Hello everyone! This time we will look at the omikoshi procession for Matsubara Shrine Festival during the Golden Week. (Please refer here for another article about Golden Week event Hōjō Matsuri Festival. )

Omikoshi and Dashi

Do you know what is omikoshi? It is a little shrine and carried around the city. The main purpose is giving blessing like when someone pray at a shrine. But instead coming to the shrine, this time the shrine comes to you, hahaha. Btw, here are some pictures from the omikoshi at the first day of Hōjō Matsuri. 

Next is Dashi, (not to confuse it with Japanese soup) is another form of omikoshi. Its bigger with many lantern attached to it. Kids and also adults pulling it with 2 big rope fastened on the lower side of it. Inside the big shape, there are kids playing drums. It looks like this pictures.

The parade was held only on the first day, but omikoshi procession are held from 3^rd until 5^th May! On top of that, you can also participate to have a real experience! Try bringing the super heavy omikoshi on your shoulder around Odawara city, while chanting folklore songs. (As usual, there are the website and contact number at the bottom of the article if you are interested.)

Omikoshi Procession

To tell you the truth, I participate in the last day of omikoshi procession! It was really fun! The team I take part was from Honchō area. We start at doing ritual in front of our base camp. Here is the photo, and (ahem) a picture of me.

Bringing omikoshi around the town is meant to give blessing. For 3 days, they walk around the city and stop by the shop who request for blessing. A person from that shop will give an envelope (filled with money) and offer it to an omikoshi group. Then our “leader” will take the envelope, holding it in front the shop entrance while holding a red lantern. After that, 2 person bringing a big lantern (takahari-chouchin) will stand at left and right side of the entrance, being a gate for omikoshi to pass. Other people who bring little lantern (yumihari-chochin) stand both sides waiting for the omikoshi to come. Then, another person came and start chanting the folksong. After that, the omikoshi holder run towards the entrance, some people hold them (for the sake of the shop) It was furious! Like, they will crush the shop. Then all of us start shouting something like “Orya!! Orya!!”. After all process done, we step back and start to walk to the next shop.

The picture below is one of the shop we attend to did the omikoshi procession. The right picture was taken in front of the Odawara station

We also rest sometimes. There are places prepared for omikoshi group to take a rest. But sometimes we just randomly stopped at the road or town park :PThe pictures on the upper part is one of those resting place. There was a this huge samurai picture and the next picture is wa-daiko (Japanese drum) player in ninja costume! Lower picture is when we took rest in the small dead end between shops! Lower right picture is other omikoshi group that also came at Odawara Station. Enjoy!

Main Event

Last day means the last and most important part of the omikoshi procession. It is doing the ritual at the main shrine, Matsubara shrine. To kill some time, all the omikoshi group gather and do a “show” on the street. They will set a gap between the omikoshi and lantern holder. Doing the same folksong chanting and then this time rush and run towards the lantern. Then the lantern holder will run away to set a space again and the whole thing continuue. Here are pictures of it when they are ready to do the “omikoshi-run”.

We wait for our part to do the last ritual at Matsubara Shrine and do the “omikoshi-run” again (-^o^-) This year we get the 8^th turn to do the visit at Matsubara shrine. (Sorry no picture for the Matsubara shrine omikoshi precession, but I will upload video took by my friend!) My recommendation is go to Matsubara shrine in the afternoon. You will get the best view of the omikoshi procession there. All the omikoshi group will pay the shrine a visit so you can see the various design of omikoshi and different chanting from each groups.

The festival is over. *cry a river* I don’t bring the omikoshi, but after all day bring that heavy thing and the running and all, I am pretty sure everyone will be very, very tired. Lastly, before disassembling the omikoshi, we do one more time “omikoshi-run” ritual in front of our Honcho base camp. After a long, tiring day, everyone work together and disassemble the omikoshi for the next matsuri. Here is one last picture when everyone dissamble the omikoshi, keeping it for next matsuri!

Otsukare-sama deshita Honcho team!! It was an amazing experience and I am glad I could take part in it. Thank you for you too for reading this article! (‘v’)v

-Vivi-

Information

* Please refer to the latest info before visiting the place.