 Image search results - "onbashira-sai" |
Billboard depicting Ki-otoshi (Log Drop) at Shimosuwa Station.
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Shimosuwa Station on May 8, 2004. Here for the final three days of the Onbashira Matsuri's climax, the Satobiki when they haul the Onbashira logs to the Shimo-sha Shrines (Akimiya and Harumiya) and erect them.
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Shimosuwa Station 下諏訪駅
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Onbashira monument in front of Shimosuwa Station. This Onbashira log was used in the opening ceremony of the Nagano Winter Olympics in 1998.
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Store your luggage here. Not enough lockers at the train station so they provide this service. 400 yen/day.
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Entertainment stage in front of Shimosuwa Station.
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Go straight on this road in front of the station.
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In front of Shimosuwa Station.
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There are no buses nor taxis to where we want to go.
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Parade of Nagamochi which are long chests. 長持
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We had to walk it. This was April 10, 2004, one of the days for Shimo-sha Shrine's Yamadashi when they hauled the logs from the mountain forest.
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After walking for 30 min., we reached this place called Shimekake, a resting place for the logs which had been hauled from the mountains. This is Log No. 2 for Akinomiya Shrine. 注連掛
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The logs will rest here for about a month until early May when they will be hauled to the shrines for the Satobiki erection.
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Here is where anybody can get on the logs and play.
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After the Shimekake, we walked further.
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Crowded street
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Until we were stopped here. Sign says that only people with tickets can proceed further. Yeah, we walked all this way only to be told we cannot go further. Our destination was the Ki-otoshi slope where the huge logs slide down for the Yamadashi.
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We had to wait until the Ki-otoshi at 1pm was over. That's the one we wanted to see. But the place was already too full.
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We had to wait until the 1pm Ki-otoshi log came out.
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Nagamochi chest decorations
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Log No. 4 for Shimo-sha Shrine's Akinomiya Shrine which already went down the big slope for Ki-otoshi (Log Drop) comes out at 1:30 pm. 秋宮四之柱
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Log No. 4 for Shimo-sha Shrine's Akinomiya Shrine. 秋宮四之柱
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Umbrella dance
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So after this log came out, we were allowed to proceed to the giant slope.
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There it is, the slope.
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Shimo-sha Akimiya Shrine torii
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We weren't the only ones there.
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Shimo-sha Akimiya Shrine. That's a support pole for erecting the No. 1 Akimiya Onbashira log. 秋宮
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The Ki-otoshi slope, and one of the icons of the festival. This is the larger slope for Ki-otoshi compared to the one for the Kami-sha Shrine in Chino. 木落とし坂
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Shimo-sha Akimiya Shrine 秋宮 幣拝殿
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The Ki-otoshi slope up close. Very rough-looking. 木落とし坂
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Hole for the No. 4 Akimiya Onbashira log
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People everywhere along the edge of the slope.
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Small support poles.
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The numerous people and trees made it impossible to see the slope itself.
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Hole for the No. 2 Akimiya Onbashira log
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It was very steep and uncomfortable to sit on, so I decided to leave this place.
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Hole for the No. 2 Akimiya Onbashira log
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Hole for the No. 2 Akimiya Onbashira log
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I was forced to join this crowd.
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The crowd extended all the way to the rear. All to see the 3pm Ki-otoshi log drop.
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Shimo-sha Akimiya Shrine priests 秋宮
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This was my view of the slope.
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Taiko performance at Shimo-sha Akimiya Shrine's Kaguraden
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Thank goodness for telephoto lenses.
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Shimenawa sacred rope on Kaguraden
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We waited for the log scheduled to come down at 3 pm, but it was delayed by 2 hours...
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Onbashira Grand Park
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We sat there for hours.
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Harumiya torii 春宮大門
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Finally, people pulling the log appeared.
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On the way to Harumiya Shrine, you see this bridge. It is a rest stop for the Akimiya Onbashira log procession. 下馬橋
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The bridge is normally closed to the public. In the old days, this bridge marked Harumiya Shrine's sacred area where even warlords had to get out of their palanquin or get off their horse out of respect before proceeding further. 下馬橋
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The log pullers split into two.
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Harumiya Shrine ahead.
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Harumiya Shrine torii 春宮
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Then came the log, and a lotta dust which made it difficult to see what was going on.
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Harumiya has a little slope where the logs are slid down.
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This was Log No. 1 for Shimo-sha's Harunomiya Shrine.
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People everywhere.
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But my camera captured the log going down, even though I could hardly see it. Onbashira Festival, Shimosuwa, Nagano. 木落とし坂 春宮一之柱
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People along the small slope.
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It was over after a few seconds. We walked for an hour from the train station and waited hours for just a few seconds of mostly dust.
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This is May 9, 2004, the second day of Shimo-sha Shrine's Satobiki. Shimo-sha Shrine consists of two separate shrines called Akimiya and Harumiya.
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Now we walked back together with hundreds of thousands of people...
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Ropes to pull the Onbashira log from Harumiya Shrine.
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The Ax Man. He cuts the rope which sets the log loose down the slope.
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Log in Harumiya Shrine.
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The log heading to the Shimekake resting place. If you don't like crowds, don't see this festival. Also see photos of Shimo-sha Satobiki.
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Onbashira Log No. 1 already erected for Harumiya Shrine on May 8, 2004.
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Erecting Onbashira Log No. 4 for Harumiya Shrine on May 9, 2004. 春宮四之御柱
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Erecting Onbashira Log No. 4 for Harumiya Shrine on May 9, 2004. Shimosuwa, Nagano. 春宮四之御柱
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Everything is done with great fanfare, with these men riding on the log as it slowly rises by a system of cables and pulleys.
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"Yoisa! Yoisa!"
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When the log is erected, a banner is unrolled.
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The banner reads, "Thank you everyone for your cooperation."
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Sake is given for free.
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The men now descend from the log.
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Onbashira Log No. 3 for Harumiya Shrine.
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The base of the Onbashira log is reinforced by these smaller logs.
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Music Box Museum
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Parade
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One Onbashira log at a rest stop.
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Ropes at rest
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The logs are pulled by people from various districts or parishes in the Suwa region including Chino, Shimosuwa, Okaya, and Suwa.
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Another Onbashira log makes its way through.
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All the Onbashira logs are hauled manually by human hands from when it is cut in the mountain forest. No motor vehicles of any kind is used to haul the logs.
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The log can move quite fast, even with all those people riding it.
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This looks like Log No. 2 for Akimiya Shrine.
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These people are from Suwa city.
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Ax man
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Log standing by in front of Akimiya Shrine.
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Onbashira-sai, Shimosuwa-machi, Nagano.
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Log standing by in front of Akimiya Shrine.
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Parade continues even in the rain.
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Now it's May 10, 2004, the last day of the Shimo-sha Satobiki. All four logs will erected at Akimiya Shrine on this day.
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We waited in the rain for Onbashira Log No. 1 to be erected first at Akimiya Shrine at 10:00 am. However, we had to wait, standing up in the rain and in the crowd, for 2.5 hours before they finally started to raise the log.
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Finally, something to photograph.
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They threw out free streamers and I caught one. "Yoisa! Yoisa!"
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They waved their pom-poms and cheered all the while.
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Onbashira Festival. They included one woman.
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Banners unfurled.
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Now they descend.
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The only woman on the log. After this log-raising, I had seen enough. This No. 1 log offered the best view of all the four Akimiya logs.
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