Fervent Prayer, Japanese Style: Torii-yaki Festival of Hakone Komagata Shrine 箱根駒形神社鳥居焼祭り

 

So, to join the festival of Hakone Komagata Shrine 箱根駒形神社, first visit the shrine itself. Every year, the rites for the festival of Komagata Shrine start around 13:00 of August 5. At the beginning of the festival, two floating Torii were situated in Lake Ashi 芦ノ湖, visible from the shore. The opening rites are for the devotees of the Shrine, and so it is difficult for mere tourists to join. The climax will be after sunset. The visitors would wait somewhere along the south shore of Lake Ashi. Around 16:00 of August 5 we can go to the port for Hakone Sightseeing Cruise on the south shore of Lake Ashi. Already, locals and knowing tourists would start saving the spot along the shore to enjoy fireworks that would start at 20:00. You can join them or go to Komagata Shrine instead. I thought having supper in such situations could be tricky and so chose to have early meals from food stalls busy catering the tourists.

Tourists are busy securing the place on the shore.

Food stalls

My supper, Tako-yaki.

and dessert.
Bananas are coated with white chocolate. 😁

Around 17:00 you would go to Komagata Shrine from the port, which is about 10 minutes of leisurely walk. Along the way, you shall meet locals gathering and find the portable shrine, Mikoshi 神輿, at the entrance of the Shrine outside torii. People are in costumes, aka Happi, typical for carrying portable shrine on their shoulders. On their back each district has their own community’s name printed in Kantei style of calligraphy, just like Kabuki set-up. I noticed they are congregated not only from “Odawara” and “Mishima” districts, but the other district, like Hatajuku 畑宿 and the others, of Hakone Town. I would report you someday, probably next year, about the festival of Hakone Shrine that is the neighbor for Komagata Shrine and one of the most prestigious Shintoism Shrines in Japan. As the institution is so high-class, the Hakone Shrine festival could be a bit difficult for “commoners” to be protagonists for the rite. In contrast, the festival of Komagata Shrine reflects the history of the community it is located. It is more “local.” I tell you next how it goes.

People are congregating.

The standard footwear for such occasion.

Around 18:00, the rite leading to the climax of the festival of Komagata Shrine started. First, the priests for the Shrine conducted purification ceremony in inner sanctuary of the Shrine. Those who were allowed in the sanctuary were the main devotees to the shrine, but we could see how it went from outside, quietly of course. After the ablution completed in the shrine, the priests and community biggies gathered in front of the portable shrine, and the priests again conducted cleansing ritual this time for the portable shrine and for the people gathering in front of the shrine, me included. After the rite, people in Happi began carrying the Mikoshi with energetic shouts, Soiya! Soiya! The Mikoshi paraded the streets of former “New” area created by immigrants from Odawara and Mishima 400 years ago. The festival hopes to fend off evils from their community by the power of the shrine.

First in the sanctuary,

Next for us all.

The offering to the deity of Komagata Shrine

Departure of Mikoshi

After the portable shrine ceremony, torches were lit by fire created in the inner sanctuary of the Shrine and followed the portable shrine with slow traditional Japanese music. The goal of the pageant was the open space east of the pier for sightseeing cruise ship of Lake Ashi. When the Mikoshi arrived at the goal around 19:30, people who carried it danced energetically with the cries of Soiya! Soiya! Meanwhile, the purifying fire behind the Mikoshi departed from the melee in the open space and proceeded calmly with subdued traditional music. The destination was a smaller pier normally used for pleasure rowboats. From the pier, priests and fire embarked in two boats heading to the two Toriis situated in the lake. They set fire on Toriis. For us observers, it was really the mixture of frenzy and meditation. We on the shore were showered with the energy of the dance and over there on the lake burning two toriis quietly reflecting its light on the water. The entire lake looked pitch black under starry sky. We can see the forested silhouette of outer rim of the lake and Mt. Fuji. It is mystical.

Evening for Lake Ashi, August 5, 2026.

Mikoshi was entering the lakeshore.

