Setsubun-sai at Ishite-ji

[bakubo]

A few days ago the annual Setsubun-sai ceremony at Ishite-ji (Buddhist temple) was held so I was there for awhile and took some photos. It is at the base of a mountain in Matsuyama and I am living on the other side of the mountain so sometimes I take a walk along a narrow mountain road over the mountain and through the forest to go there -- takes about an hour. I usually don't see another living soul on this little, winding road so I can walk right down the center -- it really isn't wide enough for a full-size car. Occasionally I will see one or two people or a single small car during the whole hour walk. For a bit of information about Setsubun-sai you can see this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Setsubun

And here is some info about Ishite-ji:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishite-ji

Ishite-ji is temple 51 of the 88 famous Buddhist temples on Shikoku. Many, many people every year make a pilgrimage here to visit all 88. The pilgrims are called o-henro-san. I see them all the time because often they are dressed in very distinctive wear. Even these days some do it all on foot. I talked to a man in 2009 I met at Zenjibu-ji temple in Kochi-ken and he said that for most people it takes about 5-6 weeks doing it on foot. Many these days do it by car or even on a tour bus that takes them all around over several days though. Here is some info about the pilgrimage:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shikoku_Pilgrimage

I put 22 photos in the Japan/Japan 9 gallery on my website, but here are just a few random ones. I moved around while there and took photos of various parts of the ceremony.



Preparing to throw o-mochi out to the waiting crowd:



Throwing the o-mochi:



Starting the bonfire:

[Greg Beetham]

Wow walking for weeks to visit 88 temples, that is dedication, but if all the effort drives away nasty spirits that's good but I wonder how a pilgrim is identified differently from a so called vagrant, by the manner of dress I suppose. (Ah I just read the last link, and it is the dress)
Greg
ps I see that many temples were destroyed during the 16th century in one of the incessant power squabbles between samurai overlords.

[Dr. Harout]

Henry, I am really enjoying your shots depicting Japan, along with the links.

[Birma]

Fascinating stuff Henry. Great pictures including the ones on your site. I like the chaps in Masks! Thanks for bringing us this piece of Japanese culture

[aster]

Hi Henry, : )

Thanks for sharing these...You know me, I'll probably lose myself in these tradition-bearig shots of Japan and the Japanese.


Yildiz

[mvanrheenen]

I can only second the opinions of the fellow posts above. Your lucky to be able to do such a journey Henry.

Mark

[bakubo]

Wow walking for weeks to visit 88 temples, that is dedication, but if all the effort drives away nasty spirits that's good but I wonder how a pilgrim is identified differently from a so called vagrant, by the manner of dress I suppose. (Ah I just read the last link, and it is the dress)

Yes, it requires dedication to walk the whole course. It is about 1200 km so it does take some time. It sounds like it would be a fun experience though if you are a Buddhist. I mentioned the guy I met in 2009 at Zenjibu-ji. Earlier in the day while driving on a road in Kochi-ken we passed him as he walked along pulling a skateboard with a leash as if a little dog was following along behind him. It was an amusing sight. A couple of hours later as we were heading back in the direction we had come we decided to take a little mountain road that went up to Zenjibu-ji on the top. As we drove up the winding little road we passed the same guy. After maybe 45 minutes of climbing many stone stairs from the parking area to get to the top and looking around we returned to where the car was parked. Just about that time this guy finally arrived so I talked with him a bit and took 6-7 photos. We even took a photo together. I got his address and mailed prints to him a week later. He was walking the whole course over Shikoku and he said he had been at it for a month already.



By the way, this is a man and his mother who were on the pilgrimage also, but they were going by car. They parked next to us just as we were about to leave, but I got out of the car to talk to them a little. They opened the car trunk to remove all their o-henro garb and were putting it on. Apparently they only wore it when they were at a temple. Of course, that is probably how most people do it that are not doing the whole thing on foot. Imagine seeing people driving around in cars wearing those hats.

[Greg Beetham]

That’s great stuff Henry, I like how you can get involved easily with the locals and they don’t seem too mind the intrusion. I like the skateboard idea it would work great on paved surfaces, saves humping a backpack for a thousand km.
Greg
Ps have you seen or heard of any traditional/historical samurai re-enactments or simulations, not dangerous sword fighting, just dress code and more historical cultural context type displays/events?

