Image search results - "hana" - JAPAN PHOTOS by Philbert Ono

Image search results - "hana"

Established in 1617, Tsukiji Hongwanji temple is the Tokyo headquarters of the Nishi Hongwanji Jodo Shinshu sect. The present temple, based on Indian architecture, was built in the 1930s.The temple is the only one in Japan which is under the direct control of the sect. Its head priest is the Monshu Abbot himself. April 8 is observed as Buddha's birthday, called Hana Matsuri ("Flower Festival) in Japan.

Chiba Castle as seen from Kencho-mae monorail station.

Entrance to Inohana Park

Tsukiji Hongwanji temple gate with wisteria crest.The emblem is a wisteria flower and symbol of the Jodo Shinshu sect.

Path to Chiba Castle (visible on left)

Temple gate and flag

Chiba Castle and paper lanterns

Play room for kids on Hanamatsuri

Chiba Castle Sakura Matsuri lantern

Hanamatsuri altar

Chiba Castle tower

Pouring sweet tea over the BuddhaWhen the Buddha was born in Lumbini Garden in Nepal, sweet rain is said to have fallen. Thus, sweet tea is poured over the baby Buddha statue in the Hanamatsuri altar.

Chiba Castle

Hanamatsuri celebrates the Buddha's birthday on April 8. This is Tsukiji Honganji in Tokyo.The flowers symbolize Lumbini Garden where the Buddha was born in present-day Nepal.

Baby Buddha statueLadles are provided for pouring the sweet tea over the Buddha. Sweet tea is also provided to worshippers. It symbolizes the sweet rain that fell when the Buddha was born.

Children dressed for the chigo parade, Tsukiji Hongwanji, TokyoIt took a long time before they could get all the kids to settle down for the picture and to get all the mothers out of the picture.

Cherry blossoms and Chiba Castle

Children dressed for the chigo parade (photo session), Tsukiji Hongwanji, Tokyo

Going to the chigo parade's starting point

White elephant to anchor the parade. Notice the Buddha altar riding on the top. Before she gave birth to the Buddha, Queen Maya dreamed of a white elephant.

Start of the Hanamatsuri parade which also promotes traffic safety.The starting point was a nearby park.

Cherry blossoms and Chiba Castle

Parade starts...

Corners

Baton-twirling club from the Chiyoda Jogakuin Junior/Senior High School followed by the elephant千代田女学院

Front view

Chigo children

On the road in front of the temple

Baton-twirling club, Tsukiji Hongwanji, Tokyo 千代田女学院バトン部千代田女学院

Female schoolmates of the baton twirlers block the cameras of unrelated photographers when the baton twirlers passed. カメラ小僧を妨害するバトン部の先輩たち。This was the first time for me in Japan to see people blocking photographers from taking pictures at a festival. They did it to me as well. If they don't want to be photographed, why do they appear in this public festival??

妨害しても無駄だと思いますが。撮られるのがいやでしたら、まつりに出ない方がいいですよ。

Statue of Chiba-no-suke Tsuneshige and Chiba Castle tower 千葉介常重Lord Chiba-no-suke Tsuneshige was the founder of Chiba Castle in 1126.

Band from the Chiyoda Jogakuin Girls Junior/Senior High SchoolNo problem photographing them.

Statue of Chiba-no-suke Tsuneshige built in Dec. 2001 to commemorate Chiba city's 80th anniversary. 千葉介常重Lord Chiba-no-suke Tsuneshige was the founder of Chiba Castle in 1126.

The elephant follows the band.

Statue of Chiba-no-suke Tsuneshige 千葉介常重Lord Chiba-no-suke Tsuneshige was the founder of Chiba Castle in 1126.

Entering the temple gate

Stone wall at entrance

Final performance

Steps to front entrance

The parade was over after 30 min. (11:30 - 12 pm).

Deck

Chigo kids enter the temple

Castle tower

Hanamatsuri service inside the templeNotice the Hanamatsuri altar at the center.

Roof tiles with the Chiba clan's crest

Hanamatsuri service inside the Tsukiji Hongwanji temple

The castle tower is built on an anti-earthquake foundation.

Hanami-do housing a statue of the baby Buddha on which sweet tea is poured. When the Buddha was born in Lumbini Garden, flowers bloomed.

Exhibits inside the castle, a folk and history museum for the Chiba clan and Chiba city.

Top floor of castle

Praying to the Hanamatsuri altar

Balcony on top floor

Pipe organs

Sakurayama with hanami pinickers.

Unfortunately, the mesh fence ruins the view and picture-taking.

Outdoor food court

The red fence is so low that anyone can fall over.

Statue of St. Shinran, founder of Jodo Shinshu sect.

Hanami at Senzoku-Ike

View of park grounds

Statue of St. Shinran (1173-1263), founder of the Jodo Shinshu (Pure Land) Buddhist Sect.