Pitch black Mt. Fuji showed the lights
from mountain lodges.

People were dancing.

Purification is very important for this festival. Legend says when Shogunate governed the checkpoint, some townsmen, of Odawara? or Mishima?, polluted the lake. The Dragon, the deity of the Lake, was outraged and let a horrible plague ravage the community. The new community of forest people was united and envisaged the way to apologize and to promise treasuring the Lake. Purifying fire for torii was born. The craze and introspection at once are for the peace to return to the community. Forests people are serious.

Hakone Town Hall 箱根町役場

256 Yumoto, Hakonemachi, Ashigarashimo-gun,
Kanagawa 250-0398
〒250-0398 神奈川県足柄下郡箱根町湯本256

Phone: 0460-85-7111
https://www.hakone.or.jp/

Family Tradition of 400 years: Komagata Shrine of Hakone Town 箱根駒形神社

 

“Bon 盆” or “O-bon お盆” is Japanese traditional festival for summer around July 15. It’s based on folk religion combined with Buddhism. It is said that dead ancestral souls would visit this world once a year around O-bon time and spend summer holiday with their descendants. If you like, Buddhism monk will come your home and read mantra in front of the family altar to welcome returnees. If that family has a long memory, the gathering must be a huge party with centuries old grandpas and grandmas … Each rite of the festival is performed privately at family. Though, often a large village-wide, or for that matter city-wide, festival is held with these family gatherings. You may have heard of the Gion Festival of Kyoto 祇園祭.

Around July and August 15,
supermarkets in Yokohama provide
these veggie baskets that are offerings
 for ancestral soul visiting home.

I said once a year of home coming, but as Japan switched in 1873 from lunar calendar to Julian calendar, the date nowadays faces a scheduling conflict with a peak season for summer agricultural works. Families in Tokyo or Yokohama, i.e. very urban, follow July 15 of Julian calendar without problem, but communities with strong rural and/or traditional memories have O-bon around August 15 when ag works can have a small break between summer and autumn. The August O-bon is also conformable with lunar July 15 that moves between the middle of Julian August to September. So, Japanese summer of July and August is the time of family and community festivals. Do you think July 15th Yudate Lion Dance 湯立獅子舞 of Hakone Miyagino Suwa Shrine 諏訪神社 (my post for August 3rd) has nothing to do with the connotation of coming back ancestral souls from the underworld? Meanwhile in Hakone, August festival season is set between July 31 to August 5. The largest one is for Hakone Shrine 箱根神社 (I will report it to you someday in future). But the one that may have more atmosphere of intergenerational family gatherings is held on August 5th at Komagata Shrine 駒形神社. Last week, I’ve attended the festival for Hakone Komagata Shrine. It was a festival for forest people.

Hakone Komagata Shrine

In Japan especially in Tohoku and Kanto Region there are many Komagata Shrine where guardian mountain gods are in charge of horses and people engaged in business with horses. Komagata Shrine in Hakone is apt in this regard. Among Shintoism Shrines in Hakone, Komagata Shrine of Hakone is located nearest to Hakone Pass on Route 1. Hakone Pass is the traditional border between Kanagawa and Shizuoka Prefectures, or to be exact, Odawara Feudal Domain and Nirayama Magistrate Office 韮山代官所 for Mishima 三島 (now the City of Mishima). Odawara Domain held by the family for senior councillor for Tokugawa Shogun, and Nirayama Magistrate was a direct holding of Tokugawa Shogun. Before 1618 when the Shogunate Government established Hakone Checkpoint on the shore of Lake Ashi, the mountainous area had only forests. The developer Shogunate, with the strong will for defending Edo (= Tokyo), created a completely new town just west of the checkpoint. They forced people to immigrate from Odawara and Mishima. 50 families from one same community in Odawara Fiefdom were moved to then the Odawara District of Hakone which now has the port for sightseeing cruise ship on Lake Ashi. They were called Odawara people. 300m or so west of the pier, there is a small stream. Beyond this stream to the west was called Mishima District and 50 families from the same community in Mishima were transferred from home. They were labelled Mishima people. As the Shogunate relocated the two entire community to these area, blood and local ties of their original home carried over to their new home.

