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Yesterday, Asakusa Sanjya matsuri festival was starting at Asakusa, Tokyo to Sunday. In this festival, the spirits of gods of Asakusa shrine move from shrine to mikoshi, which is an ornate portable small shrine by woods, then Asakusa town’s believers carry their mikoshi on their shoulders and parade. There are three main mikoshi of shrine and about 100 mikoshi of 44 blocks of Asakusa town. Mikoshi seems small box, but they are about 1,000kg each othre, even though many men shoulder mikoshi, they have to need alternation for carrying. At the march, they are shaking mikoshi wildly, it is for shaking deity’s soul (Tamafuri) and waking up their power in order to pray rich harvest and escaping from plague.
Sanjya matsuri festival’s mikoshi
Kaminarimon-gate’s huge lantern made folding because Mikoshi are passing through under it.
Mikoshi passing through the gate
Wearing happi coats
Mikoshi carriers
Mikoshi is so heavy!
They are pressing for stop mikoshi because carriers are too exciting to stop soon.
They are wearing Waraji or tabi
Hot! Heavy! but Exciting!
Drum and flower
Traditional festival costume boy
Gohei
Happi, marked “Kaminarimon”
Cute!
Tokyo sky tree tower & mikoshi
Sensoji temple
Sensoji temple and mikoshi
Sanjya matsuri’s paper lantern
Shide (white sacred paper)
Phoenix on the top of mikoshi
Traditional festival costume woman with cellphone
Sensoji temple’s five floor pagoda
Mikoshi carriers
Dog is wearing festival costume
Tokyo sky tree tower and Asakusa town
Jinrikisya, Asakusa
Funawa’s imo-yokan(potato sweet bean jelly) & anko-dama(sweet bean paste ball)
Many kinds of shops
Reading palm (fortune teller)
Kimono shop
Daikokuya restaurant
Wearing Kimono
Notice by police “Prohibits branch shop here” (This wooden boad style is very traditional of Edo period. )
Japanese traditional dancer’s poster
Cyochin, paper lantern (manekineko-cat, daruma, Tokyo)
Cubic rice crackers shop
At Nakamise’s shop, shopgirls wear kimono.
Entertainer Tomio Umezawa’s poster (He turns a beautiful lady. Front figure is him.)
It was a moment to raise mikoshi in front of Sensoji temple’s Kaminari-mon gateon on March’s 700-year-festival which was a prologue of May’s Sanjyamatsuri festival. Last night, I wrote this video was May’s Sanjya festival. I’m sorry to confuse them. Anyway, they carried same mikoshi as the same style in March and May, so I hope you enjoy the Japanese mikoshi style festival. 05/20/2012 ( This video is from youtube)
nice photos
Thank you!
I loved this post. I especially liked the video and photos of mikoshi by their similarities with a certain Spanish celebration
Is there similar celebration in Spain?! Interesting!
Well, It is not exactly the same but I think it has some similiarities. I link some examples:
Torrevieja, Alicante: http://youtu.be/I5dwH2CnDPo
Almonte, Huelva: salto Virgen del Rocío http://youtu.be/YnhnCheEt9c
Málaga: http://youtu.be/r7v1x7mIOD0
Regards!
I’m very surprised these videos are exactly alike (people lift sacred somethig, marching and clapping.) Are they Easter or something Virgin Mary’s celebration? Thank you for introduction of wonderful videos!
I’m glad we agree! Yes, you’re right. When I read your post it was exciting.
At Easter in most cities in Spain Christs and Virgins are taken out into the street. And thousands of people marching behind and many people see the processions.
We also have pilgrimages (romerías) where it takes a certain Virgin in procession, the most famous are in Andalusia: Virgen del Rocio (Almonte) and Virgen de la Cabeza (Andujar).
Thanks!