Special
Traditional February RitualsKyoto Prefectures Mochibana and Take-okuri festivals
This month, two traditional rituals are introduced that have been taken over by the local people. Both of them are held in the regions that were cultivated in the rich natural environment since ancient times.
Kizu Town's Mochibana Festival
Every
year Kizu Town, on the southern end of Kyoto Prefecture, holds the Mochibana
Festival. The serene Kizu River that flows through the town was a key river
transportation artery, connecting Osaka and Kyoto, since the Nara period
(710-794). The town was very prosperous in ancient times and, as a result,
there are many old historical structures as well as a lively range of annual
rituals. Historians believe that those rituals, which are more common in
the Kansai region than any where else in Japan, because they played a key
role in unite people in these ancient communities. One of the most lively and interesting of these rituals is called Mochibana Festival. It takes place at Saganaka Shrine. It is held on February 1st every year in celebration of the New Year according to the old lunar calendar. In Japanese, mochi means a rice cake and bana a flower. On this day, people decorate the shrine precinct with special ornament called mochibana which are said to be a good luck charm. Each mochibana consists of five mochi, as large as a fist, skewered on the stick with red paper decoration. Hundreds of them are hung on the eaves of the hall and throughout the general shrine precinct. The contrast between the bright white mochi and red paper creates a warm sight. From 13:00, a shrine maidens perform a traditional dance accompanied to the music of drums and bells. After the ritual, the mochibana are taken off and given to the people. The mochibana ritual is designated as an intangible cultural folk heritage of Kyoto Prefecture.
To get to Saganaka Shrine, take an express train from Kintetsu Kyoto Stn. to Shinhosono Stn. (30 min.). Then change to a local train and go to Yamadagawa Stn. (5 min.). The shrine is a 10-min. walk from the station. Another route is to take JR Nara Line to Kizu St. (35 min.) and then change to the Gakkentoshi Line and get out at Nishi-Kizu St. (2 min.). The shrine is 5 min. walk from the station. Saganaka Shrine: Tel: 0774-72-8470 (only Japanese spoken)
Kyotanabe City's Take-okuri Ritual
The Take-okuri ritual takes place in Kyotanabe City located on the southwestern edge of Kyoto Prefecture. Take is bamboo and okuri means “to send”. In this ritual, people of the area bring bamboo from Kyotanabe City to Todai-ji Temple in Nara (the prefecture south of Kyoto).
Every year, March 1-14, a highly important ritual called Omizutori is held at Todai-ji Temple. Believe it or not, this annual ritual has been taking place for more than 1,250-years. Every night during this two-year period, the monks run around the second floor balcony of the temple carrying huge torches (6 meters long, weighing about 40 kg). It is believed that the ash that falls from the torches to the people below can prevent misfortune and so the ritual is always packed with people. The torches have always been made with bamboo harvested from the groves of Kyotanabe City. On February 11th at 8:00 am, Kyotanabe people gather at the edge of a bamboo forest near Kannon-ji Temple to harvest good bamboos for the ritual. Then at around 8:30, some of the cut bamboo are brought to the temple and blessed by a priest for their journey to Nara.
Then the bamboo is carried along an ancient road that linked Kyoto and Nara, about two hours on foot, to Todai-ji Temple. The bamboos stalks are carried on people’s shoulders or on two wheeled wooden cart under the cold February sky, even if it is snowing or in a cold winter rain.
No-one knows when this ritual was started but some researches believe it began in the late 16th century. The ritual was not carried out from 1938 to 1978, when it was revived by the local people. The proud people of Kyoto Prefecture’s Kyotanabe vow that they will never stop doing the ritual again.
To get to Kannon-ji Temple, take an express train from Kintetsu Kyoto Stn. to Shintanabe Stn. (25 min.) and then take a taxi from there (about 15 min). Or take the JR Nara Line to Kizu St. (35 min.) and change to Gakkentoshi Line and get out at Miyamaki St. (15 min.). Then walk for about 50 min.
Kyotanabe City Tourist Information: weekdays, 9:00-17:00; weekends & national holidays, 9:00-15:00; Tel: 0774-68-2810 (only Japanese spoken)