View of park grounds

Cherry blossoms and the temple

Through the mesh

Toward Chiba Port

Playroom for kids

Temple hall exterior

The white elephant

Picnic area

Bekkoame candy stand

Taiko drum performance by Oedo Sukeroku Taiko troupe. 大江戸助六太鼓Their Web site: http://www.oedosukerokutaiko.com/

大江戸助六太鼓

Oedo Sukeroku Taiko troupe大江戸助六太鼓

Path to park exit

Oedo Sukeroku Taiko troupe. They were all girls and super good!大江戸助六太鼓

Oedo Sukeroku Taiko troupe大江戸助六太鼓

Oedo Sukeroku Taiko troupe

Beating backward: Oedo Sukeroku Taiko drummers大江戸助六太鼓

Hanamatsuri in the old days (lot more children and people). 昔の築地本願寺の花まつり: 子供の数が大多かった。

Many little kids held a long rope to pull the white elephant. 昔の築地本願寺の花まつり

Chigo children. They have two black dots on the forehead and a white stripe on the nose. They don't paint the white stripe today. 昔の築地本願寺の花まつり: 鼻に白い線が塗っている。今は、塗らない。

Chigo children. 昔の築地本願寺の花まつり

昔の築地本願寺の花まつり

昔の築地本願寺の花まつり: 日大のバトン部か

A very long hanamatsuri parade leaves the temple. 昔の築地本願寺の花まつり: 集合は別院内、これは出発。

昔の築地本願寺の花まつり

Look at all those Cub Scouts. They don't participate today. 昔の築地本願寺の花まつり

The chigo parade of bygone days was much longer with a lot more kids. 昔の築地本願寺の花まつり: かなり長い行列でした。

Buddhist flag. 昔の築地本願寺の花まつり

Nihon University college band was part of the parade. 昔の築地本願寺の花まつり

昔の築地本願寺の花まつり

Like most major Buddhist temples, Sensoji temple in Asakusa holds its Hanamatsuri to mark Buddha's birthday on April 8. Hana Matsuri sign at Kaminarimon Gate.

A symbol of Hanamatsuri (literally "flower festival") is the white elephant which is paraded around. This one stands ready at Kaminarimon Gate. It has a baby Buddha statue on top.

When the Buddha was born, he walked seven steps and said, "I am my own Lord through Heaven and Earth," and pointed one hand to Heaven and the other to Earth.

Children from the local kindergarten walk toward Kaminarimon Gate from where they will pull the white elephant.

Every April 8, if it's a nice day, I try to visit a different temple in Japan to see Hanamatsuri. This year I decided to see it in Asakusa.

Sensoji temple was renovating its roof so it is covered with scaffolding (painted with a gold dragon). Out front is the Hanami-do where you can pour sweet tea over the baby Buddha.

People crowd around the flower-decorated Hanami-do, the little hall with the baby Buddha.

People pour sweet tea over the baby Buddha. He points one finger to Heaven. 花御堂

Sweet tea is poured over a statue of a baby buddha. According to legend, sweet rain (or perfumed water) fell when the Buddha was born.

Inside Sensoji temple was another Hanami-do with a baby Buddha. 花御堂

Anyone can pour the sweet tea over the baby Buddha for free.

The little Hanamatsuri parade went through Nakamise and arrived at Sensoji with the white elephant in tow.

Asakusa Hana Matsuri 花まつり

In front of Sensoji temple, they held a Hana Matsuri ceremony with the kindergarten kids.

They sang a few songs. Their parents toting video camcorders recorded the event.

Asakusa: White elephant is usually present during Hanamatsuri. On the day before the Buddha's mother Queen Maya gave birth, she dreamed that a white elephant entered her womb.

Kids pour sweet tea over the baby Buddha during the Hanamatsuri ceremony.

Hanamatsuri at Sensoji temple in Asakusa.

Baby Buddha on the white elephant.

White elephant and the pagoda at Sensoji temple, Asakusa on Buddha's birthday called Hanamatsuri.

After the ceremony, they served free sweet tea. 甘茶

Ama-cha sweet tea for everyone. 甘茶

An extra treat was free flowers (orchids). They gave out a large number of these flowers.

The flowers were made in Thailand.

Pretty orchid. It had a water capsule at the end of the stem. At the top were buds which later bloomed. This flower lasted me well over a month before it withered.

Hanamatsuri sign

About Hanamatsuri in Japanese.

Needless to say, the subway/trains stations were jammed with people by 5 pm. This is when I got off the train at Shinozaki Station on the Toei Shinjuku subway line on Aug.1, 2009.

Still in Shinozaki Station heading for the exit. Koiwa Station on the JR Sobu Line must also have been crowded.

Now walking to the Edogawa riverbank.

Getting to the steps up the riverbank.

After getting to the top of the riverbank, this is the spectacle I came to see and photograph.

Some 900,000 of humanity gathered here for the Edogawa-ku Fireworks in Aug.

And you think your largest soccer stadium can hold a lotta people. Come see here.

It was a lot more crowded than the last time I saw these fireworks years ago.

The Edogawa Ward Fireworks display is one of Tokyo's largest with a massive attendance of 900,000 people in both Edogawa Ward and neighboring Ichikawa city in Chiba. .

People are spread out along the riverbank of Edogawa River. Held on the first Sat. of Aug. at 7:15 pm to 8:25 pm. If weather is bad, it is held on the next day

The fireworks started exactly at 7:15 pm.

Mt. Fuji

I'm definitely not a good fireworks photographer. To avoid the crowds, I left the scene about 30 min. before the fireworks ended.

Back at Shinozaki Station, it was quite quick to get on a train. "Keep walking slowly and do not stop."

I shuddered to think how crowded the station would become in about 30-40 min.

The Hanagasa Parade (花傘巡行) is a parade of mostly children and women accompanied by flowery parasol floats. It starts (10 am) and ends (noon) at Yasaka Shrine. On Kawaramachi-dori road, they follow right after the main float procession.

When the Saki Matsuri and Ato Matsuri's processions were combined on July 17, 1966, the Hanagasa Parade was started on July 24, 1966 to compensate for the Ato Matsuri's procession.