Lightning ! Hide Your Bellybuttons! (Thunder and Lightning in Japanese Culture)- again
We just had a terrific thunderstorm here in Tsukuba. For those of us celebrating the Gion Matsuri Festival in the neighborhood of Konda (金田), and probably for those at the various other local Gion Matsuris in this area, the storm was not only notable for the intensity of its rainfall, its strong winds or its terryfying thunder and lightning.
It was the timing of the storm which made it so dramatic. I should even say UNFORGETABLE . At Konda`s Yasaka Shrine, where in the past important rain supplication ceremonies ( amagoi) had often been held, most notably during the Great Famine of Tenmei, and with the Shimada Ishi ( a stone which according to local legend was successfully used to pray for rain) its narrow precincts, the festival drummers were building up into a crazed frenzy. The portable shine( Mikoshi) had just returned from making its rounds and was passing between the onlookers and the drummers. Just at that moment, a stong gust of wind whipped the placed off the tables which had been set up for the post festival feast- and with a flash of lightning- it started to rain.
We had enough time, before the drizzle turned to a downpour, to get into the car and drive home. But after the 2 minute drive, the rain had become so intense and the lightning so terrifying that we just waited it out IN THE CAR, for about an hour.
I realized that the festival had gone well, celebrated with true spirit- because the God enshrined at all the Yasaka Jinja`s at which the Gion Festivals are held are all dedicated to Susanoo-no-Mikoto- GOD OF THE STORM!
Before of this amazing experience I am reposting an article I have written and posted before:
HIDE YOUR BELLYBUTTONS!
These days electrical storms have been occurring so regularly around Tsukuba that 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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Lightning! Hide Your Bellybuttons!
These days electrical storms have been occurring so regularly around Tsukuba that 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 SAFETY TIPS(www.lightningsafety.com/nlsi_plslst.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.
Print This Post
Make the Summer Solstice Meaningful
Though the vernal and autumnal equinoxes have been designated national holidays in Japan (it is around these days that it is customary to visit and clean the family graves), the winter and especially the summer solstices usually go by without any notice. Those with this year's Japanese calender might notice the characters 夏至 (geshi, summer solstice) on the square marking June 21st, and that is about it. This contrasts sharply with the countries of Europe (especially the northern ones), which host a variety of festivals and ceremonies marking the day with the longest daylight hours of the year. This situation seems curious indeed for a country and a nation which pays such close attention to the flow of the seasons and the progression of natural phenomena.
One reason for this might be that the GESHI falls smack in the middle of the rainy season (梅雨, tsuyu), and is marred almost every year by gloomy, overcast weather. In fact, though there is almost a five hour difference in the length of daytime between the GESHI and the 冬至 (touji, winter solstice) in the Tsukuba area, the sun SHINES unobscured for many more hours on average on the shortest day of the year!
There is now a way to make your summer solstice MEANINGFUL, and certainly more fun than it has ever been for you in Japan before. For several years a movement has been growing which promotes turning the summer solstice into CANDLE NIGHT. As a way to promote energy conservation and environmental awareness, people around the world are asked to refrain from using electricity between 8 and 10pm. There are many ways life can be enjoyed without the help of the Tokyo Electric Power Company. You should try it!
For more information and plenty of ideas check out :
www.candle-night.org/english/
Of course you should conserve energy EVERY DAY ! This festive way of living without electricity for a few hours is a good place to start, especially for giving awareness to kids.
Have a happy 夏至. Enjoy the daylight! IT ONLY GETS SHORTER FROM TOMORROW!
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Make the Summer Solstice Meaningful (revisited)
Though the vernal and autumnal equinoxes have been designated national holidays in Japan (it is around these days that it is customary to visit and clean the family graves), the winter and especially the summer solstices usually go by without any notice. Those with this year’s Japanese calender might notice the characters 夏至 (geshi, summer solstice) on the square marking June 21st, and that is about it. This contrasts sharply with the countries of Europe (especially the northern ones), which host a variety of festivals and ceremonies marking the day with the longest daylight hours of the year. This situation seems curious indeed for a country and a nation which pays such close attention to the flow of the seasons and the progression of natural phenomena.
One reason for this might be that the GESHI falls smack in the middle of the rainy season (梅雨, tsuyu), and is marred almost every year by gloomy, overcast weather. In fact, though there is almost a five hour difference in the length of daytime between the GESHI and the 冬至 (touji, winter solstice) in the Tsukuba area, the sun SHINES unobscured for many more hours on average on the shortest day of the year!
There is now a way to make your summer solstice MEANINGFUL, and certainly more fun than it has ever been for you in Japan before. For several years a movement has been growing which promotes turning the summer solstice into CANDLE NIGHT. As a way to promote energy conservation and environmental awareness, people around the world are asked to refrain from using electricity between 8 and 10pm. There are many ways life can be enjoyed without the help of the Tokyo Electric Power Company. You should try it!
For more information and plenty of ideas check out :
www.candle-night.org/english/
Of course you should conserve energy EVERY DAY ! This festive way of living without electricity for a few hours is a good place to start, especially for giving awareness to kids.
Have a happy 夏至. Enjoy the daylight! IT ONLY GETS SHORTER FROM TOMORROW!
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Request from Tepco to Conserve Electricity
Tepco, the company that provides electricity to the Kanto region, sent out a flyer on Friday asking people to conserve electricity due to the shutdown of the seven reactors at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant as a result of the recent earthquake in Niigata. In particular, they have asked that we try to conserve electricity at both home and work during the peak hours of 1pm to 4pm.
Here are some suggestions that they give to help reduce the amount of electricity we use.
- Raise the setting on your air conditioner.
- Use curtains or blinds to reduce the amount of sun that enters your room.
- Turn off appliances that you are not using.
- Turn off lights that you are not using.
- Close the refrigerator door quickly after opening it.
- Don't overstock your refrigerator.
- If you are not watching your television, turn it off at the main switch (not just the remote control switch).
- Reduce the operating hours of elevators and escalators.
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