Kokusekiji Temple Somin Festival: The End of Over 1,000 Years of History | 2024 Local Report [Iwate Prefecture]

The Kokusekiji Somin Festival will be the last one this year, bringing to a close a history of over 1,000 years. It has been talked about in various places for a long time, but I couldn't miss the end without having seen it for myself! So I went to the site to burn it into my memory!

What is the Somin Festival?

primarily held in the southern part of Iwate Prefecture to pray for a bountiful harvest and good health,The Somin Festival,byan "intangible folk cultural property for which measures such as record-keeping should be taken,"and is one of Iwate Prefecture's representative traditional cultural practices.

held overnight from the 7th day of the lunar new year at Kuroishiji Temple on Mount Myoken in Mizusawa, Oshu City,the Kuroishiji Somin Festival,is a festival with a history of over 1,000 years and it is no exaggeration to say that it is the most famous Somin Festival.

Details are summarized in the article below

Tohoku Rokken Trivia Media NEFT

Kokusekiji Somin Festival, one of Japan's three most unusual festivals, lasts from late into the night until the morning (Iwate Prefecture)

https://jp.neft.asia/archives/6530

Among the many winter festivals in Tohoku, the Kokusekiji Somin Festival, held at Mt. Myoken's Kokusekiji Temple in Mizusawa, Oshu City, Iwate Prefecture, stands out as one of the most unique and historic festivals. The Kokusekiji Somin Festival has a long history, spanning over 1,000 years. The Somin Festival is a naked festival that is passed down throughout Japan, primarily in Iwate Prefecture. It is said that the god Muto, traveling south from the North Sea, transformed into a human and asked two brothers, the poor Somin Shorai and the wealthy Kotan, for a night's lodging. Kotan refused, and Somin Shorai kindly let the travelers stay, feeding them on a meal of millet.

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Kokusekiji Temple Somin Festival in 2024

The final Somin Festival was held on Saturday, February 17th, 2024 (the 8th day of the Lunar New Year), from 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM, a significant change from the usual overnight event. This may be because, as it was the last festival, many visitors were expected. If it had been held at the usual time (10:00 PM to dawn), viewers would have had to be prepared for a lot of excitement

Arrive early and explore Kuroishiji Temple during the day

The temporary parking lot only had a capacity of about 200 cars, so we decided to arrive at the site around 1:00 p.m. on the day and wait until the festival started

By this time, many media representatives were already busily preparing in various locations throughout the temple grounds. It"final night"really made me realize how much attention this

takes place at the beginning of the festival,"Naked Pilgrimage"performs its ritual ablution with water. The river had been dammed to create sufficient depth for the ablution. On the opposite bank, people were already reserving their spots with cameras.

wherethe "Somin Bag Scramble,", takes place, exudes a powerful and solemn atmosphere. At that time, I had no idea that what would happen here would be like that.

The schedule for the day was also posted. It appeared that the"Hitaki Nobori", would not be held.

There are straw huts set up all over the temple grounds for participants to change clothes and rest in. They are very simple huts, but even here you can feel the history and tradition that has been passed down for a long time

As I was strolling around the temple grounds, a local called out to me, "I'm serving you some medicinal baths, so please have a drink," and I decided to have some. They were boiling water with medicinal herbs in it in what appeared to be a temple quarters next to the main hall. It was mostly tasteless, but I felt a sense of blessing in the drink

At 6pm, the Somin Festival finally begins!

After our daytime stroll, we returned to the car and waited until the time came. Just before 6pm, we headed back to the temple grounds and set up camp near the spot where the highlight of the naked pilgrimage, the water purification ritual in the Yamauchi River, takes place

After a while, a collective shout echoes from the main hall

The cries of "Jasso!" grew closer and closer, and soon a procession of naked pilgrims carrying lanterns came down the stairs toward the river

As I was admiring the endless string of lantern lights, the group at the front suddenly started their water purification ritual. It was freezing just watching, but I didn't see a single person who looked cold. Instead, everyone was smiling and seemed to be having a great time

A long shot of the Mizuguri venue. On the other side of the river, there were an incredible number of media representatives and cameras

Participants in the naked pilgrimage visit the Yakushi-do and Myoken-do halls and undergo water purification rituals multiple times. Throughout the process, shouts of "Jasso!" echo throughout the temple grounds

Just after 7pm, the bell rings and the Betto climb begins

At the signal of the bell ringing, the head priest and the representative carrying the Sumin bag, accompanied by guardians and exorcists, ascend to the inner sanctuary of the Yakushido Hall accompanied by conch shells and drums, and perform a goma offering ceremony

It seems that betto refers to the head priest of Kokuseki-ji Temple

Unable to bear the fatigue, I decided to eat and rest

At this point, we had been at Kokusekiji for about 6-7 hours, including waiting time. We decided to have dinner and take a short break

Located on the approach to the temple grounds, the restaurant was called "Somin Shokudo" and sold simple snacks and drinks

It may be rude to say that it is poorly constructed, but the ceiling inside is very low and the ground is uneven, making it difficult to even line up

However, the atmosphere was exceptional, with the bright light of the bare bulbs, the conversations and laughter of the local people chatting happily, and the uplifting atmosphere of the festival creating an indescribable, wonderful space

While waiting for your order, you can see what appears to be a bonfire from a gap in the straw wall

I ordered tempura soba. It was quite bland, but it may have been because participants in the Somin Festival apparently refrain from eating meat, eggs, or strong-smelling vegetables

After a short break, I tried to return to the main hall again..

As it was the last festival of the year, the number of visitors was unbelievable."the turnout is much greater than expected."Local elders were saying in the cafeteria that

If you leave the site for even a short time, you'll have no idea what's going on and won't be able to find your way back to the same spot. All you can see is the children'sOnigo-nobori (demon climbing)running away after their role is finished...

After our break, when we visited the main hall again in time for the battle for the Sumin bag, the scene was as follows

It is now difficult to get close to the main hall

Still, I could sense the fierce battle unfolding on the other side of the crowd. I decided to watch quietly as this year's winner was decided

The climax of the event was when men fighting over the bag poured out of the main hall onto the grounds. It was a dangerous situation with people crowding up to the steps leading to the temple, but somehow it was completed without any accidents

summary

This year marks the end of the Kokusekiji Somin Festival, which has a history of over 1,000 years. It was a wonderful experience to be able to witness this moment of history firsthand

However, there are already moves to revive the festival in the local area. While it will not be easy to solve the problems of a lack of people to carry on the tradition and a lack of successors, we hope to one day hear the good news that the Kokusekiji Somin Festival is back!

In Iwate Prefecture, there are also Somin Festivals that have been passed down for a long time in other regions, and there are also Somin Festivals that have been revived in recent years, so if you're interested, be sure to check it out!

Kokusekiji Temple <Information>

• Name: Tendai Sect Myokensan Kokusekiji Temple
• Address: 17 Yamauchi, Mizusawa Kuroishicho, Oshu City, Iwate Prefecture, 023-0101
• Phone number: 0197-26-4168
• Official URL:https://www.kokusekiji.jp/

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Aoiwa

Traveling around the Tohoku region, I enjoy drinking delicious sake and exploring the local history, traditions, and customs. I write articles based on my interests. I'm currently interested in folk performing arts, local toys, and folk beliefs