Starting this weekend and running for 2 weeks is a sand sculpture event on the beach in front of Aquas. The theme is Iwami kagura.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Tenjin on the beach
Starting this weekend and running for 2 weeks is a sand sculpture event on the beach in front of Aquas. The theme is Iwami kagura.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Inside Grin Grin
Its planned to be a city of the future, with residnetial, business, education, and leisure facilities.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Vacation 2011 Day 5 Jardin Marjorelle
In the afternoon the weather brightened up a bit and we went to the Majorelle Gardens.
Jacques Majorelle was a French painter who moved to Marrakesh in 1919 and it was he who designed and created the garden.
Following his death the garden and house was bought by Yves Saint-laurent, and when he died he had his ashes scattered in the garden.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Imbara Obon Matsuri
Then some traditional dancing.....
The second kagura dance was one I had not seen before. Yamanba, based on a Noh story is popular with Hiroshima style groups, and I was pleased to see a mask that was new to me.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Soreisha Tsuwano
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Kuromatsu Matsuri
Friday, August 12, 2011
Old Kawara
The next chapter in my photo galleries of kawara, Japanese rooftiles.
All of these exhibit the aesthetics of old kawara...
To see more click on the label below this post.....
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Tanegaike Dragon
Tanegaike Dragon
The Bentengu is a shrine to Benzaiten on the shore of Tanegaike, a small lake close to the sand dunes in Tottori. Though only a quarter of a square kilometer in area, the lake is actually the deepest in the Chugoku region, with a depth of 17 meters. Deep in the lake lives a serpent.
Once upon a time a local rich man employed many local villagers as servants. One young woman, who of course was beautiful, by the name of Otane was employed as a maid. Otane was known as a particularly kind and generous young lady and every day she would give people persimmons.
One young man was curious about where she was getting the persimmons from so he secretly followed her. She went down to the shore of the lake and transformed into a serpent and then swam out to a small island in the middle of the lake and picked persimmons from a tree there.
Because she saw the young man watching her she was unable to turn back into her human form and so stayed as a serpent living in the lake.
An old lady built a small shrine to honor Otane, and this grew into the Benzaiten shrine. Benzaiten, originally the Hindu goddess Saraswati, has strong associations with water and therefore also serpents. She is one of the seven lucky gods of japan and has both "shinto" and Buddhist manifestations.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Washibara Hachimangu
Washibara Hachimangu is a couple of kilometers outside of the town center of Tsuwano, so doesnt get as many visitors, which is a shame as its quite a beautiful shrine, especially in the cherry blossom season.
The thatched gate is very unusual.
The shrine was founded in the 13th century when Tsuwano castle was first built.
The kami, Hachiman, is the god of war and the protective deity of the samurai.
The shrine does get hundreds of visitors in early April when Yabusame, horseback archery, is performed. In the grounds of the shrine are the only remaining yabusame grounds from the kamakura period.