Mikoshi
A mikoshi (神輿) is a sacred religious
Often the
History
The first recorded use of mikoshi was during the Nara period. Among the first recorded uses was when in the year 749, the deity Hachiman is said to have been carried from Kyushu to Nara to worship the newly-constructed Daibutsu at Tōdai-ji.[1][2] As the head shrine of all Hachiman shrines in Japan, Usa Jingū in Ōita Prefecture, Kyushu is said to be the birthplace of mikoshi.[1]
Shapes
Typical shapes are rectangles, hexagons, and octagons. The body, which stands on two or four poles (for carrying), is usually lavishly decorated, and the roof might hold a carving of a phoenix.
Festival and flow
During a
Methods of shouldering
The most common method of shouldering in Japan is hira-katsugi (平担ぎ) "flat carry". Bearers chant wasshoi (わっしょい) and may or may not toss and shake the mikoshi.
Other methods include:
- Edomae (江戸前) "Edo style" is one famous way of shouldering observable at the Asakusa Sanja Festival. The shout is "say ya, soi ya, sah, sorya... etc". The mikoshi is swayed rapidly, up and down and a little to the right and left.
- "Dokkoi | ドッコイ " is seen in KanagawaPrefecture. This shouldering style usually uses two poles. The mikoshi is moved up and down rhythmically, and more slowly than in the "Edomae style". One shout is "dokkoi dokkoi dokkoi sorya" and there is a song called a "Jink | lively song."
- Another one is "Odawara style | 小田原担ぎ " observed in Odawara (next to the Hakone). This is a peculiar way of shouldering in which multiple mikoshis meet and run (Holy Dash). The shout is "oisah;korasah/koryasah." and there is a song called a "Kiyari", a chant traditionally sung by workmen while pulling a heavy load and also by firemen.[3] The bearers do not sway the mikoshi.
- In this "united" style, the mikoshi uses the full width of the road, moving from side to side and turning corners at full speed.
See also
- Glossary of Shinto
- Honden
- Matsuri Float
References
- ^ a b "Usa City Tourist Navigation" Retrieved 6 June 2024
- ^ "東大寺の大仏建立" Usa Shrine. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
- ^ "Kiyari".
- Sokyo Ono, William P. Woodward, Shinto - The Kami Way, Charles E. Tuttle Company, Tokyo 1992, ISBN 4-8053-0189-9
- Basic Terms of Shinto, Kokugakuin University, Institute for Japanese Culture and Classics, Tokyo 1985
External links
- Mikoshi Photos of Shinto shrine (English version)
- Mikoshi Festival
- Shin'yo, in the Encyclopedia of Shinto by the Kokugakuin University