Iwaishima kagura

This short video is of a kagura performance on the small island of Iwaishima, or as some people say, Iwaijima, off the southern coast of Yamaguchi.

If you compare it to some of the other videos of Iwami Kagura, you will see some differences.

The music is different, and the costumes are much simpler.

This is the first dance of 33 that were performed over a 3 day period as part of Kannmai Matsuri held every 5 years.

The opening dance features Kojin, the local kami of the island, though the mask look a lot like a Tengu, or even Sarutahiko.

Kojin is equivalent to the kami Omoto in my area, and is known as an Aragami, "rough kami", though I prefer turbulent kami. In this dance the priest pacifies Kojin.

The kagura dances are performed in a temporary structure with grass roof and walls erected near the harbor

The priests come from northern Kyushu, which has its own kagura traditions, so I don't know whether these performances are from that tradition or the southern Yamaguchi kagura tradition.

The masks are wooden, and so are simpler than Iwami Kagura masks.

Ashinazuchi kagura mask

These are 2 of my versions of the Ashinazuchi mask. Ashinazuchi, most commonly translated as "foot stroking elder", was the husband of Tenazuchi, hand stroking elder, and the father of Kushinadahime.

The only dance he appears in is Yamata No Orochi, most often the grand finale to an Iwami kagura performance.

In the dance, Susano finds Ashinazuchi, Tenazuchi, and Kushinade, the last of their eight daughters, lamenting as they prepare to sacrifice her to the great 8-headed serpent Yamata no Orochi. In return for defeating the serpent, Susano gets Kushinada as his wife.

The Yamata no Orochi story is a myth, but probably based on a legend, and legends are based on historical events. I spent 3 days walking along the Hi River area up in Izumo visiting many of the sites and shrines connected to the legend. This village in the valley below was the home of Ashinazuchi and his family.

Kagura mask Index

Japan in the 21st century

Japan in the 21st Century
Environment, Economy, Society

Pradyumna P. Karan

University Press of Kentucky

416pp

ISBN 978-0813191188



This is a geography textbook on Japan. Apparently there hasn't been a new one for a long time.

From beginning to end it is crammed with facts, figures, and statistics. Of course on their own statistics can be quite boring, but the author manages to point to meanings that are illuminating.

The book has hundreds of photos as well as charts, graphs, and maps. The maps in particular are clear and useful.

Being a geography book there are informative chapters on the physical nature of Japan, its landscape, geology, climate and weather etc, and a brief overview of the human history. Each of the regions of Japan are given their own section. The demographics and society chapter covers all of the pressing issues in Japan today,... the aging society, falling birthrate, immigration, etc. Politics, economy, industry and the post-industrial landscape..... it's hard to think of any aspect of Japan and it's society that isnt covered.

A nice feature is sections called "field reports" where a particular aspect is studied in depth.

If you only have time to read one book on Japan, then this would be it.

Mendicant monk

I saw this mendicant monk in front of a shopping mall in Hiroshima.

I believe he is of the Nichiren sect of Japanese Buddhism.

I was intrigued by the interaction, and non-reaction, between him and the passers-by.

Older peopled tended to bow as they passed him. Older people tend to bow when they pass a Jizo statue or a shrine entrance.

The Japanese, more perhaps than any other people, have developed the art of not seeing what makes them uncomfortable to a high art.

Homeless people, concrete mountains and foreigners are among the things often invisible.

Typical Japanese Landscape 14

I had a request from Al over at TravelJapanlblog for more winter pics, so.....

The first one is from my favorite viewpoint over the Gonokawa about 1k upstream from my place. I've posted more pics from the same place.

All the rest are taken in the area immediately around my house, and they show a most common feature.... mist.....

I'm not a meteorologist, so I'm not sure exactly what the difference is between cloud, fog, and mist.

They do say that the tea grown here has a particularly fine taste due to the bushes being kissed by the river mist.

Hotel Eden

This abandoned " Rabu Hoteru", love hotel, is on Route 9 just outside Yamaguchi City. For anyone who doesn't know about love hotels I recommend a brand new book by Ed Jacob, Love Hotels: An inside look at Japan's sexual playground. At $10 to download a pdf it's certainly affordable.

Obviously, for someone at least, "Eden" is located in the Mediterranean (or a Mexican shanty town).

In my area all the love hotels are located outside of the towns, and while a few are painted a bright color to make them visible, many are simple, innocuous, drab places composed of individual "cabins" more akin to motels. There are none of the outrageous architectural palaces that one sees in the cities.

Like most Japanese construction, they are cheaply built, and combined with japan's humidty and precipitation it doesn't take long for buildings to become derelict and decompose.

The sign tells that the room is temporarily unavailable due to it being cleaned and prepared for the next customers.

A walk to the Post Office

It's been snowing pretty much non-stop for a week now, and I am more than happy to stay indoors close to the woodstove and hang out, but I ventured out yesterday to take something to the post office. The PO is in Tanijyugo, the village in the next valley upstream, and to walk around the mountain there is about one kilometer. These are snapshots I took along the way.

My neighbors Camelia (Tsubaki) bush.

Another neighbor has a Hassaku tree. The hassaku is a hybrid of mikan (satsuma or mandarin). They will be ripe in a couple of months.

The local Hachiman shrine. The tori is still decorated for the new year.

The temple in Tanijyugo is Chogen-ji, belonging to the True Pure Land sect, the biggest sect in Japan. The temple is fairly new and made of concrete, but the gate and bell tower are wooden and much older. I have become interested in the different designs of temple lanterns.

Then back home to Shimonohara.

Next winters heat. I've been heating my house by wood for the past 5 winters. My total heating bill each year comes to about $20, which is spent on fuel for my van to haul the firewood. This pile for next year is fir, trimmed from an 80 year old tree in the Tanijyugo community center grounds. People are only too happy to have me come and take away wood.

One night in Bangkok Airport

This post has nothing to do with Japan.

Except perhaps that Bangkoks Suvarnabhumi Airport is a hub for cheap flights from Japan to Europe.

Cheap flights often involve long layovers, and I was lucky enough to get 12 hours in this architectural marvel.

The airport was designed by the Murphy/Jahn architectural company, and was a wonderful place to wander with a camera for a night.

You can see the whole sequence of photos here

Akasaki Town, Tottori

This the draincover for Akasaki in Tottori. In one of the recent civic mergers it is now a part of Kotoura Town.

It was once a thriving port, but has seen better days.

In the centre of the design can be seen a group of sculptures called Fisherman and Seaspray, created in 1989 by modern Japanese sculptor Masayuki Nagare. I must admit I didn't know of him before, but he's a fascinating guy. He is the son of the founder of Ritsumeikan University. Before the war he studied Shinto, and during the war he was an elite Zero fighter pilot. His work became popular more in the U.S. at first, but now he's recognized as one of the greatest living Japanese sculptors. He has a cool website in English
http://www.nagaremasayuki.com/

We didn't get to see the sculptures, as the sun was getting low and we were looking for some quiet beach to park the van to sleep for the night. I do remember noticing that there were a couple of huge cemeteries.

We did find an isolated stretch of coast, but the beach was very rocky, though a pleasant sunset was had!

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.