Perform The Ancient Chinowa-Kuguri Ritual ( by walking through a straw circle) tomorrow night ( July 30th) at Tsukuba`s Tanaka Hie Shrine!
A ring of straw (CHINOWA) set up for today`s rites at the Hie Shrine in Tanaka, Tsukuba ( July 30th, 2010)
Has Japan`s summer heat got you beat ( though this this summer HAS been quite cool and RAINY!)? Have you got a dose of NATSU-BATEH, the term the Japanese use to describe the lethargy brought on by this season`s Amazon-basin-like temperatures and humidity? Well, these two weeks provide Tsukuba residents with at least two TRADITIONAL WAYS of steeling yourselves against the elements until things cool down. First, on July the 21st, there was Dohyo no Ushi, the day on which the heat stricken multitudes fortify their bodies with nutritious and succulent eel ( UNAGI). Then, tomorrow evening ( July 30th, 2011) there is the spiritual cleansing and revitalization of CHINOWA KUGURI (茅の輪くぐり) which can be had at Tsukuba`s Hie Shrine. There, under the guidance of Dr Osada, the Kanushi (Shinto Priest), you will be able to experience one of Japan`s oldest living traditions, passing through a magical straw ring, as part of the ancient summer purification rites. I wouldn’t pass this chance up if I were you!
Let me tell you a little more about it.
Another straw ring (chinowa), set up at the Mt. Kaba Shrine in Makabe.
Ritual purification has LONG been popular in Japan, and over the centuries, a curious array of occasions has come to be considered appropriate for going to a shrine, or calling a priest to come to you, for harae (祓), or as this character is now more commonly pronounced (O)harai. The birth of a child, the onset of a construction project,the purchase of a car or appliance, turning an unlucky age, or just a plain ol` string of bad luck are among the times at which one might have the kanushi wave his wand and utter incantations (norito) to drive away misfortune and cleanse oneself and one’s possessions of impurities, sin, guilt and any unwanted spirits. Ablutions can also be carried out on one’s own (without calling a priest), with the proper application of salt or water. In addition to these personalized, purification-on-demand ceremonies, there are two great national oharae, one in the winter (toshikoshi no harae) and one in summer (nagoshi no harae) which were decreed by the imperial court in the Nara Period (710-794), in an effort to standardize rituals within the Yamato realm, and have the populace spiritually cleansed every six months. These have been taking place for more than 1000 years, at the end of December and the end of either June or July.
As I have already pointed out (and as you know all too well) summers in Japan tend to sap people’s energy and were also historically a likely time for epidemics to run rampant. For extra purifying and energizing power at the summer harae rites, many shrines around Japan adopted the practice of placing a large ring of reeds (chinowa)across the path leading the the main worship hall, through which those who desired to, could step through, in a ceremony that has come to be called chinowa kuguri. The belief in the efficacy of these rings originates in the ancient Chronicles of Bingo Province (now Okayama Prefecture) in which the simple hero, Somin Shorai, was advised by one of the gods (Susano no mikoto, who somin had been kind to) to protect himself from an epidemic that had been raging, by fashioning a hoop out of reeds and wearing it around his waist. Since this recommendation had come from the mouth of a great god, it was taken for granted that such straw rings had some protective and purifying powers. You might see such rings around the waist of a sumo Grand Champion or see its horizontal reflection in the sumo ring itself.
In Ibaraki Prefecture, there are several shrines at which one can perform chinowa kuguri, though only one of these is in Tsukuba. Hie Shrine (日枝神社）in Tsukuba`s Tanaka district offers a chance to encounter this old custom (called wakuguri by the locals) on July 30th of each year. As a bonus, you will aslo be able to hear a live performance of the local traditional festival music, Tanaka Bayashi, which has been designated by the prefecture as an important intangible property. After the music and the masked dancing which it later accompanies, rice-cakes will be thrown out to the crowd. Be carefull not to get hit in the face.
the Tanaka Bayashi drumming (July 30th 2010)
With the heavy, sultry air, the whirring of the cicadas and the colorfull yukata clad crowd (almost 100 percent local), this small village festival can give you a glimpse of what a festival was like more than a century ago. When it gets completely dark its like entering a time slip.
A close-up of the freshly made CHINOWA at the Hie Shrine in Tanaka, Tsukuba ( July 30th, 2010)
The straw ring at Hie Shrine will be open for worshipers to pass through from 5:30-8:30 and the music will begin at 7:00. For the ceremony to have full effect, it is the custom at this shrine to walk through and around the ring to the left and then around and through again to trace a figure-eight with your path. Tossing a coin in the votive box would also be appreciated!
