Sanja Matsuri
Sanja Festival (Tokyo, Taito-ku, Asakusa, Asakusa shrine)

3 days over the Third Weekend of May

The name "Sanja" derives from the "Sanja Gongen" shrine, which is the former name of the "Asakusa-jinja" shrine. The "Sanja Gongen" shrine was dedicated to honor the three men who enshrined a gold stature of the Goddess of Mercy at the "Senso-ji" temple. This statue had been caught up in the branch stream of the Sumida river flowing by Asakusa. On the first day of the festival, the traditional "sasara-mai" and "teko-mai" dances are performed. On the second day, more than a hundred portable shrines "mikoshi" are carried in a parade of local people heading for the "Sensou-ji" temple and the "Asakusa-jinja" shrine. The people who carry the "mikoshi" are called "ujiko" who are specially blessed by the god of the shrine. The god is enshrined in the "mikoshi" during the festival and travels with the "mikoshi" to observe his territory. On the third day three giant "mikoshi" start out from the "Asakusa-jinja" shrine and parade through the Asakusa neighborhood. This parade which is the climax of the festival is called the "Miyadashi". Each Mikoshi, which is carried by about seventy people, weighs about a 1000 kg. The three giant "mikoshis" are paraded along different routes to visit "otabisho (a resting place for the god)" eventually returning to the "Asakusa-jinja" shrine in the evening.

Chichibu Yo-matsuri
Chichibu Night Festival (Saitama, Chichibu city, Chichibu shrine)

December 2-3

The dynamic beat of the "Chichibu Yatai-Bayashi (Chichibu Festival drum music)" echoes through the night. At seven o'clock in the evening, six ornamental floats decorated with lanterns are paraded from the Chichibu shrine. Local young men riding on the floats shout directions for where the floats should proceed. The destination will be an "otabisho (the resting place for a god)" about one km away from the shrine. It is said that the god living on the mountain "Bukou" and the goddess "Myoken" enshrined in the Chichibu shrine will rendezvous at the "otabisho" during the festival. When the floats, which weigh about 8 to 10 tons each, come to the steep slope called "Dango-zaka", the people pull them up the slope one by one while being cheered on by the sound of drums and wooden clappers. 1800 fireworks are fired into the cold dark sky when all of the floats have eventually reached the "otabisho". This event is the highlight of the festival.

Yabusame Shinji
Mounted Archery (Kanagawa, Kamakura city, Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu shrine)

September 16

The origin of the "yabusame" ceremony goes back to the end of Heian era (AD 794 _1185). To be able to shoot arrows from a galloping horse was an important skill for an imperial court warrior. In the Kamakura era (1185$B!A(J1333) Minamoto-no-Yoritomo started this ceremony as a ritual display at the Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu Shrine in the year 1187 as a means of praying for peace across the land. The shrine was erected by Minamoto-no-Yoriyoshi in 1063 and was moved to its present site by Minamoto-no-Yoritomo in 1180. The "Yabusame" ceremony is just one of the events of the annual festival to be celebrated at this shrine. The parade of three sacred portable shrines is held on September 15th and the "Yabusame" ceremony is performed on the 16th. The archers clad in the formal hunting attire of the Kamakura era shoot at three targets one after another as they gallop past on horseback. These three targets predict the degree of abundance of the rice crop. The arrows and targets that have provided successful shots are presented to the audience, as good-luck charms. The "Yabusame" ceremony is also performed in April.