Most viewed - Kazusa Junisha Matsuri Festival 2009 上総十二社祭り |
Being next to the Pacific Ocean, Chiba has quite a few festivals held on the beach. The Kazusa Junisha Matsuri is one of the larger ones. Sept. 13, 2009 (Sun.) was the main festival day when they went in the water at the beach. 749 views
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One great thing about this hadaka matsuri is that there are women as well. Most hadaka matsuri have only men.347 views
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Women too, while they are careful to prevent any nip slips.334 views
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Kazusa Junisha Matsuri Festival, Ichinomiya, Chiba on Sept. 13, 2009.273 views
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Festival girls posing for me. They love the attention.242 views
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Tossing the mikoshi into the air.232 views
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To the beach and water.191 views
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The men covered their bellies, while the women covered their bellies and chests.181 views
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They give a few cheers before they started running on the beach.163 views
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The portable shrines begin to leave Tamasaki Shrine.158 views
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Kazusa-Ichinomiya Station on the JR Sotobo Line.149 views
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From 7 pm, the mikoshi started returning to Tamasaki Shrine. At 8 pm, the god's spirit in the mikoshi was returned to the shrine.145 views
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PR poster for Kazusa Junisha Matsuri.143 views
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Women standing by to pull the mikoshi.139 views
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They run on the beach while carrying the mikoshi.135 views
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A stampede.135 views
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A portable shrine leaves Tamasaki Shrine.133 views
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The mikoshi arrive on the beach.126 views
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Here they come.125 views
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The girls had their hair airbrushed with colorful designs. I've noticed that women and girls participating in matsuri have become quite fashionable, chic, or hip.121 views
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Girls were originally not allowed to participate in the festival, but now they do even though it is a hadaka (nude) festival. Of course, no one is really naked.120 views
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They are cheering and shouting throughout.119 views
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More women in fashionable clothing to pull a mikoshi.114 views
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Tamasaki Shrine is crowded with people as a ceremony still goes on. The Kazusa Junisha Matsuri started in 807. It is designated as Chiba Prefecture's Intangible Cultural Property.113 views
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On the beach. Good spot for surfing as well.112 views
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Sacred horse110 views
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Love these women running and pulling the mikoshi.109 views
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One of the child horse riders.105 views
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Sacred dance at the Kaguraden by Sarutahiko.104 views
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The beginning of the procession consists of a few portable shrines pulled by children.104 views
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This festival separates the amateur photographers from the pros. Amateurs wear long pants and shoes and enter the ocean to take pictures. I was of course wearing shorts and rubber slippers (but barefoot in the water).104 views
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Women waved fans.104 views
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The day starts with a Shinto ceremony at 10 am at Tamasaki Shrine, near Kazusa-Ichinomiya Station on the JR Sotobo Line. 玉前神社103 views
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Back at Tamasaki Shrine are two other portable shrines which had arrived from Sannomiya Shrine, one of the junisha (12 shrines) in the Kazusa area.102 views
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Child rider leaving Tamasaki Shrine.102 views
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On Kujukuri Beach, there a stretch of beach called Tsurigasaki Kaigan Beach marked by a torii. This will be the Tokyo 2020 Olympic venue for surfing.102 views
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Tsurigasaki Kaigan is where the horses and portable shrines will start to arrive at 2:30 pm to 3 pm. This is where the crowd is. But the beach is big enough for all of us.102 views
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Two portable shrines in front of the Kaguraden stage. Kazusa is the name of the former province in central Chiba Prefecture. Junisha means twelve shrines.99 views
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The beach is too far to walk, so they provided free shuttle buses to the beach from Kazusa-Ichinomiya Station from 2 pm. It was a 10-15 min. ride to the beach.99 views
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The mikoshi start to gather for a ceremony.99 views
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My YouTube video of the Kazusa Junisha Matsuri in 2009. Watch them in the water and the girls waving fans.99 views
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They head for Tsurigasaki Beach, where the torii is.98 views
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More mikoshi arrive.98 views
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In the water, maybe ankle deep. But the waves made it knee-deep.98 views
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Tamasaki Shrine torii97 views
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They prop up the mikoshi before carrying it toward the ceremony place.97 views
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Tsurigasaki Kaigan beach is where they believe the gods arrive. 釣ケ先海岸96 views
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Child horse rider sits on a bunch of soft cushions on the horse.95 views
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The sacred horse and child riders soon join the procession as they leave Tamasaki Shrine.95 views
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Leaving Tamasaki Shrine. It was impossible to judge where I should be to take good shots. I missed quite a few opportunities. I have to see the festival again to take the shots I wanted to take this time.93 views
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One child horse rider arrives.93 views
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Shrine priest arrive on horseback. He looked very weary. It was a hot day too.91 views
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Returning to land.91 views
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A procession departs Tamasaki Shrine at 1 pm, led by Sarutahiko.90 views
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They then ran with the portable shrine. They will run while carrying the shrine to the beach several kilometers away.90 views
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I kept shooting their backs. Next time, I'll try to shoot more faces.90 views
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It's amazing that no one tripped and fell.90 views
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They kept waving their fans and cheering in the water.89 views
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Sometimes they tossed the mikoshi up.89 views
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They tossed the mikoshi into the air a few times.88 views
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Back on land.88 views
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Great spectacle, especially with women included. Great idea to allow women in the festival.88 views
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Then the mikoshi sped by one after another.88 views
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You could go in front of them to shoot their faces, but the water would be deeper.87 views
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The mikoshi start to gather for a ceremony as they all run at full speed.86 views
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After the ceremony, they head for the water.86 views
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Very jovial and noisy.86 views
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The sacred horse arrive in town.86 views
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The next spectacle was them running through the torii on the beach.84 views
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The boy looked thrilled to be riding at full speed. Very bumpy though.84 views
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From 6 pm, they paraded the mikoshi on the main road near Tamasaki Shrine.84 views
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Like on the beach, they wave fans and cheer.84 views
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All the mikoshi headed for the torii.83 views
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Making way for the horses.82 views
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Shrine priest arrives.82 views
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Everyone is yelling and cheering.80 views
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It would take them about an hour to get back to town.79 views
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More horses arrive.79 views
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First were the horses galloping through. Each horse was guided by two men running alongside.77 views
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