Dr. Osada, the priest of the Hie Shrine in Tanaka, Tsukuba
Pulling off Nishi-Odori just past the Hokubu Kogyo Danchi, into Tanaka, you enter into another world, with huge old houses with imposing gates and majestic trees all around. Upon passing through Hie Shrine’s torii gate, please note the small shrine (Mikazuki Jinja) to your left. Priest Osada, who usually goes under the guise of a dentist, explained to me that inside the tiny sanctuary there are some small stones which can be borrowed, taken home and applied to the body to get rid of bruises, warts and moles. There is a small roughly hewn stone tablet commemorating the time a crew from Fuji TV came to do a story about the stones. Dr. Osada added with a straight face, that the stones were not 100 percent effective.
The village elders pour O-Miki (sake) for those who pass through the ring.
A stroll around the shrine`s precincts will reveal a fascinating variety of stone Buddhas (sekibutsu). Dr Osada informed me that except for a memorial tablet for the war dead, just to the right of the main hall, the stones are not worshiped anymore. However, I would recommend you have a look, especially at the tablet just to the right of the war memorial. It is one of the approximately 50 so-called HANA NO OKII NO DAINICHI-SAMA ( large-nosed Dainichi-Nyorai), which can be found throughtout this region. They are distinctive in that the figures carved on them look unusually foreign, with some of them looking not unlike Central American carvings. It is not known who made them. I will be writing in more detail about these sacred stones in the near future.
One of this regions mysterious LARGE-NOSED DAI-NICHI SAMAs, on the grounds of the Hie Shrine in Tanaka, Tsukuba
Another of the mysterious LARGE-NOSED DAINICHI SAMAs- this one not at the Hie Shrine
And yet another LARGE-NOSED DAINICHI- this one deep in the woods just near my house.
With summers getting hotter and hotter these traditional midyear customs will probably undergo a revival, as even air-conditioning cannot keep NATSU-BATEH effectively at bay. Maybe I`ll see you at Hie Shrine on the evening of the 30th. Remember, opportunities like this dont usually ring twice!
( This is a reworking of an article I wrote for The Alien Times- Avi Landau)
I have written more on this topic- specifically the same ritual as performed at the Mt. Kaba Shrine (加波山神社- Kaba-San Jinja), here:
http://blog.alientimes.org/2008/06/time-to-go-through-the-wringer-again/
Here are some pictures I took of the scenery around the Hie Shrine in Tanaka:
Rice fields (tambo) as seen from the edge of the village ( July 30th 2010)
The gate to one of the traditional houses in Tanaka. In this area, large houses with such gates are called MON DACHI NO IE
Another grand MON-DACHI house in Tanaka, Tsukuba
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The Nemu no Ki (silk tree) and The Nebuta Matsuri- a connection between one of Japan`s most spectacular flowering trees of summer and its greatest summer festival!
When the tree which the Japanese call the NEMU NO KI ( ねむの木 or 合歓木）blooms in June and July, it distinguishes itself as being one of Japans most spectacular and curious trees of ANY season. In fact, the first time I encountered one of these trees, one summer many years ago, it stopped me in my tracks. To be more specific, it made me bring my bicycle to a sudden and unconscious stop, as it loomed before me with its strangely delicate flowers, like silky pink needles, appearing like little puffs of colored smoke, floating in the tree. I stood mezmerized.
What makes the NEMU NO KI even more interesting, is the fact that while its flowers are in bloom, each night its leaves fold up and its branches slump down, giving it the appearance of being asleep. Naturally, since ancient times humans have found this unique characteristic surprising ( even today, scientists are not exactly sure of why this tree does this!) and thus, wherever the tree has traditionally been found, the names it is called by reflect this behaviour.
The Chinese characters used to represent it are 合歓木, which put together mean: to greet someone by bringing the hands together ( as the Thais do, or as in Christians in prayer do) – which is what the leaves look like they are doing when they fold up.
In Japanese , NEMU NO KI is the name most commonly used for this tree, but in former days NEBU NO KI, NEBURI NO KI or NEMURI NO KI were used. These all mean the same thing- THE SLEEPING TREE, when directly translated.
Though in English the Nemu tree is often called the silk tree, because of its silky flowers, or the Persian silk tree, since it was introduced to Europe in the 1700`s from Persia by the Italian Filippo del Albizzi ( which explains the scientific name Albrizia julibrissin), the Iranians call the tree Shabskhosb, which means-the night sleeper.
