Women play the leading role s in dance and Taiko drumming. In the parade, a powerful drum performance that is in perfect order is followed by an elegant dance. Sansa dance has a Guinness record in “Largest Japanese Drum Ensemble”. I am so sorry to say that you do not need to get any paid seat tickets in advance because the powerful parade can be seen from anywhere.
As soon as I get off Morioka Station, the dance is taking place in front of station. I saw the traditional Sansa dancing with a slow and graceful tone by chance.
morioka1 at the station
Sansa dancing festival and food may make you feel some influence from Korean culture, for example, Five colors in the clothes, noodles, grilled meat.
Let’s go out early and participate in a free dance class held at the prefecture hall. In Sansa Festival the beginners welcome to the circle of dancing.
Each community in Tono city showcases traditional performing arts, for example, Kagura dance, Deer dance, Tiger dance, Sansa dance, etc.
We pay homage to the fact that many communities are maintained and traditional arts are inherited in Tono City, which has a population of only 30,000.
Let’s get mochi (rice ball) thrown from the mikoshi and deer hair after the deer dance for your good luck. Never overdo it.
The origin of Tono horseback archery (Yabusame in Japanese) is in Kamakura (Tsuruoka Hachimangu shrine). It was brought to Tono (Tono Hachimangu shrine) via Hachinohe (Kushibiki Hachimangu) in Aomori prefecture as well as ‘Kappa’ story. But the distinguishing feature in Tono’s is that the another warrior runs to see if the previous warrior hits the target successfully or not. If the arrow hits the target, he will yell out “Yo itariya (Good shooting) ! “, but it sounds like “Yo Italiano ! “.
Each warrior runs 3 times on the track and he shoots a bow three times on each run.
Preliminary preparation is essential to enjoy Tono truly. Tono Story is compiled by Kunio Yanagita for more than 100 stories told by mouth, but they are all unsatisfactory because of lack of succession. Am I the only one who feels like the story is cut off? Even so, when I came to this land, it was strangely convinced that such a strange thing happened.
<example1> God hides the child
At twilight, the girl disappeared suddenly, and thirty years later, when her relatives were gathering at her house, she suddenly reappeared, but she soon left somewhere……. So what happened then? I do not understand the continuation of the story.
<example2> Kappa
While washing the horses in the river, a kappa came out and tried to pull the horse into the abyss. Kappa, who was caught by a villager and said to kill him, apologized mysteriously saying “I’ll never be bad again”, so the villager felt sorry for him and letthe kappa go off. Then Kappa stopped playing mischief……… So what happened then? I do not understand the continuation of the story.
tono guardian kappa
Kappa is said to be apparition (ghost), abandoned baby, etc. Historically, there is a theory that the Lord moved from Hachinohe with Kappa living at Kushibiki Hachimangu Shrine in Hachinohe. At the entrance to the shrine, a dog is usually a guardian, but in Tono this is the kappa. The Tono Kappa likes cucumbers, and the Tono city issues a capture permission (This is true!).
<example3> an old man
In order to secure food for the family, an old man, over 60 years old, was moved to a land called Denderano. He not only waited for his death, but also went down to the village during the daytime to engage in farm work and live……. It’s a thought-provoking story.
Please find your mysterious story and favorite landscape in Tono countryside !
Gallery (click photos)
tono countryside
tono guardian kappa
tono Kappa abyss
tono hop
tono grapes
tono arakamisama in aozasa
tono denderano
tono konseisama
tono unstable stone
Roadside Rest Area ‘Wind Hill'(Welcome Festival event)
Here you can buy lunch boxes made by locals. Good assortment !
