Keep Off The Mikoshi

[Mulboyne]

Yomiuri: Shrine bans riding on mikoshi at festival
The organizers of the Sanjamatsuri festival in Asakusa, Tokyo, will ban people from jumping onto mikoshi portable shrines and riding on them when bearers carry them around in the area--a longstanding practice when the festival reaches its peak--saying doing so is an insult to the gods...At the event, some bearers jump onto the honsha-mikoshi shrines and ride on them during the tour, cavorting and striking poses, to the delight of the audience. The organizers' notification banning the practice caused rumbles of discontent among some bearer groups...To ride Asakusa Shrine's honsha-mikoshi on the last day of the festival is considered a privilege for senior members of these groups...In recent years, people with tattoos who are suspected to have been yakuza have ridden the honsha-mikoshi shrines. The organizers took a dim view of this development...This time, the shrine and the parishioners organization told the groups that if they did not follow the instructions, the miyadashi event would be canceled the next year. They received letters from the groups, pledging that their members would not ride on the mikoshi...more...

[dimwit]

This is pretty much the rule in the Matsuyama mikoshis. Yaks can carry the mikoshi and get the shit beaten out of them when the mikoshis collide, but are not allowed to ride on it.

Sounds like the organizers lost of control of the festival and local officals told them they had to rein in the Yaks or lose their mikoshis.

[Taro Toporific]

...In recent years, people with tattoos who are suspected to have been yakuza have ridden the honsha-mikoshi shrines. The organizers took a dim view of this development..

In other "news", the sun rose in the east.

(I saw tattoo riders on mikoshi when I was here on vacation with my father in 1964. It's an honored tradition at Sanjamatsuri festival along with yakuza getting into random fights with each other but never the viewing crowd.)

[Blah Pete]

The highlight of this matsuri is all the drunken yak fights.

[Captain Japan]

In recent years, people with tattoos who are suspected to have been yakuza have ridden the honsha-mikoshi shrines. The organizers took a dim view of this development..

From today....

[Captain Japan]

[Tsuru]

Great stuff! Thanks captain

[Blah Pete]

Great pics. What type of camera did you shoot with?
Where are the yak fight pics?????:(

[Greji]

Yomiuri: Shrine bans riding on mikoshi at festival

This is an highly informative piece when looking at the Daily Gomi Uri view of Japan. The greatest percentage of matsuri's have big time yak involvement. The yak's are contracted to provide not only groups for the omikoshi, but most of the sales booths down to the kingyousukui. The matsuri organizing committe contracts them directly. The money for this in a large part is provided to these committes from the local government. But of course the daily Gomi Uri would have no idea of this sort of thing happening in the land of four seasons.

[Captain Japan]

This is an highly informative piece when looking at the Daily Gomi Uri view of Japan. The greatest percentage of matsuri's have big time yak involvement.

GB, if you know someone who wants to spill his soul on this subject I will bring my recorder.

Glad you folks enjoyed the photos. I hear that today things will be really nuts. Just after I took those photos (oh, with a Nikon D70s) the yaks jumped off the omikoshi. I am not sure of the reason.

[IkemenTommy]

This is an highly informative piece when looking at the Daily Gomi Uri view of Japan. The greatest percentage of matsuri's have big time yak involvement.

The Yakz are like the carnies in the US. Just like you mentioned, every matsuri booths are operated by some kind of Yak. These jobs got to be seasonal as they do not bring in a steady flow of income to the Yak organizations.

[Doctor Stop]

Read more about Tekiya.

[Captain Japan]

I guess it is only on the last day where riding on the shrine is a problem...
Man arrested for riding on mikoshi
Gomiuri

A bearer was arrested Sunday for riding on a mikoshi portable shrine at Asakusa Shrine, despite an organizers' ban on such behavior, on the last day of the three-day Sanja matsuri festival held in Asakusa, Tokyo.

During the festival's climax, called the Honja-mikoshi togyo (or the passage of sacred palanquins of the head shrine), mikoshi bearers started jumping onto them, in defiance of an agreement between bearer groups and Asakusa Shrine, the festival organizer.

One of the bearers was arrested in violation of the Tokyo metropolitan government's regulations on the prevention of public and private nuisance.

During the event on the last day of the festival, bearers carry three mikoshi from Asakusa Shrine, threading their way through crowds of spectators in the streets.

To ride the shrine's Honja mikoshi on the last day of the festival is considered a privilege for senior members of these bearers' groups....more...

[Mulboyne]

Mainichi: 3 men arrested at festival in row over jumping on portable shrines

Police have arrested three men after one of them jumped on top of a portable shrine and two others prevented officials from executing their duties during a festival in the Asakusa district of Tokyo. After a portable shrine was damaged at last year's festival at the Asakusa Shrine in Taito-ku, officials told people not to jump up on any portable shrines during this year's festival on Sunday. But one of the three men jumped on top of a portable shrine at about 3 p.m. on Sunday, ignoring officers' warnings. About three hours earlier, the two others hurled themselves at police officers who attempted to arrest another man for jumping on top of a portable shrine. Police are looking for 10 other people who sat on portable shrines during the festival.