[bakubo]

Henry, I am really enjoying your shots depicting Japan, along with the links.

Thanks, Doc. I have had a long, close association with Japan and Japanese people going back a few decades. It some ways it feels like my second home.

[bakubo]

Fascinating stuff Henry. Great pictures including the ones on your site. I like the chaps in Masks! Thanks for bringing us this piece of Japanese culture

Yes, these guys with the masks are oni (demons). They were walking around with bamboo sticks and people would turn their backs to them and the oni would beat them on the back. I don't know the meaning of this. It looked like fun so I did it too. Here is a woman being beaten by an oni:

[bakubo]

Yildiz, Mark: I imagine as time goes on I will find more things to post about Japan.

[bakubo]

That’s great stuff Henry, I like how you can get involved easily with the locals and they don’t seem too mind the intrusion. I like the skateboard idea it would work great on paved surfaces, saves humping a backpack for a thousand km.
Greg
Ps have you seen or heard of any traditional/historical samurai re-enactments or simulations, not dangerous sword fighting, just dress code and more historical cultural context type displays/events?

Yes, they have that sort of stuff sometimes but, unfortunately, I have not seen any. A Greek friend who I studied Japanese with in Tokyo in 2004 attended something a few years ago where there were archers on horseback riding fast and shooting at targets. He showed me a few of his photos taken with a phone.

Here is a samurai at Himeji-jo (castle) in 2009. I was there in 1988 and then again in 2009.



Himeji-jo info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himeji_Castle

Here is an archer in Takadanobaba, Tokyo in 1991:



The name Takadanobaba (高田馬場) has kanji that means high horse riding field. I recall on that day in 1991 there was a parade with many men on horseback dressed as samurai. I lived in Nishi-Waseda (which is more or less part of Takadanobaba and Waseda, sort of right on the border) for 3 years. Here is some info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takadanobaba

If you look in my Japan/Japan 5 gallery you will see several photos from a very interesting procession that went to the Kyoto Imperial Palace and was part of the Jidai Matsuri in 2009. Here are a couple of samples:





Jidai Matsuri info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jidai_Matsuri

[Greg Beetham]

Wow Henry, now we are at the sharp end, those are good, I wouldn’t want to cross the first one (or the others either come to think of it) he looks a bit dangerous, and the last one is the most elaborate samurai I have ever seen. What an amazing place that castle is and what an awesome history attached to that spot, thanks for that...maybe Shogun was real after all...
Greg

[bakubo]

Wow Henry, now we are at the sharp end, those are good, I wouldn’t want to cross the first one (or the others either come to think of it) he looks a bit dangerous, and the last one is the most elaborate samurai I have ever seen. What an amazing place that castle is and what an awesome history attached to that spot, thanks for that...maybe Shogun was real after all...

There were many amazing costumes in that procession, but there was a big crowd and for the people who were on foot in the procession I couldn't get good photos because I was at about the same level but with people between me and them. Fortunately, for the ones on horseback they were high enough that sometimes I could get a pretty good shot.

Yes, I read the book Shogun in the late 1970s and then in 1980 there was the long, maybe about 8 hours, TV mini-series based on the book. I thought both were excellent and they really increased my interest in Japan. Went to Japan for the first time in 1985. By the way, probably most people don't know that the main character in the book was inspired by a real person. Will Adams was the first Englishman in Japan and he became an adviser to the shogun, the famous Tokugawa Ieyasu.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Adams_%28sailor%29

I read the book The Needle-Watcher: The Will Adams Story, British Samurai almost 30 years ago:

http://www.amazon.com/Needle-Watcher-Ad ... B006QNTQK0

[Greg Beetham]

I read the whole Wiki account of William Adams and his Japan/emperor relationship and its fascinating stuff Henry, it is a segment of real history I had almost no knowledge of before, he sounds like he was a very honourable and knowledgeable gentleman and was respected highly in the Emperors court. The book ‘The Needle-Watcher’ seems like it would be a rather more romantic version of his life rather than historical fact, but then ‘Shogun’ could be labelled as such as well I guess.
Greg