[Video distribution has started!] "Kanagawa Traditional Culture Children's Seasonal Calendar"

A world of art to visit, see and feel
File.33 "Kanagawa Traditional Culture Children's Seasonal Calendar"
Miyuki Inoue (Magcal Editorial Department)

"Kanagawa Traditional Culture Children's Seasonal Calendar" was planned as a place to experience the rich cultural heritage nurtured in the climate of Kanagawa Prefecture, including traditional performing arts, local folk tales and traditions, and old-fashioned games that have been passed down through generations. Unfortunately, the performance scheduled for March 2021 at the Kanagawa Prefectural Youth Center Momijizaka Hall was canceled, but with the desire to "feel the energy of hope through a variety of traditional performing arts," the content of the performance that was scheduled to be held at the hall has been partially changed and will be streamed online.
It is said that traditional Japanese culture is filled with prayers for healthy daily life, such as for the growth of children, safety of the home, and the warding off of epidemics. In order to deliver the spirit of these prayers to you as soon as possible, we will be reporting on the recording of the video ahead of its release on Thursday, March 25th!

A portable shrine was prepared on the stage. It was shaped and decorated in the same way as the portable shrines that take part in the Chigasaki Beach Hamaori Festival, a summer tradition that represents the Shonan sea, and Yasunori Nakazato and his family from the Imajuku Matsuo Okami Mikoshi Preservation Society explained its history and features. By the way, this portable shrine is apparently a personal property of Nakazato, a portable shrine craftsman who made it himself.

At first, I felt a little nervous when I was interviewed by the host, Funamoto-san...
However, in the second half, the three family members sang "jinku," a song sung at festivals, at a good tempo.

The Chigasaki Beach Hamaori Festival, which is said to have begun in the late Edo period, is also known as the "Festival of Dawn" because the mikoshi (portable shrine) begins moving before dawn, and has been designated an intangible folk cultural property of Kanagawa Prefecture. Last year's event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but we can't help but hope that the prayers for good health and safety contained within the festival will be heard and that it will be held this year.

*Chigasaki Beach Hamaori Festival

A cypress stage and silver folding screen were set up on the stage, and then the recording of "Ko no Kai" began. This is a male dance unit that is constantly presenting powerful new dance pieces with the aim of connecting Japanese traditional dance to the future.

The piece is "Young Lion," a traditional Japanese dance adaptation of the Noh and Kyogen classic "Sanbaso." It is said that "Sanbaso" has been passed down as a dance that embodies people's wishes for life, such as peace and prosperity, bountiful harvests, the eradication of epidemics, and good health, and performances at this time of year seem to be filled with even deeper prayers than usual.

The event began with a demonstration of "kiribi," a fire-starting technique in which sparks are created using a flint. In Japan, where fire is considered a "purifying thing," it is customary to start a fire as a way to ward off evil spirits and perform purification rituals. This demonstration was imbued with these wishes.

The video will also include the "Hakone Yutate Lion Dance" by the Hakone Miyagino Lion Dance Preservation Society, a performance by the shakuhachi and koto unit "Koibumi," traditional games from Kanagawa Prefecture, and interviews with the performers.

*Hakone Miyagino Lion Dance Preservation Society "Hakone Yutate Lion Dance"

*Click here for the video currently being streamed!