Autumn Festival at Fujinomiya Sengen Shrine
This is one of my favorite fall festivals and I have attended quite a few times. It has a wonderful local feel, with families and traditional activities. It is a beautiful setting, usually in Mt. Fuji’s shadow. This day, Mt. Fuji was hiding in the clouds.
This fresh cold water comes down the mountain from Mt. Fuji. People bring containers to fill and take home.
My favorite food here is Fujinomiya yakisoba.
There is usually some kind of martial art type demonstration at festivals here. On this day, there were sword demonstrations, with two participants cutting rolled tatami mats with their super sharp swords. I don’t know the name of the musical instrument that the woman in the kimono was playing, but the sound was perfect for this demonstration.
Below, the newspaper is being sliced.
Below is rolled tatami slicing.
Mt. Fuji is behind these clouds.
A highlight of this festival are these huge wood carts that are pulled around the streets near the shrine by the participants.
1 comment:
Oh, what an abundance of sights: the beautiful reflections in the pond, the clouds in the sky, the clear water, the sword performances with newspapers and tatami mats being sliced.
Surely the lady is playing the koto? It's an instrument I like, as it adds mood and atmosphere; I can hear water dripping or a lively creek.
As you often point out, there are old trees at shrines and temples; here the roots resemble snakes wriggling down into the ground and up the tree trunks.
The festival floats and carts have fantastic wooden carvings and some of the participants are really acrobats - I wouldn't be able to bend backwards like that!
They are also wearing festival costumes in an unusual colour - purple.
Thank you for letting me take part in the festival through your blog post.
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