Music and Misokoshi
23/08/10 13:57 Filed in: August
Despite rumours to the contrary, I drew the line at
wearing fundoshi (loin cloth) but donned a San-gawa
uniform Jimbe (short jacket) to help carry the
Mikoshi (portable shrine) from Kikukawa to Kameido as
part of the Kameido Tenjin Taisai which is the annual
Summer Festival of for one of the largest Shinto
temples in Tokyo.
I was invited by members of my Shuko-kai woodwork group, ah well I thought ... try anything once. So at 7 am in the morning, already over 25oC, with Taiko drums and flute band, we set off to follow the Shinto priests the 3 km or so from Kikukawa to Kameido.
Mikoshi are the vehicle for the local deities; there were 25 Mikoshi in the parade, one from each ward in Koto-ku, lavishly decorated, each weighing at a guess two ton and carried on four poles by up to 40 persons at a time or as many as can fit under the poles. Carried is the wrong word, its more of chant/shuffle/shake, as the Mikoshi gets shaken up and down, and from side to side, in time to chants of ISHA ISHA ISHA ISHA ISHA with other groups bellowing HA HA HA HA, on the off beats, whistles PEEP PEEP, PEEP PEEP, bells drums. It’s hypnotic, exhausting and painful when the poles come crashing down on the shoulders, which being taller than most is every shake.
Never mind, as soon as one person ducks out from exhaustion, someone else takes over. This old man thought five minutes was about the limit and even so, my shoulders and back know I have been carrying a weight.
The whole thing was brilliantly well organized; were were sent on our way by magnificent taiko drumming group, some Mikoshi were preceded by a truck with a taiko band playing on the back. Every Mikoshi was followed up by trucks with copious supplies of Ocha (green tea), salt sweets and glucose sweets and especially for me, ice to wrap in the towel on my head. Side marshals kept the parade in check with long ropes. lt took four, exhausting, dehydrating, sweaty hours. Huge fun, and a great honor to be invited. Lots of pictures here.
Saturday we spent at a Japanese music festival, Japanese singing and sitting in on workshops on Taiko (drums), fue (side blown flute) and Shimasen (three string lute).
Linda has started back at school, and I am back into auditions, acting, and science editing.
I was invited by members of my Shuko-kai woodwork group, ah well I thought ... try anything once. So at 7 am in the morning, already over 25oC, with Taiko drums and flute band, we set off to follow the Shinto priests the 3 km or so from Kikukawa to Kameido.
Mikoshi are the vehicle for the local deities; there were 25 Mikoshi in the parade, one from each ward in Koto-ku, lavishly decorated, each weighing at a guess two ton and carried on four poles by up to 40 persons at a time or as many as can fit under the poles. Carried is the wrong word, its more of chant/shuffle/shake, as the Mikoshi gets shaken up and down, and from side to side, in time to chants of ISHA ISHA ISHA ISHA ISHA with other groups bellowing HA HA HA HA, on the off beats, whistles PEEP PEEP, PEEP PEEP, bells drums. It’s hypnotic, exhausting and painful when the poles come crashing down on the shoulders, which being taller than most is every shake.
Never mind, as soon as one person ducks out from exhaustion, someone else takes over. This old man thought five minutes was about the limit and even so, my shoulders and back know I have been carrying a weight.
The whole thing was brilliantly well organized; were were sent on our way by magnificent taiko drumming group, some Mikoshi were preceded by a truck with a taiko band playing on the back. Every Mikoshi was followed up by trucks with copious supplies of Ocha (green tea), salt sweets and glucose sweets and especially for me, ice to wrap in the towel on my head. Side marshals kept the parade in check with long ropes. lt took four, exhausting, dehydrating, sweaty hours. Huge fun, and a great honor to be invited. Lots of pictures here.
Saturday we spent at a Japanese music festival, Japanese singing and sitting in on workshops on Taiko (drums), fue (side blown flute) and Shimasen (three string lute).
Linda has started back at school, and I am back into auditions, acting, and science editing.