon ( Ju-san ya) on the night the ancestral spirits are welcomed back home ( MUKAE-BI). This year on the night of August 22nd
You will be very surprised to find that almost no-one that you speak to in Japan these days is aware of O-Bon`s connection with the full moon.
There are still, however, a couple of neighborhoods in Tsukuba which celebrate O-Bon at the time of year it had always been celebrated- around the first full moon of autumn. Check M. Takahashi`s Traditional Events in Tsukuba Page for more info:
http://hpcgi2.nifty.com/tradevents/index_e.cgi
Here is what I wrote 2 years back when the full moon DID actually fall on the eve of the 15th:
http://blog.alientimes.org/2008/08/bon-jour/
and on a related topic- Japan`s autumnal moon-viewing customs ( Tsuki-mi):
I`ve also written before on the traditional Japanese calendar:
http://blog.alientimes.org/2008/07/lunar-or-solar/
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TSUNABI (綱火), Ina-Machi`s Fire-and-Smoke Spewing Puppets on a String- This year on August 23rd and 24th in Tsukubamirai-City!
![090823_1148~01_0001[1]](http://blog.alientimes.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/090823_114801_00011-300x225.jpg)
Though the greatest fireworks event around here (and one of the best in all of Japan), the Tsuchiura Hanabi Taikai, takes place in autumn, for most Japanese, fireworks mean summer and summer means fireworks. It seems that on almost any July or August night , the crackle of HANABI can be heard somewhere off in the distance.
Fire shoots out of a small, puppet-bearing boat during Tsunabi
And though now fireworks displays are mostly considered a summer night`s ENTERTAINMENT, the use of fire (and gunpowder) has long had a RELIGIOUS function in Japan, as in Shinto, fire is believed not only to purify but also to attract the KAMI (god/ gods). Fire plays an important role in Buddhist ceremonies, too ( even the relatively recently established Tsuchiura Fireworks Competition, first held in 1925, was created ostensibly to console the spirits of fallen pilots- Kasumgaura has a long connection with aviation in Japan).
Tsunabi Puppets above the sparks and smoke
In Ibaraki Prefecture it is still possible to observe (and take part in) a few traditional fire festivals, involving rituals in which fire or fireworks play the main ceremonial role. I have already written about the mid-winter FIRE-WALKING CEREMONY (HI WATARI, 火渡り） held at the Mount Kaba Shrine in Makabe near Tsukuba. But now, in late summer, deep in the fireworks season, I`d like to tell you about this area`s most characteristic (and oldest) ceremonies which involve fireworks- Ina Machi`s ( now Tsukubamirai-Shi) TSUNABI events, in which a combination of puppet theater and fireworks are used to pray for fire prevention, good harvests and originally- VICTORY IN BATTLE.
Dolls suspended in air!
Each year for the past 400 years ( with some exceptions, including the war and immediate post-war period), Tsunabi ceremonies have been held in Ina Machi, now part of Tsukuba Mirai City. In recent years , the dates have been set as August 23rd and 24th. There are two surviving schools, with quite different styles, the Takaoka-Ryu, which does its thing on the 23rd, and the much older Obari-Matsushita-Ryu, which takes the stage on the 24th. Though these events take place at different (though very near to each other) locations, both venues are ATAGO SHRINES (愛宕神社), which is indeed appropriate since these are dedicated to the God of Fire.
The event on the night of the 24th will be at the Atago Shrine in Ina Machi`s Obari neighborhood, which was founded at the end of the Muromachi Period ( in the 16th century). The Tsunabi ritual is performed as an offering for fire-prevention and abundant crops and has been designated an Important Intangable Cultural property (as has been the ceremony in the Takaoka neighborhood).When it was first conceived, 400 years ago by a local samurai ruler, it was intended as a ceremony to help ensure victory in battle. The secret of mixing and preparing the gun-powder was taught to the Ohashi Family, local farmers farmers, who have passed it down over the generations ( in the case of the Obari-Ryu).
Until the Second World War, there was actually a Tsunabi rice Field, the annual proceeds of which went to pay for each years Tsunabi.
The highlight of these ceremonies, which also involve processions of portable shrines, floats and other typical MATSURI (festival) activities held earlier in the day, is a puppet show, involving large mechanical dolls, which travel down a length of rope, all the while spewing out fire and smoke, as the music blares and the narrator tells the story. And though it can be quite crowded, the performance short, and your view most likely obscured by smoke, getting there early and reserving a good spot for the show, can prove to be well worth it. I find it magical.
There also seems to be a tsunabi event in Aichi Prefecture in Central Japan, but that`s about it. So these events in Ina Machi ( Tsukubamirai) are just another of those things which make Ibaraki Prefecture special.
A home-made lantern
The Atago Shrine is about a 20 minute walk from the Mirai-Daira Station on the TX line. The Tsunabi is scheduled to start at 7pm but I would get there earlier. Another interesting feature of this event is that most of the houses in the Obari and Takaoka neighborhoods make home-made lanterns which they display at their entranceways.
See more pictures here:
http://www.city.tsukubamirai.lg.jp/bunka/10.htm
and my posts about the fire-walking
http://blog.alientimes.org/2008/12/a-fine-day-for-fire-walking/
the Tsuchiura fireworks:
http://blog.alientimes.org/2008/10/baihos-idea-a-big-hit-in-tsuchiura/
and a Buddhist fire ritual-
http://blog.alientimes.org/2007/12/tantric-fire-ritual-on-new-years-eve/
and for keeping up to date on all the traditional events in and around Tsukuba make sure to keep checking M. Takahashi`s invaluable home page:
http://hpcgi2.nifty.com/tradevents/index_e.cgi
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