February StoryFolklore data of Kagoshima Japan


God which springs

The traditional festival of Ise God in Kaseda. In this city, we call this god a Oisedon, a Oisesan, or Oisesama. And, the festival of this god is called an Ise-kou.


Ise-kou in UchiyamadakamiGod of Ise prefers a rude thing and a lively thing. And he springs to the house with a happy thing.

God of Ise springs to the community of one beyond in a Kamitsunuki on January 11 every year. The celebration was performed as follows in 1996. First, people of Fukumoto who deified for one year celebrate the god in their community center. And god of Ise is ridden in and moved to a mikoshi (portable shrine) by them to the Urakuchi community center used as a new holy place. This is called Yadoutsuri. The mikoshi was remade for the first time in 65 years.

At the doorway of a Urakuchi community center, people shake the branch of a podocarp and greet god of Ise. And the mikoshi goes up from a veranda there. Generally this way of going up is a method at the time of human marriage in Kaseda. And people celebrate again. At the time of this congratulation, people gather one cup of bowl at a time a boiled egg and a vegetables stewed in soy sauce from each house. They are simple entertainments.

They had decided Yado (holy place of God) by the lot by which community people's all the members participate before. People took pains to deify god for one year. They say, "I was downhearted although I am glad." Moreover, they cannot sing the song of a Yadoutsuri now. So, they play a song on a cassette. This god sprang to a Shinyama in 1997.

There is an Ise-kou also in the same day and an Uchiyamadakami. The person in charges open the white distilled liquor offered in the front holy place for the first time in one year, and do a celebration. And a Yadoutsuri. The humorous Yadoutsuri which responds to the voice of "cry" of people with "Hooi Hooi" occurs.

In a Kamitsunuki, people of a community participate from cooking. However, in an Uchiyamadakami, only a person in charge holds a ceremony in a community center. And people of a community visit on a time of Yadoutsuri.

In Kaseda, an Ise-kou will be celebrated in various places also in February. In a Kamitsunuki, they say, "An Ise-kou is one-time pleasure for the year for old persons." Now, nobody thinks that a god goes to a house truly. However, they think that the power of God still attains to people who participate in a festival. There are a bumper crops, healthy prayer, and a meaning of harmony of a community in an Ise-kou.

Ise-kou Movie

"Ise-kou" in Kamitsunuki, Kaseda
"Ise-kou" in Komatsubara, Kaseda


[BACK]