Hakone Checkpoint which is now a museum.

Both of two communities were originally from the inn towns on Route 1, aka Tokaido.　Yeah they were the people of mountainous forest, but their family business was not for agriculture or forestry. They were specialized in mountain logistics sustaining the artery road of Japan. Odawara District and Mishima District each had official district job titles in charge of handling parcels, arranging packhorse drivers, couriers, etc. for moving through Hakone mountains. The two communities shared the workload by rotating the duty every 10 days. The system worked well for 250 years till 1869. Now in the 21st century, there is no governmental checkpoint in Hakone and Japanese has constitutional right for the freedom of choice in employment. Though, people living in the southwest area of Lake Ashi remember the history of their family.

Former “border” between
Odawara and Mishima Districts of Hakone
ended around this pier in Lake Ashi.

Former “Mishima District” in Hakone

Komagata Shrine is located southwest of Odawara and Mishima Districts combined. Oh, by the way, in Japanese Onmyodo (traditional Jujutsu for the way of Yin and Yang), southwest direction has the gate vacuuming evil spirits from the community. Don’t you think for the psyche of artificially created old town it would be important the festival of Komagata Shrine? Next week, I tell you about my adventure with the festival for Hakone Komagata Shrine. The event itself is popular with fireworks after the rite for the shrine. I personally prefer the ritual just to the secular extravaganza of fireworks ... Please stay tuned!

Hakone Town Hall 箱根町役場

256 Yumoto, Hakonemachi, Ashigarashimo-gun,
Kanagawa 250-0398
〒250-0398 神奈川県足柄下郡箱根町湯本256

Phone: 0460-85-7111
https://www.hakone.or.jp/

Meditation in a forest of boiling planet: Koishikawa Botanical Garden 小石川植物園

 

The final week of July was dreadful in Yokohama. When the earthquake hit Kumamoto, the temperature around here was hovering above 35 degrees Celsius. It was hard as we were talking about cool summer during the first half of July. Sudden scorching days were tough to cope with. This week, the temperature in Yokohama has returned to the “before boiling planet” level, around 30°C for summer. Forecasts say it would be around 33 degrees next week, but it still sounds milder than last week … So sorry for you in Europe, or in Korea and western parts of Japan including Kumamoto ... During the heat wave, many of us did the same as many of you are doing now with 40°C, i.e. stayed indoors with air conditioning.

Still Naomi went to a forest therapy training. Last weekend, we gathered at Koishikawa Botanical Garden. In the forest of platanus the thermometers we carried reported 36+°C. Even under the gigantic three camphor trees, our gear showed 35°C. If for normal temperatures of summer weekend, we must have met in the garden many visitors who wanted to chill in the forest surrounded by Tokyo’s concrete blocks. With 36+°C , nope. The forest was completely quiet only a few visitors.

A quiet garden

But Newton’s apples were in abundance.

We practiced meditation and breathing under shades of trees. We found even when the thermometers cried out dangerous temperatures, gentle winds came and went within trees. They were very soothing. The entire forest encouraged us to know the place with all our five senses. We watched treetops of metasequoias swaying slowly, listened to the chorus of cicadas, smelled a fresh aroma from flowers of chaste tree, felt the soft touch of leaves of wild berries, and from thermos enjoyed cold herb tea of lemon grass, rosehip and lemon balm. It was incredible experience in the center of Tokyo.

As we knew how to enjoy forests with 36°C, I think we were able to enjoy the experience. I don’t recommend you do the same without somebody who can support your walk in the forest of boiling planet. But I say it for sure; we can do it if we come up with the idea. Fingers crossed for any victims of natural disaster. I pray for anybody who’s suffering.

