Most viewed - Ichinomiya 一宮町 |
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. 754 views
|
|
One great thing about this hadaka matsuri is that there are women as well. Most hadaka matsuri have only men.351 views
|
|
Women too, while they are careful to prevent any nip slips.340 views
|
|
Kazusa Junisha Matsuri Festival, Ichinomiya, Chiba on Sept. 13, 2009.279 views
|
|
|
Festival girls posing for me. They love the attention.249 views
|
|
246 views
|
|
240 views
|
|
Tossing the mikoshi into the air.240 views
|
|
230 views
|
|
To the beach and water.199 views
|
|
The men covered their bellies, while the women covered their bellies and chests.185 views
|
|
165 views
|
|
They give a few cheers before they started running on the beach.165 views
|
|
The portable shrines begin to leave Tamasaki Shrine.164 views
|
|
Kazusa-Ichinomiya Station on the JR Sotobo Line.152 views
|
|
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.150 views
|
|
PR poster for Kazusa Junisha Matsuri.144 views
|
|
Women standing by to pull the mikoshi.143 views
|
|
A stampede.140 views
|
|
They run on the beach while carrying the mikoshi.139 views
|
|
139 views
|
|
A portable shrine leaves Tamasaki Shrine.135 views
|
|
The mikoshi arrive on the beach.130 views
|
|
Here they come.130 views
|
|
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.124 views
|
|
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.124 views
|
|
They are cheering and shouting throughout.123 views
|
|
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.118 views
|
|
118 views
|
|
More women in fashionable clothing to pull a mikoshi.116 views
|
|
On the beach. Good spot for surfing as well.115 views
|
|
|
114 views
|
|
Love these women running and pulling the mikoshi.114 views
|
|
Sacred horse112 views
|
|
Sacred dance at the Kaguraden by Sarutahiko.111 views
|
|
Women waved fans.109 views
|
|
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.108 views
|
|
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).108 views
|
|
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107 views
|
|
One of the child horse riders.107 views
|
|
107 views
|
|
The beginning of the procession consists of a few portable shrines pulled by children.107 views
|
|
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.107 views
|
|
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.107 views
|
|
|
Child rider leaving Tamasaki Shrine.106 views
|
|
The mikoshi start to gather for a ceremony.104 views
|
|
|
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.103 views
|
|
More mikoshi arrive.103 views
|
|
In the water, maybe ankle deep. But the waves made it knee-deep.103 views
|
|
103 views
|
|
My YouTube video of the Kazusa Junisha Matsuri in 2009. Watch them in the water and the girls waving fans.103 views
|
|
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.102 views
|
|
102 views
|
|
They prop up the mikoshi before carrying it toward the ceremony place.102 views
|
|
102 views
|
|
102 views
|
|
They head for Tsurigasaki Beach, where the torii is.101 views
|
|
Tamasaki Shrine torii100 views
|
|
The sacred horse and child riders soon join the procession as they leave Tamasaki Shrine.99 views
|
|
Tsurigasaki Kaigan beach is where they believe the gods arrive. 釣ケ先海岸99 views
|
|
99 views
|
|
99 views
|
|
Child horse rider sits on a bunch of soft cushions on the horse.98 views
|
|
One child horse rider arrives.98 views
|
|
98 views
|
|
98 views
|
|
98 views
|
|
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.97 views
|
|
97 views
|
|
97 views
|
|
It's amazing that no one tripped and fell.96 views
|
|
Shrine priest arrive on horseback. He looked very weary. It was a hot day too.95 views
|
|
95 views
|
|
I kept shooting their backs. Next time, I'll try to shoot more faces.95 views
|
|
94 views
|
|
They then ran with the portable shrine. They will run while carrying the shrine to the beach several kilometers away.94 views
|
|
94 views
|
|
Sometimes they tossed the mikoshi up.94 views
|
|
A procession departs Tamasaki Shrine at 1 pm, led by Sarutahiko.93 views
|
|
93 views
|
|
93 views
|
|
You could go in front of them to shoot their faces, but the water would be deeper.93 views
|
|
They kept waving their fans and cheering in the water.93 views
|
|
93 views
|
|
Returning to land.93 views
|
|
Then the mikoshi sped by one after another.93 views
|
|
They tossed the mikoshi into the air a few times.92 views
|
|
Back on land.92 views
|
|
Great spectacle, especially with women included. Great idea to allow women in the festival.92 views
|
|
The sacred horse arrive in town.92 views
|
|
91 views
|
|
91 views
|
|
91 views
|
|
91 views
|
|
The boy looked thrilled to be riding at full speed. Very bumpy though.91 views
|
|
The mikoshi start to gather for a ceremony as they all run at full speed.90 views
|
|
After the ceremony, they head for the water.90 views
|
|
90 views
|
|
90 views
|
|
90 views
|
|
Very jovial and noisy.89 views
|
|
89 views
|
|
89 views
|
|
89 views
|
|
89 views
|
|
From 6 pm, they paraded the mikoshi on the main road near Tamasaki Shrine.89 views
|
|
Like on the beach, they wave fans and cheer.89 views
|
|
88 views
|
|
87 views
|
|
The next spectacle was them running through the torii on the beach.87 views
|
|
All the mikoshi headed for the torii.87 views
|
|
87 views
|
|
Making way for the horses.87 views
|
|
Shrine priest arrives.87 views
|
|
87 views
|
|
86 views
|
|
It would take them about an hour to get back to town.86 views
|
|
More horses arrive.84 views
|
|
Everyone is yelling and cheering.83 views
|
|
81 views
|
|
81 views
|
|
First were the horses galloping through. Each horse was guided by two men running alongside.80 views
|
|
80 views
|
|
|
|