[sillygirl]

It's a Health & Safety issue, innit....

[Greji]

It's a Health & Safety issue, innit....

Nah, they forgot to buckle up and it was National Traffic Safety week!

[sillygirl]

WelL, as long as a risk assessment was done.....*CRASH* zzzzzz

Oops, that was me boring myself to death....

Sillygirl.

Just got Distinction in Health & Safety Diploma.

(How? How? From eikaiwa teacher to Health & Safety? How?)

[Mulboyne]

Asahi: Tokyo's Asakusajinja shrine calls off key festival event because of unruly behavior

Tokyo's famed Asakusajinja shrine, upset at rowdy behavior during the highlight of an annual festival, announced it was calling off its mikoshi portable shrine event in May next year to show its displeasure. It is probably the first time that this portion of the festival has been canceled except for when portable shrines were out of use due to repairs. The centuries-old Shinto shrine in Taito Ward said it was taking action because some people ignored its rules by riding on the portable shrines. Each year, the Miyadashi parade of three mikoshi portable shrines attracts hordes of visitors. The event is the highlight of a 3-day festival that starts early in the morning of the final day. The event typically draws more than 10,000 mikoshi carriers.

In the commotion last year, many carriers stepped onto sacred palanquins and the poles used to hoist the mikoshi. Shrine officials said such behavior was disrespectful to the deities and spirits that are being "paraded." It warned that if festival-goers rode on mikoshi this year, the event would be called off in 2008. Some revelers ignored the edict, prompting the shrine to take action. Festival organizers, comprising representatives of the local community, decided they had no other option. "We were distressed about cancelling an event that attracts so many visitors each year and how that would reflect on the image of the festival," said Shoichiro Nagano, a senior member of the shrine's support body. "But we decided it was time we brought the festival back to the local community."

Other ritual events will be held as usual next year, officials said. They said the shrine is planning to come up an alternative event to the mikoshi parade.

[Taro Toporific]

Asahi: Tokyo's Asakusajinja shrine calls off key festival event because of unruly behavior

WTF! Have they gone batty? The Moneychangers at the Temple stand to lose 20% of their yearly profits.

[Takechanpoo]

[kamome]

[Captain Japan]

Asakusa festival loses main draw, but stays hopeful
Gomiuri

The Sanja Matsuri festival in Asakusa, Tokyo, which begins Friday, is expected to be more subdued than usual, as the parade of three mikoshi portable shrines on the final day has been canceled following controversy last year.

During last year's Honja Mikoshi togyo, or the passage of Asakusa Shrine's sacred portable shrines, mikoshi bearers ignored warnings and began clambering onto the shrines.

Climbing onto the shrines is considered sacrilegious and is prohibited by the shrine.

The parade of the three Honja mikoshi, said to carry three festival gods enshrined at Asakusa Shrine, usually marks the end of the three-day festival after it has threaded its way through crowded streets back to the shrine.

The climax traditionally involves about 10,000 men in happi coats chanting "Soiya! soiya!" around the mikoshi. The festival last year attracted about 1.5 million people.

Shoichiro Nagano, chairman of the Asakusa Tourist Federation, said he did not expect as many spectators as last year, and owners of local stores are said to be worried about the expected poor turnout.

However, the festival will still include the usual parade of about 100 portable shrines belonging to 44 local communities.

"With mikoshi from local communities playing a major role this year, we're hoping for a festive atmosphere," said a member of the Nakamise merchants' association.

Seven people were arrested last year for riding on a mikoshi at the shrine, a violation of the Tokyo metropolitan government's regulations on the prevention of public and private nuisances and other regulations.

According to Asakusa Police Station, most of those held were members of organized crime groups.
(May. 16, 2008 )

[Marked Trail]

Portable shrines to return to Asakusa's Sanja Festival
Mainichi---May 14, 2009
Portable shrines, or "mikoshi," will return to the streets of Tokyo's Asakusa for this year's Sanja Festival after a two year absence, caused by trouble related to mikoshi carriers riding on the portable shrines.
The way for the mikoshis' return was paved by talks between the shrine support committee, which sponsors the festival and is made up of parishioners of Asakusa Shrine, and the mikoshi carriers' association, which concluded with a ban on riding the portable shrines among other new rules.
The Sanja Festival, which runs from Friday to Sunday, reaches its climax on its final day...

[Doctor Stop]

Why don't they just put nets over the mikoshi or stick those little metal spikes all over them like they do to keep pigeons off of shit in the train stations?

[Greji]

The Sanja Festival, which runs from Friday to Sunday, reaches its climax on its final day[url=http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/news/20090514p2a00m0na004000c.html?inb=rs]...

Since yesterday, they have been hauling the portable Omikoshi up and down the streets here in Asakusa getting setup for the matsuri and it's throw-off celebrations. I haven't seen any of the big ones being brought around yet. All have been the smaller portable ones that are not suitable for standing on. We'll see. Even the police have difficulty building up the desire to interfere with an on-going matsuri. As I write this the music (flutes and drums) abounds outside the office.


Note to Iraira. You better suit up. This is one of the better of local hunting seasons for the year. Even Take and you could bag a couple of pelts on the weekend....