Koishikawa Botanical Garden 小石川植物園

3-7-1 Hakusan, Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo 112-0001

〒112-0001 東京都文京区白山3丁目7番1号

Lion Dance to Slay Damons: Yudate Lion Dance for Miyagino Suwa Shrine, Hakone Town 湯立獅子舞

 

National Route 138, the ancient byway for Route 1, connects City of Odawara 小田原, City of Gotemba 御殿場 (Shizuoka Prefecture), and City of Fujiyoshida 富士吉田 (Yamanashi Prefecture). It departs from Kanagawa Prefecture via Otome Pass 乙女峠 of Hakone mountains (; my post last week). Interestingly, for the 21st century a very peculiar lion dance festival remains in 3 communities (more or less) along Route 138. They are in Numata 沼田 of Gotemba, Sengokubara 仙石原 of Hakone, and Miyagino 宮城野 of Hakone. The name of the dance is “Yudate-shishimai 湯立獅子舞” or “Yudate Lion Dance.” There are several historical records saying that Yudate Lion Dance was popular during the 18th century among villages east of Mt. Fuji. For Hakone, the style was brought in 1776 by Kayanuma Gihei 萱沼義兵衛 of Fujiyoshida City 富士吉田. For its rarity and historical value for Japanese traditional culture, the dance was designated Important Intangible Folk Cultural Heritage of Japan by the national government and Kanagawa Prefecture.

To Otome Pass

“Yudate 湯立“ is one of the repertories for Shinto ritual. Shinto priests boil water in front of a deity with a large pot. Then one of the priests who is possessed by the god soaks sasa-bamboos and/or ritual paper streamer called Heigushi 幣串 in the boiling water. Next s/he splashes the water to the altar and the people who came to observe the ritual. It’s to cleanse whatever evil that tends to stick to us, even to the shrine. The nationwide standard is no-dance Yudate done only by taken priest(s). But, in Yudate Lion Dance the purification rite is done by dancers. In Numata, the festival is on the first Saturday between 23-26 of July. In Suwa Shrine 諏訪神社 of Sengokubara 仙石原, it’s on March 27. In Kintoki Shrine 公時神社 which is the child shrine of Sengokubara’s, the festival is on May 5th. And in Miyagino 宮城野, the ritual is held in Miyagino Suwa Shrine every July 15th. I had a chance to attend the ritual last month in Miyagino.

Miyagino Suwa Shrine is over there.

The final stretch to the sanctuary.

The purification ritual itself lasts 10 days from start to finish. During this time, the dancers and priests “purify” their body and mind by staying in the shrine. What non-priests and non-dancers can join is the climax, lion dance, and receives splashes of purified water. For the festival in Miyagino Suwa Shrine, it is in the middle of summer which is “boiling” these days thanks to climate change. The dancers must wear heavy costumes of lion and dance around the boiling pot for about 2 hours. It’s ascetic practice.

Lion costume

The pot was boiling in front of the shrine.
The bamboo pillars at four corners were to
 form barrier to separate the sacred within
from the evil without.

So, on the 15th of last month around 13:00, the dance ritual started in Suwa Shrine of Miyagino. First, priests and biggies of Hakone town offered bunches of sasa bamboos to the shrine and thanked and asked the deity the past-present-future peace in the community and beyond. Next, the team of dancers dedicated their lion dance inside the shrine. The lion was performed by two dancers: one was in front for the head, and another was in the back for the body. There were 2 programs inside the shrine dedicated to the deity completely. We hamble humans observed, or peered in to be exact, the performance from the outside of the shrine. Even though we could witness the two dancers for the lion were in sync. Each program started with the choreography (was it?) without tools, then carried symbolic items of Heigushi, and bell in turn. The final part of a program was always concluded with the step sequence named “Kurui 狂い.” … Er, it’s difficult to translate the condition into English … Maybe, ecstasy, exhilaration, …?

Dedicating sasa bamboos
for the start of the dance.

The dance for the god.

With Heigushi.