Now because of this SLEEP-LIKE behaviour, and its name ( formerly NEBU NO KI), the Japanese of old, used the leaves of this tree in a once common SUMMER RITUAL which was meant to drive away the SLEEPINESS ( NEMUKE 眠気) brought on by Japan`s hot season. This often took place on the morning of Tanabata ( the 7th day of the seventh month on the old calendar) and was called Nemuri Nagashi or NEBUTA NAGASHI ( literally- washing away sleepiness). What happened was that when one woke up on the morning of the ritual, one rubbed the leaves of the nemu tree on ones eyes, symbolically wiping away fatigue. These same leaves were then tossed into a stream or river to be carried away, along with the bad energies which had been wiped away and absorbed.
Over theyears this ritual developed into much more elaborate summer festivals which were celebrated with the intention of reviving the people energies during th hot and LAZY season.
In many parts of North-Eastern Japan these festivals are still celebrated, with the most famous being the NEBUTA FESTIVAL of Aomori City. With tremendous crowds goig wild and its huge lanterns representing heroes of yore this festival is one of the great annual events IN THE WORLD.
And yes, it all started with the NEMURI NAGASHI OR NEBUTA NAGASHI in which the leaves of the nemu tree were used to remove summer lethergy.
DO NOT IMAGINE however, that Japanese people you might mention this to will be aware of this, since besides the name NEBUTA itself, the only remaining vestiges of the NEMU trees in the festival today appear to me to be the red feather-like decorations found on many of the festival`s hats and in the general color of the whole event itself- red.
Coincidentally ( and strangely), Tsukuba City has adopted the Nebuta festivalas its own for the Tsukuba Matsuri.
I have written more about that here:
http://blog.alientimes.org/2009/08/tsukubas-very-own-nebuta-parade-revisited/
Many interested in Japanese culture, especially in Haiku poetry, might have heard about the beauty and behaviour of the NEMU TREE without actually ever having seen one of the trees in real life ( this had been the case with me as well),
The reason for this is that besides there being numerous fine poems which use the tree as a keyword for summer, on eof the MOST FAMOUS haiku by THE most well-known haiku poets- BASHO, features the NEMU. It was composed while the master was on his great journey on the Long and Narrow Road to the North with his disciple SORA. In 1689 they were staying at the town of Kisarakgi (象潟) in what is now Akita Prefecture.
(At that time Kisakata was one of the places in Japan most famous for scenic beauty, specifically, the view of the small islands which lay just off shore. Many of Japan`s pre-modern literati and other great men visited there to enjoy the landscape and many left outstanding works refelcting there impressions. Amazingly, though, in 18o4, a huge earthquake SANK all thse islands. None remain!) Read more about Basho`s stay in kisakata here:
http://akitahaiku.wordpress.com/2009/09/
On a rainy day, spying a nemu tree Basho wrote:
象潟や雨に西施がねぶの花
Kisakata ya ameni Seishi ga nebu no hana
which I will translate as:
In the rain at kisakata
I see Seishi, the great Chinese beauty of yore
in the flowers of the NEMU TREE.
Keep your eyes open for these trees. Im sure you will spot some, especially in Japan`s older neighborhoods. When you do find one I would not be surprised if you forget about YOUR summer lethargy ( natsu batte)
for more on great men who have visited Kisakata ( in Japanese) check out this site:
http://www10.plala.or.jp/tokuda_shusei/kisakata/kisakata.htm
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Lightning ! Hide Your Bellybuttons! (Thunder and Lightning in Japanese Culture)- again
HIDE YOUR BELLYBUTTONS!
In late July, electrical storms occur regularly around Tsukuba. So regularly in fact, that in most years you could almost set your watch by them. The lightning flashes begin just after dark and sometimes continue, with remarkable frequency, for hours. Though these nocturnal pyrotechnics can be beautiful to watch from your window, these storms are also quite SCARY (especially for children and dogs) and dangerous. A few years ago as the thunder roared and the lightning seemed to be singling out my neighborhood for special attention, my house filled with acrid smoke. Certain that a thunderbolt had struck and started a fire, I FRANTICALLY ran from room to room searching for the flames, with my dog barking hysterically at my heels. What I found, however, was that smoke was pouring out of my lightning-surge fried computer, which of course had to be trashed. I now run to unplug my computer and television at the first sign of a storm.
