#KAMI SHINTO PORTABLE#

In the parties where they have always participated, they are accepted de facto. This corporation gradually developed into a maffia and the yakuza did not want to lose the role they had during these festivals. This is explained by the fact that those who run the stands during the festival were hawkers placed under the authority of an oyabun (godfather / leader). Yes, these members of the Japanese maffia, usually excluded from Japanese society, are an integral part of these Shinto festivals.

Ordinary people, in general the inhabitants of the neighborhood, sometimes wearing a yukata and… the yakuza. The mikoshi bearers are generally divided into three groups : the members of the sanctuary, sometimes dressed in white, a symbol of purity. Mikoshi dago: this is one or more bumps from which some mikoshi carriers, the most seasoned and the most fervent, suffer! Despite the pain caused by these inflammations, they are very proud of it because it proves their dedication. Participants carry them on one shoulder using beams (two to six, depending on size).

#KAMI SHINTO PORTABLE#

These portable shrines are extremely worked and decorated. Literally 'divine palanquin', translated as portable shrine or portable temple / shrine, the mikoshi symbolically welcomes 'the spirit of the kami ' of the shrine and is carried through the streets of a neighborhood during matsuri. Mikoshi : the most important element of matsuri. Kami : divinity, god of the Shinto religion. Only those who wear the happi can parade the portable reliquary. It usually goes with shorts or cotton pants and the set is worn by both men and women. The name or coat of arms of the sanctuary or district or city from which the participants come is written on the back. It is open at the front and is worn with a belt. Happi (sometimes called Hanten) : the traditional jacket of mikoshi wearers. Some of the mikoshi bearers parade adorned with a fundoshi. It is a long, rectangular piece of white cotton fabric worn as a thong. The harder the test, the more the songs rise in crescendo.įundoshi : This was what served as men's underwear before they wore briefs. ' Dokoï, dokoï ', 'Oïssa, oïssa', 'Rassera Rassera', 'washoï, washoï' or 'Yattosa Yatto Yatto,' (non-exhaustive list!) Are various terms chanted by mikoshi wearers to give themselves courage and put more atmosphere.

Read also: Top 10 atypical summer festivals.

If you are in Japan in the summer, do not miss this experience! Various parades and other shows can also bring crowds together. Tanabata is above all an opportunity to make wishes and the Fireworks, symbols of the Japanese summer, are only intended to entertain the population. The feast of O-bon, of Buddhist origin, is dedicated to the deceased of each family. The natsu matsuri, summer festivals, are distinguished from other festivals that take place the rest of the year by their greater thematic diversity and their more 'individual' character. The preparations and rehearsals for the songs, the dances, the music are done over several months, from year to year. Each household in the neighborhood where the party takes place is invited to make a donation. Some, which have become very famous, now attract visitors from all over the world, such as the Sanja Matsuri in Tokyo or the Matsuri de Gion in Kyoto.Ĭertain cities or districts but also small villages seem to live to the rhythm of these festivals which require a great mobilization on the part of the participants, immense energy and also significant financial means. There are said to be more than 100,000 a year across the archipelago. But matsuri can also be simply celebrated in honor of the deity of the shrine or to commemorate an event. Or to pray to the god of the sea for the safety of fishermen and for abundant fishing. In ancient and rural Japan, these festivals were usually held in the spring to pray and ask for bountiful harvests and in the fall to thank the gods for having given good harvests. Shops also use this term when there are promotions on a product or exhibitions of regional specialties: 'Hokkaido matsuri' 'Okinawa matsuri', etc.Įach Shinto shrine has its festiva l, once or sometimes twice a year. Over the centuries, the term matsuri has been extended to all festivals, sometimes to Buddhist festivals but also to events: 'Feast of cherry blossoms' 'Feast of plum trees' for example. It is therefore a feast to thank or pray to the kami (Shinto deities).

In Japanese, matsuru means 'to honor', 'to celebrate the gods'. Originally, the word matsuri was a generic name used for all Shinto ceremonies. Matsuri is the Japanese word for a festival or celebration.

Kami shinto