The dancers (two for a lion; one for a lead, and the last person as rearguard) next come out from the structure and purifying dance at the corners of sanctuary. Samurai sword (oh yes) was added as tools for dance. I felt the dancers were performing like worriers in Damon Slayers 鬼滅の刃 … maybe Kamado Tanjiro竈門炭治郎? (My video for this part can be watched from here.) After cleansing the entire sanctuary, the dancers of lion costume moved to the area of boiling water where it was barriered by 4 bamboo pillars and sacred rope. The first composition was performed by two dancers. Then the next 6 routines were staged by a dancer who wore lion head. Purification by the lone dancer 5 steps used Heigushi, bell and the sword where the dancer danced very near to the boiling pot. I found the step design was so intense that looked indifferent to heat or fire below the pot. The people in Miyagino told us when the outbreak of infectious disease was common without antibiotics, the ritual had special meaning for the community. They said it was recalled in honest when COVID raged.

The dancers came out from the shrine.

And finally, the dancer took the offered bunches of sasa bamboos to dunk them into the boiling pot and carried the wet bunches first to the shrine building to splash the dripping. (My video can be seen from here.) He then came in front of the lines of us to splatter the sacred water over us. It is said that receiving the drops from the purified sasa bamboos by the lion would ensure good health of the year for the attendee. I think I am now OK against the serious illness for the next 12 months. (Yeehaw!) 😊

The conclusion of the dance was performed again in the shrine structure by two dancers. After the performance, a brief saltation was done by the troop for us attendees of the festival. The dancers of lion costume took off the mask and showed their teenager faces. The leader of the troop told us they were local highschoolers and freshmen in college. No wonder. In a heatwave of Japanese July, they covered their body with such a heavy outfit and props to dance intensely. Without young power, the tradition must have collapsed. At the greeting, the leader of the troop told us they welcomed young people who had intention to support the dance, and Hakone in aging Japanese society had sense of urgency to deal with the matter. It’s a familiar story these days around here … Let’s support Damon Slayers!

Sasa bamboos after the rite.
They were returned to the shrine as offering.

Hakone Town Hall 箱根町役場
256 Yumoto, Hakonemachi, Ashigarashimo-gun,
Kanagawa 250-0398
〒250-0398 神奈川県足柄下郡箱根町湯本256

Phone: 0460-85-7111
https://www.hakone.or.jp/

Life in Faraway Forests of 400 years ago: Hakone Sengokubara Community 仙石原

 

Historically, Hakone was a place where travelers endured the rugged road for commuting between Kyoto and Kanto Plane. Now that the town welcomes tons of international visitors as touristic destination, the area was not so populated. Especially after 1619 the border guards for Edo (=Tokyo) watched the traffic in Hakone with severe eyes. The main route to pass Hakone Mountains was the present-day National Route 1. It had the famous Hakone Sekisho (Checkpoint) where Samurai Warlords from the west must have passed to meet their boss, the Shogun in Edo. This National Historic Site on Lake Ashi was a sort of headquarter for a checkpoint system around Hakone. In this system there were 6 checkpoints, including the HDQ. The other 4 checkpoints were outside of Hakone area; Nebukawa 根府川, Yagurasawa 矢倉沢 (near the place we visited in my post August 4, 2017), Yagamura 矢ケ村 (near the place we visited in the post March 23, 2018), and Kawamura 川村 (ditto in my post November 3, 2023). The fifth checkpoint was in Hakone, in present-day Sengokubara town 仙石原 to be exact.

Hakone Checkpoint HDQ

When you enter Hakone via Route 1 from Odawara, we pass a steep hairpin curve at Oohiradai, go in front of Fujiya Hotel, one of the oldest western style hotels in Japan, and meet a Y-crossing. It’s a departing point of Highway Route 1 and the historic byway for Tokaido now with the name National Route 138. Route 1 leads us to the oceanside main route to Kyoto. Route 138 will bring us to Gotemba City 御殿場 and foothills of Mt. Fuji via Otome (= Maiden) Pass 乙女峠. With meticulous planning for security of Edo, the Shogunate of course built a checkpoint along the byway. That office was in Sengokubara. The reason why it was there would be simple. Before, from Sengokubara to Otome Pass, there was no human settlement to speak of. The place was just a forest. There remains a written public record for 1611, which says Sengokubara community had 4 households and 5 people.