Most Tsukubans these days are quick to attribute the nightly KAMINARI (thunder and lightning) to global warming. In past ages, however, the Japanese would have asserted just as quickly, and with even more confidence, that the thunderclaps and lightning bolts were the work of RAIJIN (the god of thunder and lightning) and his companion RAIJU. You have probably seen some of the famous art works depicting Raijin, an ogre in a tiger-skin loin cloth, holding the sticks to beat his drums, which create the thunderous roar. Raiju on the other hand is usually imagined as a small mammalian hybrid, part tanuki, part cat, part mole. According to folk beliefs, these usually sedate creatures, prefer to sleep within the safe confines of the human bellybutton! When Raijin wants to summon his companion for a storm, he shoots arrows to arouse the little fella and get him out of his warm and snuggly resting place.
That is why, to this day, when a storm starts up anywhere in Japan, you might hear parents warning their small kids: “Cover your bellybuttons! He’s gonna get your bellybutton! O-heso kakushitoki na! Torarechau kara ne!” I’ve certainly been hearing this curious expression a lot these days! I’ve even heard that older people turn over on their stomachs if there is a storm while they are in bed at night, just to be on the safe side.
When I asked parents about this expression, besides telling me about Raijin and Raiju, they also explained the practical sides of this belief. One, that after lightning the air cools down (is this true?), so it is better to cover up, and two, that it’s better to stay low during a storm, and crouching down to conceal your belly is a good precaution to take. The efficacy of this second point was actually confirmed when I checked the established lightning safetey tips here:
http://www.lightningsafety.com/nlsi_pls/lst.html
It is also very interesting to look at the Japanese words for thunder and lightning. They reveal a great deal about how these phenomena were traditionally viewed. The word for thunder is kaminari, which literally means Kami (god(s)) nari (resounding). Simple enough. More interesting is the Kanji character for that word (雷). Rain over a rice field. This surely implies the belief in the importance of thunder in its connection to the coming of rain and watering of the fields.
The word for lightning itself is even more interesting. Inazuma (稲妻) literally means ”rice plant’s wife”! The ancient East-Asian rice cultivators must have believed that lightning was a necessary element in the bringing about of rice. As if the gods, like Dr Frankenstein, used electric bolts to instill life into the inanimate!
There are numerous shrines throughout Japan dedicated to Raijin. I have written about one shrine in Tsukuba, the Inaoka Kaminari Jinja, which had been used for generations as a place to make supplications for rain.
Some people might remember how YEARS AGO in Tsukuba, a group of teachers (was it 3 or 5?) had called in sick at school and went off to play golf (in the days when that was a real luxury). When the rain started they took refuge under a tree. When lightning struck they were all killed. That’s why I always get an uneasy feeling when I’m outdoors during this season’s storms. It is then that ISSA`s haiku comes to mind-
稲妻を浴せかけるや死ぎらい
INAZUMA O ABISEKAKERU YO SHINIGIRAI
Lightning flashing all around
I don’t wanna die!
If you’ve got a surge protector, it can also be fun to watch the lightning monitor at Tokyo Electric Power Company’s (TEPCO) website.
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Sarusuberi (not Salisbury) Trees, Provide Long-lasting Color During Tsukuba’s Dog Days- A look at Japan`s Crape Myrtles (again)
For years I had been under the mistaken impression that this ubiquitous summer-blooming tree was called a salisbury tree, always thinking that perhaps it had been introduced from England. This was because I assumed (incorrectly) that SARU SUBERI was the katakana influenced pronunciation of the well known British Cathedral town Salisbury (and in fact that is almost exactly how the Japanese WOULD pronounce that place name).
I felt a bit embarrassed when I finally discovered the true meaning of the Japanese tree name: SARU (monkey), and SUBERI (slide). It seems that this unusual moniker came about as a reference to these trees’ smooth, barkless trunks, which make it difficult even for monkeys to climb. Thus it is in fact the MONKEY-SLIP tree, and not the Salisbury.
These trees originally came from Southern China and became popular in Japan during the Edo Period (1600-1868). Interestingly (and baffling for students of Japanese), though still used to write the name SARUSUBERI in Japan, the Chinese characters used for this tree have a completely different meaning from monkey-slip: 百日紅 literally means “one hundred days red”, and would normally be read in Japanese as HYAKU NICHI KO ! So as in the case of many flower and tree names, a completely different reading must be memorized.
These Chinese characters, however, were selected for good reason. The sarusuberi (crape myrtle in English) is a very long blossoming tree. One of the longest, in fact. And that is why you have one-hundred days of red of the name (though, the tree can also have white flowers).
