Does it last from late at night until morning? Kuroishiji Somin Festival, one of Japan's three great festivals [Iwate Prefecture]

NEFT Editorial Department
2021.10.22
Last updated: 2024.04.8

table of contents

1 A festival with a long history, spanning more than 1,000 years
2 The festival begins at 10pm, so what will it entail?
3 Can the general public participate?
- 3.1 Once you have decided to participate, make sure you understand the customs, rules, and how to participate!
4 summary
- 4.1 Kuroishi-dera <Information>

the "Kokusekiji Somin Festival" held at Myokenzan Kokusekiji Temple in Mizusawa Kuroishi-cho, Oshu City, Iwate Prefecture .

A festival with a long history, spanning more than 1,000 years

The Kuroishiji Somin Festival has a long history, having been held for over 1,000 years .

The Somin Festival is a naked festival that is held throughout Japan, mainly in Iwate Prefecture

"While traveling south from the North Sea, the god Muto transformed into a human and asked two brothers, the poor Somin Shorai and the wealthy Kotan, for a night's lodging. Kotan refused, but Somin Shorai gladly let the traveller stay and, despite his poverty, treated him to the best of his ability with millet rice. A few years later, after Somin Shorai had married and had a child, the god Muto appeared again and revealed his true identity as Takehaya Susanoo no Mikoto. He told the man that if he wore a ring made from a reed stalk and chanted, 'I am a descendant of Somin Shorai,' he would be guaranteed good health and freedom from illness."

Quoted from Wikipedia

It is believed that the prototype of the Somin Festival was created in the mid-Heian period based on this anecdote

The identity of the "Butoujin" that appears in this story varies depending on the region, but at Kokusekiji Temple in Mizusawa, Oshu City, it is said to have been "Yakushi Nyorai," and this festival is held on the 7th day of the lunar new year to pray for good harvests and good health

The festival begins at 10pm, so what will it entail?

So what exactly does this festival involve? It starts at 10pm on the 7th of the Lunar New Year

The order of the festivals is as follows:

Naked Pilgrimage 10pm-

Kokusekiji Temple Somin Festival "Naked Pilgrimage"

At the signal of the bell, naked men gather in front of the shrine office, each carrying a lantern and a piece of purified rice sandwiched between split bamboo, purify themselves in the Ruritsubo River (Yamauchi River), and then, chanting "Jasso Joyasa," they make their way around the Yakushido and Myokendo halls, praying for a bountiful harvest and protection from disasters

Purple Lantern Climb 11:30pm-

At the signal of the bell, the procession forms, bends, and with the call of "Iyo Iyo," proceeds carrying firewood, kindling, sesame husks, and salt. In front of the main hall, fresh pine logs gathered from the mountains within the temple grounds the day before are piled up in a grid pattern in two places to a height of more than 3 meters, and fires are lit. Young people and the crowd get naked and climb onto the firewood logs, and while being exposed to sparks, they sing the Yamauchi-bushi song and pray with great energy

Noboru Betto 2:00 AM

At the signal of the bell, the people gather at the shrine office, hand sticks are distributed to the exorcists, and the head priest and the representative who has offered the somin bag act as guardians, and with the exorcists guarding the front and back, they ascend to the inner sanctuary of the Yakushido accompanied by conch shells and drums, perform a goma fire offering, and give goma to the worshippers and praying people

Onikoto 4:00 AM

Two seven-year-old boys from the parishioners are dressed in hemp robes, put on gauntlets, hold wooden mallets, and have demon masks carried upside down on their backs. They are then carried naked by adults who have taken a water ablution up to the Yakushido Hall to offer their prayers

Somin Bag Total Battle 5:00 AM

After the Onikoto ceremony is over, the battle for the Somin bag begins

Kokusekiji Temple Somin Festival "Somin Bag Total Grab Battle"

Following in the footsteps of ancient tradition, in the hope of bountiful harvests and good health, a piece of Shogun wood, a talisman against epidemics, is carved into a hexagon and the nine characters "Somin," "Shorai," "Descendants," "Door," and "Ya☆" (Somin Shorai Shison Monkonari) are written on each side. The bag is then cut into cubes and placed inside a hemp sack. One of the parishioners then takes the bag and shouts "Somin Shorai" three times towards the outside. As soon as he finishes, naked young men fight over it and the outer sanctuary of the hall turns into a melting pot of human flesh as people leap from all directions, aiming for the bag

After a quick jostling around the outer sanctuary of the hall, the group of naked figures is pushed out like a tide. It is below freezing, in the cold and snowy weather. They run west, then fly east, chasing the bag like a living thing, snatching it away, then being rescinded, and the sweaty struggle for it continues until dawn. It is the height of masculine beauty unfolding in all white

The fierce battle lasted for nearly three hours, and when dawn finally broke, it was time for the winner to sing a victory song, and it is said that the land of the person who seized the bag would be guaranteed a bountiful harvest

Can the general public participate?

Anyone from any area can participate in the Kokusekiji Somin Festival !

Registration will be available at the on-site registration venue from midnight on the day of the festival

Once you have decided to participate, make sure you understand the customs, rules, and how to participate!

However, as with any festival, there are customs and rules to follow in order to participate

If you are considering participating, be sure to check the details carefully

If you are unable to follow these rules and your sole purpose is to be naked, please refrain from participating in the festival

In principle, people must observe abstinence and purification from one week before the festival, and are forbidden to eat meat, fish, strong-smelling foods such as chives and garlic, or cooked foods made from these

Since you are participating in the festival, it is important to strictly observe the rules of fasting and purification and to fully understand that it is a religious event.

summary

Mizusawa Kuroishi Town is also a neighboring town to Hiraizumi, a World Heritage Site in Iwate Prefecture, and since 1965, the Somin Festival has been held in its current form, centered around Motsuji Temple in Hiraizumi

"Saito" (fire lantern) at the Kokusekiji Temple Somin Festival

The area is also home to many hot spring facilities and inns, making it sure to be a great winter getaway. Of course, you can also just enjoy the sights, so if you have the time, why not give it a visit?

If you are participating in the festival, please be sure to strictly observe the rules of fasting and purification, and understand that it is a religious event!