Tondo food & drink

Upon arriving at Tondo matsuri the first thing to do is get a drink of Kappo Zake, sake poured into a piece of bamboo that is then heated in coals and drunk from a bamboo cup. It really is delicious with a hint of bamboo flavor.

While the men are busy warming their butts by the coals, drinking sake, the ladies of the village are busy preparing food.

On the altar in front of the bonfire is a bottle of sake. In this form it is called Omiki. More on that later.

Once the fire is underway time to tuck in. First course is Nanakusa no sekku, rice porridge with the 7 herbs of spring. I asked the ladies which 7 plants were used and they said the standard ones, though I suspect there was some local variation. There usually is, though local people will believe their version is the national version. The official list is Seri (japanese parsley) Nazuna (shepherds purse) Gogyo (Jersey cudweed) Hakobera (chickweed) Hotokenoza (henbit) Suzuna (turnip) Suzushiro (daikon) Being a barbarian I found the porridge almost tasteless........ some milk and sugar would have helped.....

Main course was a huge pot of Wild Boar stew.... from the hills around the village, with masses of vegetables and tofu. Really tasty. Ive spoken with lots of "town" Japanese who have never eaten wild boar. They tell me it smells. They also say that mutton and turkey smells.

Over the coals mochi are toasted. Big pass for me. Can't stand mochi, though there was also Zenzai, which is mochi cooked up in a sweet bean sauce. Thats OK.

Finally the Omiki, though not the usual omiki. This is Kinpakku Iri, sake with gold flakes added. The gold flakes have no meaning, there are simply to make the sake expensive. I like Tondo. Lots of free food and drink and everyone is in good spirits.

Tondo Matsuri

Yesterday was Tondo Matsuri over in Tanijyugo. A fire festival traditionally held on the first new moon of the year.

On the bonfire are placed everybodies new years decorations, which have accumulated "bad luck".

A short ritual is performed, though not by a priest. A lot of what is now called shinto was appropriated from folk customs. Many of the traditions that now occur in shrines were formerly done by villagers outside of the shrine in the community, like Tondo.

4 people who were born in previous rabbit years light the fire.

The purification takes place....... and then we eat and drink!!!

Isotake Guro

Monday was Tondo Matsuri in my village, but it was cold and rainy so we gave it a miss. Photos from last years Tondo can be seen here.

Instead we went up the coast a little to the fishing village of Isotake where they have a version of Tondo Matsuri that is unique in all of Japan. For their Tondo they erect a 10m wide bamboo structure called a "Guro".

You may think it looks very Mongolian, and you would be right as it is acknowledged that its roots are from the mainland. This area has a strong connection to the mainland through the korean kingdom of Sila. A few kilometres away is the spot where Susano and his son Isotake arrived here from Korea. The shrine behind the Guro recounts how many local "kami" travelled back and forth with Susano to the mainland to learn skills.

The structure is built almost completely out of bamboo, covered with mats. Inside fire burn and the villagers gather for the next 4 days.

The tall central bamboo, similar to other tondo matsuris, is for the kami Toshitokujin, the kami of the new year, to descend into the guro. Toshitokujin, like much that is called shinto now, has its roots in Daoism.

Over the fires mochi is toasted. It was freezing outside but very warm inside.

On friday the guro, along with all the new years ornaments, will be ceremonially burned as with other Tondo matsuri's.

Tondo Matsuri

Today was Tondo Matsuri. In different regions of Japan they call it by other names, but in essence it is a fire festival held around the second week of January when all the new year ornaments are ritually burned.

Following the reading of a short norito (prayer) and offerings at a small altar in front of the bonfire, the festival leader sprinkles some Omiki (sacred sake) on the bonfire and the fire is then lit by villagers who were born in the same animal year as this year, the Ox.

Sake warmed in bamboo is liberally served. Once the bonfire dies down a little the bamboo tubes filled with sake will be placed in the fire, but until then it is heated over a small charcoal barbecue.

The village ladies serve Tonjiru (pork stew), wild boar stew, and nanakusa gayu, a rice porridge with 7 herbs that is supposed to ensure longevity and health.

Village kids bring pieces of calligraphy expressing their wishes for the coming year and place them in the fire. If the paper rises into the air with the smoke then that child will become a good calligrapher.

It was a bitterly cold and windy morning, with snow flurries, but there was quite a good turnout. A cynic might think it is because of the free sake and food.