This tree`s wood is very hard and slow growing. Sometimes it is used as a post in the alcoves (tokonoma) of Japanese style rooms. In the intense heat of August, while most other flowers wither away, the sarusuberi will be keeping the neighborhood in full-color.
Just don’t try to climb it!
Crape Myrtle in Konda, Tsukuba Print This Post
Enjoy a Gion Festival (祇園際) in or around Tsukuba, at a neighborhood near you (or beyond!)
The unique triangular float with a large SHISHI mask at the Hojo Festival (2011)
According to A. Takahashi’s impressively comprehensive TRADITIONAL EVENTS IN AND AROUND TSUKUBA website, there are at least ten Gion Festivals taking place at Yasaka Shrines within the Tsukuba City limits alone this weekend , and about a dozen more Gion-Sai (祇園際）of interest happening in the surrounding area. Since no machine has yet been invented which would allow me to be at all the events at once, and since I never want to rush around getting quick and superficial looks at the different matsuri around town, I usually select one or two areas at which I spend a lot of time examining ( and enjoying) the festivities. This year, I will be in Hojo, the old town near Mt Tsukuba (since I will be living there starting from this weekend in a renovated old farmhouse!). Last year, however, I decided to stay close to my long time home in Konda ( which was rendered unlivable after the earthquake of 3/11), and strolled down to observe the goings on from beginning to end, starting at the local Yasaka Jinja (八坂神社).
Here is an account of last years Gion Festival in Konda, which is quite representative of these festival in this region.
As I have explained in previous articles, Gion Festivals originated in Kyoto in the 9th century as a way of trying to rid the city of summertime epidemics by appealing to the Gods enshrined at the Yasaka Jinja, Gozu Tenno (actually a Buddhist deity) and his native Shinto counterpart Susanoo no Mikoto. These early events must have done the trick, with their music and strange floats, because the same rites have subquently been carried out almost every year for more than a millenium, and offspring Gion-type festivals have spread from the ancient capital to all corners of the archipelago.
From my house in Tsukuba, there are two Yasaka shrines within easy walking distance. One, in the neighborhood called Higashioka is located in a woods on the grounds of the Sakura City Office. The other is down the road in an old village (buraku) called Konda. The characters used to spell this name are 金 and 田, which are usually read kaneda and which literally mean golden rice fields. As I walked towards the shrine I thought these characters perfectly appropriate with the sprawling paddy fields a deep green, rustling in the wind, and the impressive and large (by any country’s standard) homes, surrounded by walls, with imposing gates through which could be spied well groomed Japanese gardens. The forested hills on which lie the ruins of the medieval forts of Hanamuro and Konda framed this picturesque scene.
For this weekend each home had put out a special festival lantern and older residents had set up chairs in front of their gates from which to watch festivities. Those participating were all dressed in their specially made Konda festival wear and everyone was in good cheer, with many obviously having had more than just one beer.
There was a portable stage set up on the back of a pick-up truck upon which the local musicians and dancers performed their Konda Hayashi, with flute gongs and dancers dressed in lion masks or comic masks. These performances are based on the Hayashi of the Ishioka Gion Festival.
I followed this musical pickup truck towards the shrine itself which was full of fresh offerings. Tents were set up on the precincts to dispense beer and I was quickly given a heaping cupful.
A child dancing with a mask at Konda`s Gion Festival (2010)
The portable Shrine (O-Mikoshi) was all ready to be paraded through the town and the locals insisted that I join them. Konda’s mikoshi is said to be more than 300 years old and it is NOT LIGHT. Shouldering portable shrines can often lead to a feeling of religious euphoria as the great effort required, the dealing with the pain and the heat, the rhythmic chanting and shouting can carry you into a trance-like state. We paused at several places, had some more beers and had plenty of good ole male bonding.
As the sun went down and the air got cooler the excitement built. The people lining the roads cheered, the music from the pick-up picked up, and our mikoshi carrying worked into a frenzy.
I took a pause and looked around at the amazing scene: smiling families dressed in traditional wear; the antique omikoshi; the masked dancers; the grand old houses.
I was really happy to be in Japan.
Check A. Takahashi’s website and try to get to a Gion Festival near you.
More on Tsukuba`s Niniku Matsuri ( this weekend) here:
A Natsu Matsuri ( summer Festival) at a nursery school in Matsushiro, Tsukuba (2010)
For many foreign residents living in Tsukuba, the most convenient Gion Festival to observe will begin tomorrow at the Yasaka Shrine in Onozaki- Just across the road from Ninomiya house!
Poles with banners announcing the Gion Festival in Onozaki Tsukuba- July 16th 2010
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