To Otome Pass.
Exactly speaking, “Otome” meant
 “Stop anybody here 御留” in old Japanese.
 The word happened to have same pronunciation
as “Maiden,” and hence the 21^st century notation.
Peaceful days are good.

Now the place on Route 138
where Sengokubara checkpoint stood
had a stone monument explaining the situation.

Once Mr. Teruo Katsuyama, the Chief Curator Emeritus for Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Natural History, told us from a view point of professional botanist Sengokubara was/is not a good place for traditional Japanese agriculture where rice is uber-important. Yes, Sengokubara is the flattest boggy place in Hakone. The wide expanse of marsh is seemingly suitable for rice paddies. Though, the volcanic soil is too poor for rice, and cold climate in the plateau of ASL 650-750m provides too short growing season for tropical rice. The population of Sengokubara community did not grow much until 1869 when Sengokubara checkpoint was abolished by new Meiji Government. The place could not feed many people from local ag crops. I imagine the main industry at that time there was forestry to keep Shogun’s forest spreading to Otome Pass whose duty included surveillance of illegal evaders from the checkpoint and bureaucracy for policing.

This flatness is good for
summer house community of the 21^st century.
 But …

With such view for traditional life in Sengokubara, it’s a bit difficult to color life of yester centuries in rose as an inspiration for Nature-based solution. Still, the remoteness of north-most area of Hakone shows interesting cultural characteristics of the people who lived with the forest. One is Choanji Temple 長安寺 that has the written official record of existence for 1670. The old temple have many statues of Hayagriva 馬頭観音 that have been worshiped by the community. Old families of Sengokubara normally had at least one horse. As their business was always connected to the mountainous byroad of Tokaido (= Route 1), horses for traffic and logistics were very important. People had a serious reason to enshrine equestrian deity. The old rea of the town also has many husbands and wife statues of Dosojin 道祖神 = Guardians for Community. The religious activity for Dosojin itself became common in Japan during the 18th century, and Dosojins of Sengokubara were built around that time. They were expected to ward off evil spirits to come into the community. Considering the village lived with the road connecting Edo and western cities of Japan, the existence of these old statues tells something about the mentality of the community …

Lots of Hayagriva in Choanji Temple.

The current resident priest of Choanji Temple has
 an ambition for the temple with 500 Arhat statues.
The number of them is growing little by little,
and visitors identify ourselves with some of them.
It’s good meditative exercise.

The biggest Dosojin in Sengokubara community.

It’s the youngest Dosojin built about 40 years ago.

Another religious establishment of the community is Suwa Shrine 諏訪神社 enshrined the Suwa Deity whose main shrine is in mountainous Nagano Prefecture. The legend says the original families of Sengokubara were defeated samurais from Yamanashi via Otome Pass. They fled from the fall of their master Takeda Clan. They may have brought the deity of war from their home. Every March 27th, the shrine in Sengokubara offers very peculiar lion dance that remains only in Hakone and in Numata community of Gotemba on the south slope of Mt. Fuji. The style itself was said to be brought in 1776 by a guy called Kayanuma Gihei 萱沼義兵衛 of Fujiyoshida City 富士吉田, in the north slope of Mt. Fuji. It is obvious the dance came via the byway of Tokaido. In Hakone, the form is passed down for Kintoki Shrine 金時神社 which is a child shrine of Suwa Shrine of Sengokubara, for Suwa Shrine of Sengokubara, and for another Suwa Shrine of Miyagino 宮城野. All the shrines are along Route 138. It tells something about the life in forests of Hakone centuries ago. Next week I tell you about my adventure with the lion dance held in Miyagino. Their festival day is every July 15. Please stay tuned!

Suwa Shrine in Sengokubara over there.

The sanctuary of the Shrine has a pond
whose water is used for lion dance.

Hakone Town Hall 箱根町役場

256 Yumoto, Hakonemachi, Ashigarashimo-gun,
Kanagawa 250-0398
〒250-0398 神奈川県足柄下郡箱根町湯本256

Phone: 0460-85-7111
https://www.hakone.or.jp/