If you compare the ranking of hot springs to sumo wrestling, this is said to be Yokozuna (Grand Champion) in the east. There are many original hot springs along the blue-white river, and fresh hot springs spring from the bottom of the wild bathtub. The hot springs are said to deteriorate from the moment they come into contact with the air, so it’s ideal because they come directly to the bathtub without touching the air. On the other hand, however, some hot springs are ridiculously hot, so be careful not to burn yourself. Another point to note is that you have to go down to the riverbed every time you want to enter any hot spring, so you will be exhausted to enter the hot spring. It may be because this is Yokozuna !
geto hot spring
Hot spring cabin is dismantled before every winter so as not to be crushed by deep snow. Thank you for their hard work and enjoy the hot springs.
‘The Summer grasses / Of brave soldier’s dreams / The aftermath’
by Basho
Basho traveled to Tohoku district during the Edo period and left many famous haiku poems. One of them is the battlefield of the distant past. The view of the flowing Kitakami River where Basho wrote this haiku was impressed and too sad because this was just the place where Yoshitsune harmed himself being surrounded by his brother’s army and where the glory of Hiraizumi began to collapse. Almost the same fate as the one of Emishi was repeated.
Stories of Aterui and Yoshitsune in another post >read more
Motsuji Temple, World Heritage
motsuji temple pond
It was said that Hiraizumi had the same scale and brilliance as the capital of Kyoto during its Golden Age. Being far from the political center brought peace and prosperity to Hiraizumi. The garden in Motsuji Temple has been restored and remind us of Uji-Byodoin Temple in Kyoto.
‘Eary summer rains / Fall not here / Temple of light’
by Basho
chusonji temple basho
Basho traveled to Tohoku district during the Edo period and left many famous haiku poems. One of them is the Chusonji Temple, especially the golden hall. The hall was shining with a dazzling light, which seemed to have prevented the rain. It may have something to do with the discovery in Tohoku as a result of exploring the whole country because a large amount of gold was needed to manufacture the Great Buddha of Todaiji Temple in the Nara era.
chusonji temple oi
You can’t reach the golden hall unless you climb a fairly long slope. There are many highlights, so let’s save your physical strength. One of highlights I thought was the backpack ‘oi’ Benkei used when he came back to Hiraizumi to accompany his master Yoshitsune and escaped from the army of Yoshitsune’s brother Minamoto no Yoritomo. I was surprised that there was something like this. It was made of wood with ‘Kamakura’ carving. How ironic it is that the name of carving method came from the capital name where Yoritomo put the political center.
koromogawa saku
Here around Chusonji Temple is strategic region that have been important since ancient times. It was the forefront base when the Yamato Imperial Court was trying to expand its power to the north in Heian period, and it was also the forefront of Emishi defense. The captured leader of Emishi, Aterui, was killed in Kyoto, almost the same as the fate of Yoshitsune. You can look down on Japan’s oldest ancient battlefield from the place you climbed up, but the only trace is the lush river. Against this background, another Basho haiku has been created.
chusonji temple big treeschusonji temple basho haiku
The Kitakami Mountains have been land for a long time since the Japanese Islands were torn off from Russia by the plate movement. They are older than the volcanic belt that runs through the Japanese archipelago. Therefore, Geibikei was exposed to long erosion and a deep canyon was completed.
Until Edo period the villagers did not list the canyon on the map, fearing that many officials would visit it for sightseeing. Recently, tourism development was carried out as a boat excursion. Autumn leaves and snow boat excursions are also good, but the excursions in the calm atmosphere of the fresh green were exceptional.
In the canyon surrounded by cliffs, I could hear only the voices of birds other than the sound of the water flowing by pointing the river bottom with a rod, and the song of the boatman quietly soaked into the canyon.
Gallery (click photos)
geibikei entrance
geibikei approach to the end
geibikei named from nose
geibikei senryutan
geibikei stones
geibikei throwqing stones for lucky
geibikei boat
geibikei bird
geibikei boatman
Fun at the end !
geibikei stones
At the turning point of excursion, once get off the boat and enjoy the spectacular view for a while. At the end of walk, throw a stone toward the hole in the cliff and wish yourself good luck, or just try your own pitching control. The things written on the stone that became a strike will be fulfilled, so it is necessary to check the things before throwing !
