Kisa Jinja, Maisaka-cho, Nishi-ku, Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka
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静岡県浜松市西区舞阪町舞阪 岐佐神社
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September 14th and 15th in Japanese ancient luni-solar calendar.
(There is a 1-2 month gap between ancient and modern calendar)
旧暦 9月14日・15日
Canal Hamamatsu
+81-53-457-2359
浜松市西区舞阪協働センター/053-592-2111
This festival is held at the Kisa shrine beside Lake Hamanako on the 14th and 15th of the 9th month of the traditional Japanese lunar calendar to pray for safe fishing and a bumper fish catch. Mikoshi (portable shrines) and carriges with large drums of more than 2 m in diameter, parade throughout the old post town together with people dancing in lines. It is a very lively and grand festival.
This festival has been held as a dedication of the dance since the early Edo era, while the dedication of the drums was introduced in the late Edo era. Eight large and small drums are carried, and the huge drum has a diameter of approximately 240 cm, barely allowing it to pass through the Torii (the gateway at the entrance of a Shinto shrine). The leather used for the drums is cow skin. The particular drumstick used is according to the size of the drum. Some are approximately 1 m in length, rather like a baseball bat.
It is said that the goddess who is enshrined in Kisa Shrine goes out to Inariyama shrine, 1 km away to the east, in the early morning of the 15th day of the 9th month of the lunar calendar. She then returns in the evening through the night of the full moon. The lines of dancers are assumed to follow the return journey of the goddess. The tradition of this festival is respected, so the period and start and end times of the festival are strictly determined. There remain older performances, such as that of the three youths called “Sando-no-tsukai” who receive orders from the Director to deliver the same messages.
On the 14th, the festival is held in the evening. Huge and middle-size drums parade through four towns from afternoon to evening. For the main festival on the 15th, the ritual is performed in the morning, and subsequently Mikoshi, carried by Ujiko (Shrine Parishioners) wearing white clothing and eboshi (a type of headgear worn by ancient court nobles), depart to Inariyama shrine. Before moving the Mikoshi, “Kiyari uta” that came from Ise region must be sung.
Mikoshi, followed by the huge drum carriages preserved by each town, are carried up and down 28 very steep stone steps between the precincts of the Shrine and the three Torii. You must not miss this spectacular performance with the constant beating of drums.
When the drum carriages return from Inariyama shrine, each of the drums is beaten splendidly. This is the grand finale of this festival.
安全と豊漁を祈願した、旧暦9月14日・15日に行われる、浜名湖畔にある岐佐(きさ)神社の例祭。神輿と直径2m以上の大きな太鼓を乗せた屋台が担がれ、踊りも加わって宿場町を練り歩く、賑やかで勇壮な祭り。
この祭りは踊りの奉納として江戸時代前期から行われていたが、太鼓の奉納は江戸後期から行われている。大小8つの太鼓があり、一番大きな太鼓の直径は鳥居をぎりぎり通り抜けられる約240cmにもおよぶ。太鼓の革は、牛の一枚皮を使用している。太鼓のサイズに合わせてバチも約1mもの、まるでバットのようなものを使用している。
岐佐神社に祀られている女神は旧暦9月15日の早朝、神社から東方に1kmほど離れた稲荷山へ出かけ、夕刻から夜にかけて満月の中を帰路に着くといわれており、その供の行列であるとされている。この祭りでは伝統が重んじられており、開催日や祭りの開始・終了時間が厳格に決められている。長から指令を受けた“サンドノツカイ(三度の使い)”と呼ばれる青年3人が、3回同じ指令を伝えるなど、古い祭りの形式が残っている。
14日は宵祭りで、昼から夜にかけて4町の大太鼓と中太鼓が繰り出し、自分たちの町内を練りあるく。15日の本祭りは、朝からの神事の後、神輿が白装束に烏帽子をまとった氏子に担がれて稲荷山へむけて出発する。神輿が動く前には必ず「木遣り(きやり)唄」という伊勢から伝わった唄が歌われる。
神社の境内と3つの鳥居の間は28段の急な石段になっており、神輿に続いて各町の大太鼓を載せた屋台が石段を上げ下ろしされる圧巻の場面は見所で、この間も太鼓が叩き続けられている。
稲荷山から戻った各太鼓台は、盛大に打ち鳴らされてクライマックスを迎える。