Category Archives: Culture Corner

Japanese cultural articles.

Culture Corner – Sumo

Posted on

Japanese Sumo ChampionOf all the sports in the world, none is quite so unique as sumo wrestling. In what other sport do the pre-match rituals last longer than the game? Where else will we see the competitors and referees wearing styles as dictated over three hundred years ago? For that matter, what other sport boasts referees more gorgeously attired than a courting peacock? Where else will we see quite so much salt tossed, or so many girthful bellies slapped?

While baseball may be the more popular sport in Japan, few Japanese will argue that it has replaced sumo as the national sport. While baseball is a recent import from across the water, sumo is a homegrown sport born from the rituals of Shinto. Originally, sumo bouts were held as part of fertility and harvest festivals (and some still are). Even today in Tokyo, the top-ranking sumo wrestlers take part in the New Year ceremonies, and in the bean-throwing ceremonies at certain temples on Setsubun (a holiday in early February, marking the beginning of spring in the old calendar).

Watching the bimonthly professional sumo matches means taking a step back into the antique rituals of the Edo era. Pro sumo tournaments began in the 1680’s, and the gyoji, or referees, still wear the elaborate embroidered garb, stiff with gold, of an Edo courtier and soft black caps that tie under their chins. Holding an object like a fan out before them, in strong voices they call the names of the combatants and the names of the winners. Despite the heavy garb, they are quite swift. The rikishi (wrestlers) still wear the glossy top-knotted hairstyles and loincloths designated to their class long, long ago.
Read More

Culture Corner – Kami and Kannasuki

Posted on
Shinto Tori

Shinto Tori Icon - by Washiucho

In the Shinto tradition, it is believed that kami inhabit natural phenomena, and are present in such objects as trees, stones, water, mountains, and the heavenly bodies. Kami is a word which is difficult to translate, but roughly means ‘gods’, ‘spirits’ or ‘spiritual force’. These kami have divine power and can assist or thwart human fortunes. Some places, too, have spiritual energy and are worshiped like kami. People, when they die, also become kami of varying power.

In the old calendar of Japan, the tenth month of the year was called Kannazuki, or Kaminatsuki; “the month of no gods.” In that month, the sacred trees, encircled with rice-straw ropes and girded with fluttering white paper, sat hollow for a time, their spirits flown. The sea-bound islands, marked by lonely torii, were abandoned by their keepers. The humble, moss-wrapped stone monuments deep in the forests were left empty, and prayers would be made in vain to empty boxes. Every shrine in Japan, whether it was the grand red-striped passages of Itsukushima or the broad cobbled walkways of holy Ise, could offer no consolation or aid to the pilgrims who came there.

Every shrine but one.

Shimane, which long ago was Izumo Province, is home to many of the oldest myths of Japan, including the creation myths. Izumo Taisha, over a thousand years old and considered one of the three most important shrines in Japan, is the mythic centre of Shimane, and home to Okuninushi, the god of marriage. (According to local superstition, it is bad luck for a couple to go to Izumo Taisha together before they are married.)

Izumo Taisha Shrine

Izumo Taisha Shrine - Photo credit japan-i.jp

The eight million gods of Japan, in the Shinto tradition, meet in council in this month, ‘the month of no gods’, which in Shimane prefecture is called Kamiaritsuki, or ‘the month when gods are present’. The gods convene at Izumo Taisha Shrine to discuss the fortunes of mortals in the coming year, particularly marriages, births and deaths. The priests at Izumo Taisha welcome the gods and perform rites over seven days during the council of the gods before finally seeing them off with great ceremony. During that time, Izumo Taisha is believed to have great spiritual energy.

There are, in fact, at least two gods who do not attend the council at Izumo Taisha. One of these gods is Ebisu, the mirthful god of fishermen, luck and labourers. Legends conflict as to why he does not attend the council. Some legends say he doesn’t hear or ignores the summons, choosing to attend his own festival. Others say he acts as a self-appointed guardian, protecting Japan while the other gods are absent.

The other notable god not in attendance is Namazu, the god of earthquakes. In the shape of a giant catfish, he thrashes through the earth, causing it to shake. He is unable to attend the meeting because the other gods have pinned his head in place to prevent his destructive movements.

If you are thinking of visiting a shrine soon, I’d advise you to wait until November. Unless, that is, you live in Shimane, in which case your wishes are sure to be heard!

Culture Corner – Tsukimi

Posted on
Tsukimi Food

Tsukimi Food image via Wikipedia.org

Tsukimi (月見), or O-tsukimi, which is translated as ‘moon-viewing’, is the Japanese custom of honouring the autumn moon. This celebration usually takes place on the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the traditional Japanese lunar calendar. This is known as jugoya (full moon night) or chushu no meigetsu (beautiful mid-autumn moon). The moon isn’t always full on this night, but the autumn air is very clear and the sun, moon and earth are in optimal positions to make the moon appear at its brightest. Thus, autumn is considered the best season to observe the moon. In the modern-day calendar, the date usually falls in September. This year’s tsukimidate falls on September 12.

History
Moon festivals have a long history in Japan, originating as a celebration of a bountiful harvest by farmers. In the Heian period, the custom of viewing the moon, an element of autumn festivals in China, was introduced to Japan. It wasn’t long before Japanese aristocrats were lounging about on boats viewing the moon, in order to catch the moon’s reflection in the water, and composing impromptu poetry.
Read More

Culture Corner – Shigin

Posted on

Fan Danceby Sarah Jane Blenkhorn

Shigin (詩吟) is a form of Japanese poetry, which is usually chanted or sung. The poems are called gin (吟). They may be accompanied by traditional instruments such as the koto (Japanese harp) or shakuhachi (bamboo flute). Shigin often provides the music for the performance of certain Japanese dances, such as the sword dance or the fan dance.

Shigin is not a well-known Japanese art, even within Japan – except perhaps for ero-shigin, sung by comedian Tenshin Kimura, who sings erotic little ditties in the style of shigin. The sound of shigin is unlike anything I’ve heard in the west – a lonely, emotional sound, at times atonal to the Western ear. Everyone sings with his or her own style, and expressing the emotion of the verse is considered one of the most important things.
Read More