Out for a Walk

Kobe Harbor

神戸ヴィーナスブリッジ

The view from the Kobe Venus Bridge.

It's-a me, Mario!

"Here we go!!!" Mario is-a full of da-bouncy children.

Kobe Port

Kobe Port Panoramic.

Kobe Port Birds

Birds at the Kobe Port.

Dragon Dance #2

Kobe, Japan

Dragon Dance #1

Kobe, Japan

Dondo-yaki Ash

The ashes from the Dondo-yaki bonfire are collected, and one-by-one folks come up to the pile and fill bags with the now cooled, dark-black charcoal. The ashes are placed around the outside of homes and businesses to ward off evil spirits. I have seen many little piles of ash all around Shin-Nagata; these mounds would be a rather odd sight if I had not seen their origin.

Dondo-yaki Ablaze

Dondo-yaki どんどやき

Yesterday I attended a Dondo-yaki, which is basically a special bonfire held as part of the Oshogatsu celebration. According to tradition, a Kami named Toshitokujin, the goddess with responsibility for auspicious directions and happenings for the coming year (and when appeased, insures prosperity and an abundant harvest) visits during Oshogatsu, and brings with her Shōgatsu-sama, an “Honorable New year”.

One of the primary traditions linked to Dondo-yaki is the burning of New Year’s decorations such as kadomatsu and shimenawa, and objects such as Omomori, and Kakizome. The town or village gathers at some central place and burns all these sacred symbols for the greeting of the New Year, and by burning them it is believed that they are sent off to the Kami as gifts.

I intoduced Kadomatsu and shimenawa in yesterdays post, Omamori お守り are charms dedicated to particular Shintō and Buddhist deities. Kakizome 書き初 or “first writing,” is a term for the first calligraphy (Shodō) written at the beginning of a year. As the burning paper and ash flies high, it is believed that the person who created the calligraphy will be able to rise above their limitations and write even better in the coming year. I did my kakizome last wednesday so I hope my Shodō improves this year - I certainly smelled of smoke all day.

姫路神社 Himeji Shrine

I am discovering that Oshogatsu is basically a month long celebration, not just a one day event as the New Year is commonly celebrated in the States. Another Oshogatsu tradition are the decorations pictured here in front of the Himeji Jinja, called kadomatstu. A kadomatsu 門松, literally “gate pine,” is placed in pairs in front of homes, temples, and or business in late December, with the intention of welcoming ancestral spirits or kami and acting as temporary housing for them.

Also pictured here is a Shimenawa 標縄, "enclosing rope," which are lengths of sacred ropes made of rice straw, used for purification in Shintō. At New Years these are often replaced, being hung across the tops of gates or entryways to ward off evil. Often shimenawa are decorated with shide 紙垂, paper folded in a zigzag, or tassels (such as these); which also symbolize purification.

Show Me Japan: Akashi-jō

Because Himeji castle is currently under restoration, and is consequently not very picturesque, I visited Akashi castle (jō) as an alternate. I am glad that I did, this is a quite and relatively empty area in the evening, with a atmosphere rich in history. However, if you visit in the winter as I did, bundle up as it is quite cold.

This castle was constructed by Ogasawara Tadazane in one year, which was a relatively short amount of time for such a project. The speedy progress of construction was aided by a law issued in 1615 that limited one castle per clan. Meaning that Akashi castle is partially constructed from materials, and in some cases whole sections, of previous castles in the area. Akashi castle was built on order from the Tokugawa shogunate, for its strategic value in watching over the western lords.

Pictured is the Tatsumi Turret (巽櫓) with the constellation of Orion "the hunter" poised above it. In Japanese the phrase Yowatashi Boshi, or passing the night stars, is applied to prominent star groups which appear in the East at sunset and set with the dawning sun. Orion is certainly one of the most noticeable Yowatashi Boshi; most especially the three belt stars or Mitsu Boshi.

Photograph is my entry for this weeks Show-Me-Japan (Vol.1 Issue 9).

姫路護国神社

Himeji shrine for the remembrance of the patriots from the Western District, Hyogo Prefecture near the Shiromi stand park and Himeji Castle. The lanterns are setup for oshogatsu, The Japanese New Year celebration, and must have looked stunning at nightfall.

Unfortunately, Himeji Castle is under restoration until 2014 and is totally covered in scaffolding.

Dezome-shiki One Last Time

One last shot from the Kobe Dezome-shiki, some of the uniformed superiors oversee the last of the final demonstration. These taller towers of water are actually emanating from the fire-fighting ships in the port waters.

Fireman's Parade Display

The final event for the Dezome-shiki in Kobe was a demonstration by all of the different brigades. They aimed their fire hoses and water cannons, including those on the fire-fighting ships in the port, up into the air and showered icy bay water into impressively tall and graceful arches.

Dezome-Shiki

Dezome-shiki, the Fireman's Parade (or the New Year's parade of fire brigades as it is also called) is an annual event held throughout major cites in Japan. Perhaps the largest and most famous of these is in Tokyo, which showcases the acrobatic prowess of fire fighters atop tall wooden ladders. Kobe has a Dezome-shiki of its own and while I didn't witness any acrobatics of the type famous in Tokyo, this event was no less spectacular as a demonstration of the ability and expertise of Kobe's firefighters. The event (which took place at Meriken park) featured may booths, vehicles and vessels, and personnel from all over the area. The event centered around a training scenario that involved all manner of firefighting, rescue, and disaster skills. Pictured is a rescue helicopter performing some low altitude maneuvers, later two rescuers would repel from the helicopter and secure a rescue dummy for airlift evacuation.

Merry Umbrella Project

This is a small selection of 100 umbrellas printed with children's faces from around the world, from a public art project dubbed Merry Umbrella, at the earthquake memorial at Meriken park in Kobe. Larger projects than this one were held in Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Okinawa in hopes of spreading messages of peace. The project is the work of Koji Mizutani, who also took the pictures of the children featured on the umbrellas from Mianyang, China, in the wake of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, as well as in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, after the 2004 Sumatra earthquake, and in Kobe in the aftermath of the 1995 Hanshin Earthquake.

Lantern at Minatogawa Jinja

Looking at the bottom of one of the lanterns at the Minatogawa jinja. This one is located at one of the shops that sells ema and other omamori お守り, Japanese amulets dedicated to particular Shinto deities. The word mamori means protection, with omamori meaning honorable protector.

Show Me Japan: Nankinmachi 南京町

Buddhist monk slowly traversing the few blocks of Nankinmachi (Kobe's Chinatown), offering prayers to each storefront as he passes.

Photograph is my entry for this weeks Show-Me-Japan (Vol.1 Issue 7).

Rust

The history of Kobe is largely a story of its ports. Kobe city established itself within Japan and abroad after the opening of Hyogo Port (in the Hyogo area of Kobe), in 1868. Hyogo-tsu has a naturally good port because it rests on the calm Seto Inland Sea, and Wada cape and Mt.Rokko block the wind - especially in winter. As Kobe city grew, newer port facilities were constructed eastward one after the other, forming the more modern ports in what is now called Kobe port. Consequently, Hyogo-tsu has not maintained the same prosperity and vitality as it had in the past. The area is now less commercial than industrial, and some areas are falling into disrepair. However, I am attracted to these older buildings and I am especially attracted to rust - on signs, doors, and other objects. The atmosphere can be a bit odd in this area, as not many people are about - but it is full of visual history.