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10/05/2014

Mizusawa fire brigade

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choo jirushi, choojirushi 町印(ちょうじるし) "town markers" - Mizusawa 水沢  


Mizusawa (水沢市 Mizusawa-shi) was a city located the South of Iwate Prefecture.
It is now part of the city of Ōshū.

. . . . . and the festival 日高火防祭 Hidaka Hibuse Festival
kaboosai 「火防祭(かぼうさい)」Kabosai - Fire Prevention Festival

at Hidaka Jinja 日高神社

The festival is held on April 22.
Between a small and large red ball the marker (jirushi) on the village (choo) is shown.
As a miniature toy it is mounted on a box, signifying the square box for water of the fire brigade. The bamboo swings on the bottom signify the water.

More than 300 years ago, the town suffered of three huge fires in a short time, so the lord of Mizusawa started this parade.

- quote
This is a 300-year-old festival, held on April 29, to pray for safety from fire hazards.



The lord of the Mizusawa area had each of the six neighborhoods set up a fire brigade 仁心火防定鎮. In the festival, representatives from each of the fire brigades visit a local shrine in the morning, and then a parade through the city begins.

These six towns, copying after a fire-fighting system called “Edo Iroha-gumi” which developed in Edo (present day Tokyo) during Edo Period, each make offerings to Hidaka Shrine to pray for safety from fire accidents.

Each group has a float of red, green, and gold, decorated with paper lanterns and flowers. About 20 to 25 girls ride on each float and play a unique musical accompaniment with flutes, small taiko drums, and shamisen (three-stringed instrument).
The climax of the festival is the “aiuchi” performance on the second evening which the floats show a brilliant competition of traditional music.


float from Kawaguchi 川口

At night, the paper lanterns are lit, creating an elegant and ethereal atmosphere.
- source : www.japan-iwate.info




心(立町)


source :d.hatena.ne.jp/oshu-plazainn


Each of the six fire brigades had a special crest they used on their coats and banners, called "crest of the village" (choo jirushi)

町印は木竿の先に大きな赤玉(火の象徴)と馬簾(ばれん-水の象徴)をつけ、
それに前期の仁(川口町)、心(立町)、火(柳町)、防(大町)、定(横町)、鎮(袋町)のマークが記されている。
「仁心をもって火防定鎮す」という町印の読みかたは、「和」と「協」の精神を表しているといわれている。
- source : www.city.oshu.iwate.jp


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source :zplaza.sblo.jp/archives

袋町組のモニュメント - 鎮(袋町) Fukuro Cho

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- source : 373kai.blog26.fc2.com

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- source and more photos : www.hoso0907.com/machi

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source : www.asahi-net.or.jp

miniature, about 13 cm high


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source : www.asahi-net.or.jp ~SA9S-HND

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. Iwate Folk Art - 岩手県  .

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Hidaka Jinja 日高神社 Hidaka Shrine

岩手県奥州市水沢区日高小路13 / Hitakakōji-13 Mizusawaku, Ōshū-shi, Iwate


source and more photos : jinja-kikou.net/ousyuu

- Main deity in residence (8 altogether)

天御中主大神 / Ame no minaka nushi no kami 天之御中主大神
. Amenominakanushi . deity of creation .


Founded in 810 on request of Saga Tenno 嵯峨天皇.
Generalissimo . Sakanoue no Tamuramaro 坂上田村麻呂 . (758 - 811)
had captured the castle 胆沢城 Isawajoo here in 802 and the area has been known as 日高見国 Hitakami no Kuni of the Ezo people 古代蝦夷.

Legend knows that when Minamoto no Yoriyoshi 源頼義 (988 - 1075) (father of Hachimantaro) came here around 1055 to fight the Abe clan, the rainy sky cleared up and the sun came out (hi ga takaku 日が高くのぼった) around 2 in the afternoon, he could kill his enemy.
So the shrine was named 日高妙見神社 Hidaka Myoken Jinja.

In 1871 it became the main shrine of Mizusawa.

There is also another shrine in the compound, Mizuyama Jinja 瑞山神社 for the souls of the Uusu clan 留守氏, who lived in Mizusawa since 1629 as senior statesmen of the Date clan.
A statue of 留守宗利 Usu Munetoshi(伊達宗利 Date Munetoshi)(1590 - 1638)is in the compound.

The shrine was rebuilt in 1428.

The memorial stone for 八幡太郎義家 Hashimantaro Yoshiie (1039-1106) is in the compound to memorize the well where he washed his sword after killing 安倍貞任 Abe no Sadato (1019 – 1062).
太刀洗川の碑
Yoshiie was Chinjufu shogun (Commander-in-chief of the defense of the North).

. 源八幡太郎義家 Minamoto no Yoshiie Hachimantaro .
and his wife Akashi hime 明石姫 Princess Akashi

Abe no Sadato 安倍貞任
(1019 – October 22, 1062)
was a samurai of the Abe during the Heian period.
Sadato was the son of Abe no Yoritoki, the chinjufu shogun (general in charge of overseeing the Ainu and the defense of the north).
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. WASHOKU . - Regional Dishes from Iwate - .

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1 comment:

Gabi Greve said...

石巻市 Ishinomaki city 牡鹿町 Oshika town
The Kannon statue in 観音堂 the Kannon Hall of 給分 Kyubun was the mamori honzon 守り本尊 protector deity of Abe no Sadato.
.
https://gokurakuparadies.blogspot.com/2020/12/mamori-honzon-legends.html
.