Tag: 祭

Coming Home to the Flames: The Timeless Magic of Sagicho in Oiso

On By Kanariya EishiIn Educational, Japanese Culture, Japanese HistoryLeave a comment

Kia ora everyone- I’m finally back in New Zealand!

Earlier this month, I was lucky enough to celebrate Sagicho (左義長) while I was visiting my hometown, Oiso (大磯), Japan, and the whole experience felt both nostalgic and grounding!

The crackling of the bonfire, the scent of pine drifting through the freezing air, and the sight of everyone gathering to send off the New Year decorations and lucky charms from the previous year reminded me of how deeply these traditions shape the rhythm of the community.

Watching the flames rise against the winter sky made me feel connected to something timeless, and it was a beautiful reminder of why coming home always means so much to me.

This gorgeous fire festival, held in the Kitahama (北浜: ‘North Beach’) area of Oiso, is a National Intangible Cultural Heritage. It is celebrated to pray for the safety of one’s family and the health of the community (and also for a better handwriting if you were a calligrapher).

The Journey Begins: Ichiban Musuko (一番息子)

TV crew was there!

Though the bon fire part of the festival is held in January, the spirit of the festival begins much earlier. In early December, an event called Ichiban Musuko (一番息子; literally means ‘The First Son’) marks the start of the New Year season.

Local children go from house to house carrying Goro-ishi (ゴロ石)– a stone tied with a rope made of hay, which is offered to the local deity Saenokamisan (サエノカミサン) to pray for the healthy growth of boys.

As they move through the neighbourhood, the children chant wishes for the residents, such as praying for good health and marriage, and receive small monetary offerings. With this money, the children buy and eat tofu to ward off evil spirits and to ensure they don’t catch colds.  This tradition is linked to the legend of Yaobikuni (八百比丘尼; also know as Happyaku Bikuni), a nun who lived 800 years by eating mermaid’s flesh- obviously, its texture is similar to the one of tofu!

The Spectacle of Seetobaree (セエトバレエ)

The main event, known as Seetobaree*, takes place on the beach where nine massive structures as in the picture above are erected. These towers reach heights of 13-14 meters. They are intricately decorated with:

  • Onbe-dake (The bamboo in the middle)
  • Dharma dolls and lucky charms from the previous year
  • New Year’s calligraphy (Kakizome)

Around 6:30 in the evening, the towers are lit simultaneously from the “lucky direction” (Ehō; 恵方) of that year. As the flames reach toward the sky, participants roast dango dumplings on long bamboo poles in the fires.

* In my part of Oiso, it was called Dondoyaki (どんど焼き).

Yannagokko (ヤンナゴッコ)

Sorry about the bad photo quality!

As the bamboo towers begin to burn and fall, the festival reaches its most exciting phase: Yannagokko (ヤンナゴッコ). Young men dressed only in loincloths (fundoshi) gather from different districts to engage in a fierce ritual. They chant the Yanna Ondo (ヤンナ音頭) while performing a tug-of-war with a sled-mounted temporary shrine (Kari-miya; 仮宮) with evil spirits trapped inside. By pulling this shrine into the sea three times, the community symbolically drives away the spirits of plague and bad luck. The shrine is destroyed during this ritual.

It was my first time seeing this ritual, but honestly, it looks like a few half‑naked men in loincloths being dragged on a sled- quite a comical sight, even if it’s probably not meant to be 😁.

How do Japanese celebrate the New Year?

On By Kanariya EishiIn Educational, Japanese Culture, LifeLeave a comment

During my recent visit to Japan, I got to experience the entire New Year celebrations with my family. It was the first time in at least a decade to go through the entire routine that I once did every single year until I left my homeland when I was 19.

I am sure there are local and family variations, but here is how it is generally celebrated in my area:

Towards the end of December

Year-end Cleaning: We clean the entire house towards the end of the year. It is like the spring cleaning in the west, but we do this in winter instead. This is based on the concept of ‘kiyome’ (清め) or ‘cleansing’ before welcoming the new year.

Osechi Making: Osechi is a traditional Japanese New Year feast, which is basically an elaborate bento. Each item has a special meaning, wishing for health, prosperity, and happiness in the coming year. Traditionally, it was pre-cooked before New Year’s Day so that the family members did not have to cook for the first few days of the year to relax.

31 December

Soba Noodle Eating: We eat soba noodles to wish for health and longevity. In some areas in Japan, they eat soba noodles on 1 January instead. The toppings also vary depending on the area. In my family, we do this ‘ritual’ towards midnight, sometime around 11:00 PM.

Kōhaku Uta Gassen: In the evening, many Japanese families watch the Red and White Singing Competition (Kōhaku Uta Gassen) on NHK, our national TV. It is basically a concert that showcases the best singers in Japan.

New Year’s Day

Shrine Visit: Families visit their local shrine to pray for good luck and health. Many families visit shrines in the first three days of the year (sanganichi; 三が日), but it is my family tradition to visit our local shrine at 12:00 AM midnight.

First Sunrise Gazing (初日の出): After a short sleep, we get up at the sunrise to pray to the sun. I’d say it is more cultural than religious, but it is said to be auspicious to gaze at the first sunrise of the year.

Breakfast: We eat the osechi that we prepared towards the end of the previous year. We also drink otoso, which is sake with some medicinal herbs, to pray for good health and well-being for the year. It tastes aweful, by the way!

New Year Cards: New Year Cards (Nengajou, 年賀状) start arriving around 10:00AM. The number of the New Year cards is an indicator of your popularity. As I grew up, I only received 20-30 cards while my dad received 500 plus. People are moving away from this custom these days, though. Many youths just email or text on LINE, which is like the Japanese version of WhatsApp.

Otoshidama (お年玉): If you are still a child or a teenager, you receive some pocket money in a little envelope called ‘pochi-bukuro’ (ポチ袋). As I grew up, my Kansai (Western Japan) relatives tended to give me more 😁

Community Celebrations: Depending on the area you live in, there might be some community celebrations. In my hometown, a mikoshi palanquin (a portable shrine) is taken into the sea to pray for the water safety for the year.

I have created a YouTube video about this subject, so if you are interested, please visit my YouTube channel. Make sure to subscribe if you still haven’t!