 Last additions - Moriyama 守山市 |
Stone for safe childbirthJan 16, 2006
|
|
Jan 16, 2006
|
|
樹下神社Jan 16, 2006
|
|
Jan 16, 2006
|
|
Kaeru frog to wish you a safe return. 東門院Jan 16, 2006
|
|
Dobashi BridgeJan 16, 2006
|
|
Tomon-in temple built by Buddhist Priest Saicho (Dengyo Daishi) to protect his Enryakuji temple on Mt. Hiei from demons from the east. 東門院Jan 16, 2006
|
|
Old Nakasendo Road and Dobashi Bridge. Supposedly, this is the bridge from where Hiroshige drew his print of Moriyama-juku.Jan 16, 2006
|
|
Road marker. Established in 1642, Moriyama-juku was the sixty-seventh of the sixty-nine stations or shukuba post towns on the Nakasendo Road. It is the eighth Nakasendo station in Shiga (following Musa-juku in Omi-Hachiman).Jan 16, 2006
|
|
Marker for the Kabuto-ya innJan 16, 2006
|
|
Rear of road markerJan 16, 2006
|
|
Road marker. Go right for the Nakasendo Road. MAPJan 16, 2006
|
|
Jan 15, 2006
|
|
All fires totally fizzled out.Jan 15, 2006
|
|
Fire truck and hydrant right outside the shrine.Jan 15, 2006
|
|
Withdrawing the burnt-out torchJan 15, 2006
|
|
Shrine worshippersJan 15, 2006
|
|
Snuffing out the last flamesJan 15, 2006
|
|
The giant torches burnt out within 10 minutes.Jan 15, 2006
|
|
Local firemenJan 15, 2006
|
|
You can take home a branch of the torch for family safety.Jan 15, 2006
|
|
Withdrawing the burnt-out torchJan 15, 2006
|
|
Jan 15, 2006
|
|
Jan 15, 2006
|
|
After a few minutes and before it gets unbearably hot, the fire peters out.Jan 15, 2006
|
|
Jan 15, 2006
|
|
Jan 15, 2006
|
|
Katsube Fire Festival: Men dance in rings in front of the fire. Also see the video at YouTube.Jan 15, 2006
|
|
Jan 15, 2006
|
|
It gets very hot...Jan 15, 2006
|
|
They turned off all the lights and lit the torches all at once! Torch lighting! (たいまつ ほうか 松明奉火)Jan 15, 2006
|
|
Giant torches in Katsube Shrine, Moriyama, Shiga Pref.Jan 15, 2006
|
|
One torch enters the shrine. At around 8 pm, the young men start hauling in the giant torches that were displayed in the neighborhood.Jan 15, 2006
|
|
One of the six torches carried into the shrine.Jan 15, 2006
|
|
A total of 12 torches are then in the shrine.Jan 15, 2006
|
|
The waiting crowd.Jan 15, 2006
|
|
Jan 15, 2006
|
|
At around 8 pm, the three taiko drums return to Katsube Shrine (たいこ みやいり 太鼓宮入り)Jan 15, 2006
|
|
Taiko drum procession. Three taiko drums are carried around the neighborhood.Jan 15, 2006
|
|
Jan 15, 2006
|
|
Jan 15, 2006
|
|
Jan 15, 2006
|
|
Prayer ceremony at Katsube Shrine before they start parading with three taiko drums. 修祓式（しゅっぱつしき）Jan 15, 2006
|
|
Jan 15, 2006
|
|
Taking a sip of sacred sake. They soon get pretty drunk with sacred sake as they walk around the neighborhood beating the taiko drum.Jan 15, 2006
|
|
At 6 pm, half-naked young men wearing loincloths march to the shrine. They are 15-34 years old. 迎えJan 15, 2006
|
|
Katsube Shrine was founded in 649 and originally dedicated to a warrior god by the Mononobe clan.Jan 15, 2006
|
|
Rear view of torches.Jan 15, 2006
|
|
|
|
