Red Ogre (demon). Aka Oni 2

Got round to finishing another mask, a second version of the Akaoni, or Red Ogre.

The earlier version of the red demon mask can be seen here

A short blurb on Japanese Oni here

All my masks can be seen here

All masks are for sale .

Yatogi Shrine, Tenri

Yatogi Shrine, sometimes pronounced Yatsugi, is a delightful shrine located on the Yamanobenomichi a little south of Isonokami in Tenri. The main hall has a fine thatched roof, and behind it the line of seven hondens have cedar-bark roofs.

The seven kami are quite an eclectic collection. The main kami is Futsunushi, a kami of swords and lightning, and possibly the personification of the main kami at nearby Isonokami Shrine. Also enshrined is Takemikazuchi, a main kami of the Fujiwara clan. The myths have either or both of these kami descending to Izumo and convincing Okuninushi to give Japan to Amaterasu's descendants. As the Fujiwara (known earlier as the Nakatomi) wiped out the Mononobe, it is believed that gradually the Fujiwara kami usurped and replaced the Mononobe kami.

Another enshrined kami here is Amenokoyane, one of the kami who performed rituals to entice Amaterasu out of her cave, and another ancestor of the Fujiwara. Another kami is Kotohira, a variation of Konpira.

Strangely, Susano is enshrined here, though that may be connected to local legends that pertain to the spirit of the eight-headed serpent Yamata no Orochi slain by Susano. It is believed that its spirit became associated with lightning, and in the hills behind nearby isonokami Shrine are rocks said to be it.

Kagura dancer

One of the things that attracts me to Iwami kagura is the sheer dedication and professionalism of the dancers, though in fact there are no professionals, they are all amateurs.

These shots are of my friend Tetsuhide dancing the purification dance as part of last years Omoto Kagura at Ichiyama.

He's been dancing kagura for over 40 years, and all three of his sons are also kagura dancers. During the week he is a travelling salesman, and on the weekends he helps out in his families business, the village liquor store.

Kagura is performed primarily as entertainment for the kami, but in one sense the dancer also becomes the kami. The dancers hold various kinds of torimono, objects into which the kami descend. For this dance he is using a fan and a large nusa, a type of ceremonial wand.

The regular purification dance with 4 dancers was performed before this one, which is specific to Omoto.

Outside of my local area, Iwami, it is rare to find anyone who knows what kagura is, and yet it is the root of Noh, Kabuki, and other performing arts in Japan.

My back yard.

Nothing much exciting this post, just some views of my backyard! Actually we don't have a backyard, our house backs directly on to the mountainside and forest. The mountain is 254 metres high, and no-one knows if it has a name. There is supposed to be an old charcoal-makers hut on the top, but as yet I havent made it up that far.

There is a small graveyard/cemetery immediately behind the house, and this section is planted in cedar, but the rest of the mountain is mixed forest. I havent gone up there much simply because it is very steep. Its the domain of the bear, wild boar, monkey, badger, weasel, marten, civet, among others.

The mountain belongs to the local shrine, but in the years I've been here there has been no work done on or in the mountain, no thinning or planting etc. I plan on talking to the priest and some of the old guys in the village and see if I cant go in and tend the forest a little and get some firewood in the process.

Hakusan Shrine, Tenri.

This small wayside shrine is located just of the Yamanobenomichi a little south of Isonokami Shrine in Tenri. I believe it is a Hakusan Shrine, sometimes read as Shirayama Shrine. Shirayama is the older reading. The head Hakusan shrine is up in Ishikawa Prefecture. Nowadays the main kami is said to be Kukurihime, a kami who mediated between Izanagi and his dead wife Izanami, so sometimes eithe of these two are claimed as the main kami.

The shrine may well have been part of a huge temple complex that existed near here before being destroyed in the early years of Meiji when the government dramatically altered the religious landscape of Japan.

The views from Kaikyo Yume Tower

The 360 degree views from the tower are well worth the 600 yen entrance fee.
To the NE the Kanmon bridge connecting Honshu with Kyushu

To the NW, Ganryujima Island

To the south, Kitakyushu.

Below, a fairly typical Japanese urban scene.

See photos of the tower

Kaikyo Yume Tower

Kaikyo Yume Tower, 153 metres in height, is located in the port of Shimonoseki as part of a complex including convention and exhibition areas.

Finished 1n 1996 and designed by NTT Power & Buildings, fast elevators whisk you up to the observation platform inside the towers sphere at 143 metres.

The tower is covered with more than 8,000 panes of glass, and at night is illuminated by more than 600 lights.

Kaikyo Yume Tower is open 364 days a year, closing only on the 4th Saturday in January. It opens at 9:30am and closes at 9:30pm

Entrance is 600yen for adults and 300 for kids. The tower is a short walk from Shimonoseki Station.

See the views from the tower

Children's Matsuri

Today, May 5th, is Children's Day in Japan. In Kawado, the village across the river, it is also the day of the year's most important ceremony and matsuri, the Suijin Matsuri, and in the morning the kids have their own parade.

It begins in the local shrine, where a longer ceremony will take place this afternoon.

The kids are purified and the Kami invited to attend.

The float pulled by the kids has a family of Kappa, or Enko as they are known locally. Soon I will get around to posting the local story about Enko.

The kids taking part are young as the local schools have baseball matches today, and for many young boys baseball is more important.

The birthrate in the countryside is fairly healthy. It's the people of the cities who are having few babies. Hardly surprising.

After the ceremony the lightweight "mikoshi" is carried down to where the float waits and the procession heads off around the village.

Gaijin Hanya

It's been a while since I finished any new masks, but a couple of recent sales has prompted me to get off my butt and finish some.

With an extra long nose, wonky eyes, wrinkles, and brown hair, this must be a Gaijin Hanya.

It is of course for sale, as are all my masks :)

Wabi Sabi signage

The Japanese aesthetic concept of wabi-sabi has associations with impermanence and transition, expressed well I think by the action of the weather on metal signs, when the figurative begins to transform to the abstract.

Bridal attire rental service, Hamada.

A sign warning of pedestrians crossing. I think. (or a company making lower-body prosthetics)

Beware of children on the road

Corporate Oil

A business school in Masuda.

Clear enough.