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Autumn Festivals and Winter Festivals |
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Kaku Shrine's festival in Oita City begins on September 1st. The Year of the rabbit and the Year of the rooster on the Chinese calendar come every six years, and thus every six years a pro cession is held. The present festival style started at the time of the Meiji Restoration during the Meiji era, after the master of the Funai clan presented the equipment for the procession. "Hamanoichi Festival" at the Ikushi area of Oita City starts on September 14th and is held in conjunction with the "Hojoe" of Yusuhara Hachiman Shrine. In the early modern ages, the festival had been a lively one, but now, only a few things remain, such as the "Shikishimochi-rice cake" and the "Ichimon-doll".
Autumn festivals are usually held in celebration of good harvests in the vil-lage. "Kebesu Festival" in Kunimi Town or "Doburoku Festival" in Ota Village has retained its traditional practices, such as "Miyaza" which refers to the organization of the festival. The "Kebesu Festival" on the October 14th at Iwakura Hachiman Shrine is a well-known fire festival that is held on the eve of the September Festival. First, the "Kebesu" who is wearing a wired mask stirs burning fern, then people dressed in white guarding the fire start to run around holding bunches of burning fern in their hands to the crowds. It is said that if the sparks fall on you, you will be good in health throughout the year. The "Doburoku Festival" held in October at Shirahige Shrine in Ota Village is a festival for thanking the gods for a good harvest, and the worshippers are treated to unrefined sake made from the year's new rice. Amazake, sweet sake made from fermented rice, is usually prepared at the Shimotsuki Festivals held in November. The "Amazake Festival" held on December 11th at Tsukahara in Yufuin Town is held in a traditional style, such as building a thatched sake cellar at a house called "Zamae". The festival has another unique name-"Petticoat Gorernment Festival", which means that a husband is under his wife's thumb. Women are the guest of honor at the party, and men wait on women at the table.
"Hyotan (gourd) Festival" at Fukayama Hachiman
Shrine in Chitose Village is also a Shimotsuki Festival.
The "Hyotan-sama" wears huge straw sandals 1.2m
long and weighing 8kg, then puts a crown which is 80cm
long on his head. He walks around the area with unsteady
steps and serving holy sake to the worshippers. It is
a festival full of humour and fun. |
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"Kagura"
(sacred dance) is usually performed at festivals everywhere
in the whole prefecture. There are also "Gaku"
(traditional music or song), mainly performed in the Kunisaki
Peninsula area. "Furyu" and "Tsue"
in the southern area and "Shishimai" (lion dance)
and "Haguma-hineri" in the Hohi area are also
performed.
"Iwato Kagura" at Ontake Shrine in Kiyokawa
Village originated from the Ontake style and is practiced
in many places. The "Gaku" in the Kunisaki Peninsula
area has characteristic dances such as "Yoshihirogaku"
in Musashi Town. People put on grass skirts made from
Hera wood, tie a drum to their fronts, carry a flag on
their backs, and then dance. They dance to the "Nenbutsu"
which is a prayer to the Amida Buddha. There are also
a couple of peculiar gaku such as "Tsue-gaku"
in Kyudai area or "Kappa-gaku" in Shimoge District."Furyu"
or "Tsue", which is mainly performed at the
spring festival in the southern area, and "Shishimai"
(lion dance) is normally added to these 2 to make a set
of 3 dances. "Furyu" is a dance between a "Noh"
(Japanese lyrical drama) farce, and a "Noh"
play or "Noh" song. There are 80 groups of Shishimai
in the Ono District and though the roots of the dance
in the southern areas are different, they are all led
by the Ontake style. "Haguma-hineri" is also
called "Haguma-neri" and is a lively spear parade
lead by a shrine float. "Kugutsu-no-mai" at
Koyo Shrine in Nakatsu City or "Kitabaru puppet show"
is valued as an old-style puppet show. |
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Hamanoichi (Oita City)
Kebesu Festival(Kunimi Town)
Doburoku Festival (Ota Village)
Miyaza@Organization for festivals
or religious services in the area.
Shimotsuki Festival@A festival
for good harvest or for a guardian god of a village.
Hojoe@A ceremony to release living
things caught by people back into the nature, and is based on
the Buddhist principle of not taking lives.
Hyotan Festival (Chitose Village)
Iwato Kagura-Sacred Dance
((C)Prefectural History Museum)
Kitabaru Puppet Show(Nakatsu City)
Yoshihiro-gaku@Held to pray for
bumper crops or extermination of insect pests. The feudal lord
Yoshihiro who lived during the Otomo period started this event.
Kappa-gaku@There are 2 types of
performances. One imitates the "kappa" (water imp)
in their movements, and the other tries to keep the "kappa"
still with a big fan.
Kugutsu@Puppets that are made to
dance to music. |
