All posts tagged: matsuri

Fukagawa Hachiman Festival, Tokyo – Part 2

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On Sunday 17th, Fukagawa Hachiman Festival reached its peak. Festivities began with blessings from the Shinto priest outside the shrine. Dozens of mikoshi were carried through the streets, the participants getting soaked by far more bystanders with buckets of water. As with yesterday, it was great to know that the Pentax 645Z and lenses are properly weather sealed. The camera was splashed several times, but there were no issues. However, there were some professional water soakers that I needed to stay clear of. Numerous member of the Tokyo fire departments were there to drench the groups with water. There’s weather sealing, and there’s being hit by a firehose sealing. I wasn’t going to test the latter. My goal therefore was to try and get in close to the groups without getting soaked, or crushed underfoot by a team of mikoshi carriers. And a bit of video

Fukagawa Hachiman Festival, Tokyo – Part 1

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Fukagawa Festival a.k.a. The Water Throwing Festival held at Tomioka Hachimangu Shrine, Tokyo. Participants throw buckets of water at mikoshi (portable shirines) as they are carried through streets in one of the great Shinto festivals of Tokyo. Not everyone chooses buckets of water, there were plenty of kids with their super soakers happy to join in the fun.   These are shots from the Saturday, the day before the main festival. Going a day early allowed me to get a feel for the festival, work out the angles, and prepare myself for the following day.

Awa Odori – Time to put on your geta and dance

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Along with portraits I needed to get some images of groups dancing at the festival. There are several areas where they dance, but I based myself at the largest venue where hundreds of spectators watch the event from terraced seating. Organizing a press pass meant I could get much better images than shooting from the terraces, but even press are restricted to where they can go so not to impede the dancers or spoil the view for spectators. I shot hundreds of images between 6pm and 9.30pm, but nearly all the best shots came from a period of about 10 minutes during twilight just after the floodlights came on. Overall a great festival. If you’re ever in Japan between August 12 to 15, it’s definitely worth checking out.

Soma Nomaoi, Shinki-Sodatsusen

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If the kacchu-keiba (horse race) is analogous to the race into battle, then the shinki-sodatsusen is the battle itself. Here the riders test the skill, bravery and luck. The battle is made up of several skirmishes.  Each skirmish begins with a couple of fireworks blasted up into the sky. Each fireworks carry a banner which, after the explosion at altitude, come wafting back to earth. Any samurai who catches a banner, receives fame, glory and probably a few bit of yen. On a technical note these images were shot with the 645Z and the smc FA 645 300mm F4 ED (IF) which is equivalent of a 240mm on a FF35mm camera. I used a monopod to give some extra stability and it gave excellent results. The speed of the autofocus was slow, but it the overall sharpness was great.

Soma Nomaoi – Kacchu-keiba

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Carrying the flags of their houses, the riders race around the circuit. It’s always an interesting challenge trying to convey motion in a still image. I used a slow shutter speed and panned the camera with the subject. Get it right and you should get a blurry background while the subject remains relatively sharp. One rider was a young girl who galloped around the course with the men. I didn’t manage to get her name, but it was an impressive feat of horsemanship, irrespective of age or gender. The winners collected a piece of paper from the trackside umpires and then galloped up a zig-zag path through the crowd to top of the embankment where they collect their prizes.

Soma Nomaoi – The Riders Assemble

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On day two of the Soma Nomaoi festival, the riders parade back to the Higarigahara-Saijochi horse racing ground from their respective hometowns. Once at the ground everyone starts to get organized. Samurai on giant horses shouted instructions. Others put the final touches to their armor. There were plenty of aging samurai preparing for battle. Some took a quick break from the heat for refreshments. This shot sums up how I, or probably any foot soldier, feels when standing next to cavalry. You’re small, vulnerable, and fully aware why a horse is far more useful than any kingdom. Following the samurai are those offering spiritual protection. Ladies performed a traditional sacred dance, and mikoshi (portable shrines) were carried into the arena. Armor on, flags unfurled, prayers offered, time to ride. And yes in the above epic samurai shot, the horse is sticking its tongue out to the camera 🙂

Soma Nomaoi Festival – Shutsujin Ceremony at Nakamura Shrine

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The Soma Nomaoi samurai horsemen festival takes place each July in Fukushima Prefecture. Following the devastation of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami it was cancelled, but it restarted once again in 2013. I attended this year to document one of Japan’s great festivals, and the resilience of Fukushima’s people. Preparations for the lead samurai and his horse at the castle beside Nakamura Shrine. Breakfast of champions. Sake and cucumbers at Nakamura Shrine. Gearing up. A priest from the shrine places the helmet on a samurai rider. Time for a quick portrait. New camera, same technique of getting up in people’s faces. Priestess helps one of the youngest riders get ready. The little girl was actually the daughter of the Shinto priest. Statues at the shrine show the importance of horses to the area. The priestess like all of the other participants on horseback was an excellent rider. The mounted samurai were followed by pikemen and priests carrying a mikoshi (portable shrine). The samurai and priests then parade south from Soma to Mina Soma and the …

The Widow & The Warrior Helmet of Shingen Takeda

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As the floats wound their way around Karata City, locals and visitors lined the parade route. On the Monday, among the thousands of spectators, one person stood out. An elderly lady waited on the side of the road clutching a framed photograph of an man dressed in the colors of one of the float teams. The Warrior Helmet of Shingen Takeda approached. Two lines of men dragged the float along the street and up across the bridge. Then something rather magical happened. The giant float with the warrior helmet of Shingen Takenda stopped. The elderly lady was ushered in front of the float, and the teams of men  turned to face her. The widow held up the photograph of her husband and the men cheered,  and cheered, and cheered again.

Unjami Festival on Kouri Island, Okinawa

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Yesterday, August 25th, was the Unjami Festival on Kouri Island, Okinawa. It is a time to give thanks to the gods. Wearing wreaths of ryukyu botanzuru (Clematis taiwaniana var. ryukiuensis) village elders lead the prayers and offerings. At 96 years old, Kaneshi Fusae is the most senior of the village elders. Participants and spectators at the festival received some mochi (sticky gelatinous rice cake). After offerings of paper money and Awamori rice liquor at the shrine, 79 year old Toguchi Ayako lead the way down toward the sea. More prayers  as we crossed the little road that rings the island. And then finally, on a bluff over looking the ocean,  Toguchi-san gave the final blessings. Kaneshi-san was all smiles, another festival completed.