Most viewed - Kazusa Junisha Matsuri Festival 2009 上総十二社祭り |
Being next to the Pacific Ocean, Chiba has quite a few festivals held on the beach. The Kazusa Junisha Matsuri is one of the larger ones. Sept. 13, 2009 (Sun.) was the main festival day when they went in the water at the beach. 775 views
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One great thing about this hadaka matsuri is that there are women as well. Most hadaka matsuri have only men.358 views
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Women too, while they are careful to prevent any nip slips.348 views
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Kazusa Junisha Matsuri Festival, Ichinomiya, Chiba on Sept. 13, 2009.287 views
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Festival girls posing for me. They love the attention.262 views
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Tossing the mikoshi into the air.249 views
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To the beach and water.205 views
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The men covered their bellies, while the women covered their bellies and chests.191 views
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They give a few cheers before they started running on the beach.173 views
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The portable shrines begin to leave Tamasaki Shrine.170 views
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Kazusa-Ichinomiya Station on the JR Sotobo Line.161 views
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From 7 pm, the mikoshi started returning to Tamasaki Shrine. At 8 pm, the god's spirit in the mikoshi was returned to the shrine.158 views
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PR poster for Kazusa Junisha Matsuri.153 views
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Women standing by to pull the mikoshi.151 views
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A stampede.149 views
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A portable shrine leaves Tamasaki Shrine.146 views
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They run on the beach while carrying the mikoshi.146 views
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The mikoshi arrive on the beach.141 views
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Here they come.138 views
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The girls had their hair airbrushed with colorful designs. I've noticed that women and girls participating in matsuri have become quite fashionable, chic, or hip.133 views
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Girls were originally not allowed to participate in the festival, but now they do even though it is a hadaka (nude) festival. Of course, no one is really naked.132 views
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They are cheering and shouting throughout.129 views
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Tamasaki Shrine is crowded with people as a ceremony still goes on. The Kazusa Junisha Matsuri started in 807. It is designated as Chiba Prefecture's Intangible Cultural Property.126 views
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On the beach. Good spot for surfing as well.123 views
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More women in fashionable clothing to pull a mikoshi.123 views
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Sacred horse121 views
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Women waved fans.121 views
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Sacred dance at the Kaguraden by Sarutahiko.120 views
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Love these women running and pulling the mikoshi.120 views
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Tsurigasaki Kaigan is where the horses and portable shrines will start to arrive at 2:30 pm to 3 pm. This is where the crowd is. But the beach is big enough for all of us.117 views
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This festival separates the amateur photographers from the pros. Amateurs wear long pants and shoes and enter the ocean to take pictures. I was of course wearing shorts and rubber slippers (but barefoot in the water).116 views
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My YouTube video of the Kazusa Junisha Matsuri in 2009. Watch them in the water and the girls waving fans.116 views
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One of the child horse riders.115 views
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On Kujukuri Beach, there a stretch of beach called Tsurigasaki Kaigan Beach marked by a torii. This will be the Tokyo 2020 Olympic venue for surfing.115 views
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The beginning of the procession consists of a few portable shrines pulled by children.114 views
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In the water, maybe ankle deep. But the waves made it knee-deep.114 views
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The day starts with a Shinto ceremony at 10 am at Tamasaki Shrine, near Kazusa-Ichinomiya Station on the JR Sotobo Line. 玉前神社113 views
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Back at Tamasaki Shrine are two other portable shrines which had arrived from Sannomiya Shrine, one of the junisha (12 shrines) in the Kazusa area.113 views
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They head for Tsurigasaki Beach, where the torii is.113 views
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Tamasaki Shrine torii112 views
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More mikoshi arrive.112 views
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Child rider leaving Tamasaki Shrine.111 views
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The mikoshi start to gather for a ceremony.110 views
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Two portable shrines in front of the Kaguraden stage. Kazusa is the name of the former province in central Chiba Prefecture. Junisha means twelve shrines.109 views
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The beach is too far to walk, so they provided free shuttle buses to the beach from Kazusa-Ichinomiya Station from 2 pm. It was a 10-15 min. ride to the beach.109 views
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They prop up the mikoshi before carrying it toward the ceremony place.109 views
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One child horse rider arrives.108 views
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The sacred horse and child riders soon join the procession as they leave Tamasaki Shrine.106 views
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Child horse rider sits on a bunch of soft cushions on the horse.105 views
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Leaving Tamasaki Shrine. It was impossible to judge where I should be to take good shots. I missed quite a few opportunities. I have to see the festival again to take the shots I wanted to take this time.105 views
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Tsurigasaki Kaigan beach is where they believe the gods arrive. 釣ケ先海岸105 views
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Back on land.104 views
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Sometimes they tossed the mikoshi up.104 views
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Returning to land.103 views
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A procession departs Tamasaki Shrine at 1 pm, led by Sarutahiko.102 views
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I kept shooting their backs. Next time, I'll try to shoot more faces.102 views
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You could go in front of them to shoot their faces, but the water would be deeper.102 views
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It's amazing that no one tripped and fell.102 views
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Shrine priest arrive on horseback. He looked very weary. It was a hot day too.101 views
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Great spectacle, especially with women included. Great idea to allow women in the festival.101 views
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They then ran with the portable shrine. They will run while carrying the shrine to the beach several kilometers away.100 views
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They tossed the mikoshi into the air a few times.100 views
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The boy looked thrilled to be riding at full speed. Very bumpy though.100 views
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Then the mikoshi sped by one after another.100 views
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They kept waving their fans and cheering in the water.99 views
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The sacred horse arrive in town.99 views
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The mikoshi start to gather for a ceremony as they all run at full speed.98 views
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From 6 pm, they paraded the mikoshi on the main road near Tamasaki Shrine.98 views
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Very jovial and noisy.97 views
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After the ceremony, they head for the water.96 views
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Like on the beach, they wave fans and cheer.96 views
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Everyone is yelling and cheering.95 views
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All the mikoshi headed for the torii.95 views
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The next spectacle was them running through the torii on the beach.94 views
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Making way for the horses.94 views
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Shrine priest arrives.94 views
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It would take them about an hour to get back to town.93 views
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More horses arrive.91 views
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First were the horses galloping through. Each horse was guided by two men running alongside.84 views
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