Yasaka Shrine Karuta Hajime 八坂神社 かるた始め式
|
|
|
Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto on Jan. 3, 2011. Still hordes of people going to worship for New Year's hatsumode.
|
|
Entering Yasaka Shrine West Romon Gate.
|
|
People entering Yasaka Shrine on Jan. 3, 2011. Must've been worse on Jan. 1.
|
|
Going to Yasaka Shrine.
|
|
Daruma doll vendor.
|
|
On the left is Yasaka Shrine's Honden or main worship hall. The shrine worships Susanoo-no-Mikoto which also the god of waka poetry.
|
|
People praying for the new year at Yasaka Shrine. I was here on Jan. 3, 2011 to see the Karuta hajime card game held on this day every year.
|
|
Yasaka Shrine's Noh Stage was where the 41st Karuta Hajime card game ceremony was held on Jan. 3, 2011. There were a good number of wooden benches to sit on, but they filled up quickly by 11:45 am.
|
|
The crowd behind me in front of the Noh stage. I got there at 11:30 am, and luckily found a seat in the 3rd row. The karuta hajime was to start at 1 pm. It was pretty cold waiting for 90 min.
|
|
The karuta card players appeared slightly before 1 pm. First the children, all dressed in Heian costume.
|
|
Then the adult women appeared on stage. (No men.) There were twelve of them. The karuta players are from a karuta organization in Kyoto called Nihon Karuta-in Hon-in. 日本かるた院本院
|
|
This woman prepares to sit on the floor.
|
|
These ladies are called Karuta-hime. かるた姫
|
|
View from the 3rd row. Not good if you're a photographer. People in the front row get the best views, but they must have been there from around 10 am.
|
|
The hair is a wig. Notice how it is parted at the top as she takes a bow.
|
|
Even while sitting in the 3rd row, I managed to get some decent shots in between the heads (and cameras) of people sitting in front of me.
|
|
A shrine priest begins the ceremony.
|
|
The priest blesses the karuta players as he waves his sacred staff.
|
|
Also watch my Karuta hajime video here.
|
|
Then a few of the karuta players gave offerings.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Notice how the hair is parted on the top (a wig).
|
|
|
At least a few of them are college students.
|
|
This karuta-hime and...
|
|
...this karuta-hime will face off for the first match of the 41st Karuta Hajime ceremony at Yasaka Shrine.
|
|
|
|
|
The two karuta-hime face off in their first match of 2011.
|
|
This is how it looks from my 3rd row seat. We were not allowed to stand up.
|
|
While the poem was read by an elderly woman, one of the two women here would grab or slap out the correct card.
|
|
The poem narrator (or singer) would recite the first half of the poem (hyakunin-isshu) and the second half is written on the cards. The players seek to grab the card written with the matching half of the poem.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The first match ends.
|
|
Next was a karuta game by multiple players. One group were these karuta-hime women, and another group were kids.
|
|
|
|
Kids playing karuta at Yasaka Shrine, Kyoto.
|
|
|
|
|
|
I just love the Heian-Period hair and costumes.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Karuta Hajime on the Noh stage at Yasaka Jinja Shrine, Kyoto on Jan. 3, 2011
|
|
|
You can see their card winnings. The person who got the most cards wins.
|
|
|
|
In the end, they all got up and walked around in a circle on the stage. This was a great photo op.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
