Of samurai, obi and festivals

Every town in Japan has a festival to call their own. There are most likely millions every year from little local ones celebrating minor gods and the community to huge ones which attract thousands with golden lanterns and portable shrines. Japan is also known for lists of threes. In this case the list of three is ‘three unusual festivals.’ On that list is the fire festival, which I’ve attended all three years I’ve been here, one where these crazies cut down a tree and ride it down a hill, and a third which only takes place every three years: the Shimada obi festival.

 

In the Shimada region of Shizuoka, women would take their obi belts to the shrine to pray for a good marriage, fertility and all those womanly things. However it is said they became embarrassed appearing to pray before so many people so the task of blessing their obi fell to the men. Their men would then take on the task, draping their beloved’s belt over their sword as they paraded to the shrine. Apparently this custom became so popular that during the festival there could be up to a three kilometer line of men bearing the obi of their women.

Anyways, fast forward four hundred years and you find me, Sheena and Kelly at a similar parade on a very hot day in October watching a line of pants-less men dancing to a low steady beat down the street to the shrine. It was really kinda beautiful as the procession went by, each of their movements perfectly timed with the samurai that marched before them. After three hundred meters of samurai passed by, next came a procession of daimyo, a horse and his handlers, a tengu, boys that danced with fans, several parade floats and a portable stage displaying a doll retelling of a local folktale.

Finished with the parade we went to the shrine which was in a lovely little park with koi fish, a red bridge, statues of the samurai and a wood cut-out so I too could be a dancing pants-less man of Shimada! 

 

It was hot, and I might have been a little sun-burned so after paying our respects at the shirne we headed back for Yamanashi.