[Theme] Festivals

[Akira]

Annual New Year's visit to the Hon-mon-ji temple.

1. People believe a spirit lives in a tree.  The rope and the folded papers are the special decoration for the holiness.
2. The main gate to the Hon-mon-ji Temple.
3. As one of the most celebrated temples in Tokyo, many people pay visits there.
4. "Daido", the main hall.

[Anthony]

Thanks, Akira, interesting to see this festival.

[ColinM]

Love these Akira

.
3. As one of the most celebrated temples in Tokyo, many people pay visits there.

This one reminds me of the queues in Beijing's Forbidden City from a visit earlier this year

[Akira]

Thanks, Akira, interesting to see this festival.

Anthony, thank you for visiting this thread and commenting.  I'd like to encourage folks to share their own unique festivals and liturgies here.

Love these Akira

This one reminds me of the queues in Beijing's Forbidden City from a visit earlier this year

Colin, thank you for kind comments.  Maybe that's because of our common architectural style and the look of the visitors. 

[armando_m]

It does get quite busy! What's the smoke ? incense ?

[Akira]

It does get quite busy! What's the smoke ? incense ?

Armando, yes, the smoke comes from incense sticks.  People grab the smoke and put onto the part of their bodies they want to heal or improve.

[Akira]

Today I visited Toro-Nagashi on Senzoku-Ike pond.

Toro-Nagashi literally means "setting lanterns adrift".  According to Japanese Buddhism (actually it is rather the belief of the Shintoism), the spirits of the departed and the ancestors come back to this world to visit their family members around the time of the year (we call it O-Bon).  And then they return to their spiritual world on these lanterns.  This Toro-Nagashi is an annual event held on July 16.

"Senzoku-Ike" literally means "feet washing pond".  Nichiren, known as the founder of Nichiren sect of the Japanese Buddhism, allegedly cleaned his feet using the water of this pond before visiting the Honmon-ji shrine, one of the two most important shrines of the sect.

#1 and 2:
During the setting of the lanterns from the boats, the monks keep reading the sutras by telling the names of the departed and the families who offered the lanterns.

#3:
The lanterns blown by the wind towards this side of the pond.

#4:
Close up of the lanterns.  Their bases are designed after the lotus flowers.

#5:
The dabblers are a bit worried but don't know what to do...

#6:
The carp is curious.

[armando_m]

Akira, Seems it is a beautiful ceremony

[Akira]

Akira, Seems it is a beautiful ceremony

Armando, yes, it is beautiful and poignant.  I wish it would be a bit less humid and less hot...

[Lars Hansen]

Akira - I've visited this theme a few times but never got back to comment. A really interesting and enjoyable series of impressions from Japanese festivals!

Armando - some interesting and very colorful contributions as well. I like Rivera's colorful paintings - is he being celebrated during the festival for a particular reason apart from (probably) being a national hero?  :-)
     

[Akira]

Lars, thank you for looking and bumping!  Glad you enjoy it.

I'm pretty sure that there are interesting and unique festivals from your area.  Please post some images of them whenever your time allows!

[armando_m]

Akira - I've visited this theme a few times but never got back to comment. A really interesting and enjoyable series of impressions from Japanese festivals!

Armando - some interesting and very colorful contributions as well. I like Rivera's colorful paintings - is he being celebrated during the festival for a particular reason apart from (probably) being a national hero?  :-)
   

Lars,
Since it is the day of the death celebration, whoever is making the display will pick any death person to create his art, for private displays they may pick any friend or family member that is no longer with them, for a very public display, like the one shown on my images, it is more popular if they pick a known artist like Diego Rivera

[Akira]

Today I visited Oeshiki which is explained in my initial post of this thread.  As I'm a little bored with the usual images shot every year, I limit myself to the abstraction of the event.