Mikoshi Festival

Back in late September, in the busy part of Shibuya, a well known shopping district in Tokyo, I was lucky enough to witness a ‘mikoshi’ making its way through the streets. We had just learned about this briefly in class, and was reluctant if I would ever have a chance to witness this Shinto festival firsthand.

A ‘mikoshi’ is a portable shrine which encases the spirit of a ‘kami’ or deity and usually constructed out of wood and adorned in elaborate silver and gold decorations. The ‘mikoshi’ are carried with two or four poles which support the structure and carried on the shoulders of several dozen parishioners who wear a hapi (a festival coat) and tabi (special socks) . The mikoshi are brought to a Shinto shrine so that the ‘kami’ can enter the mikoshi and then carried around the neighborhood. The mikoshi are usually carried the duration of the entire weekend, and needless to say, our group ran into the same Shinto group of people later that evening, still joyously carrying the structure dancing through the streets.

These festivals which include the mikoshi often take place in the summer or fall and the procession is paraded in order to bring good fortune and to local residences and homes. Various festivals take place in different areas of Japan and in some areas, many mikoshi may gather together in a large area. Different teams of Shinto parishioners carry their own mikoshi, and in its enthusiasm, the atmosphere can grow rowdy and there is a great risk for accidents that may occur during these large gatherings.

I would personally distance myself from those kinds of large gatherings, in order to reduce the risk of injury, though it would be interesting to observe these enormous gatherings, witnessing different groups of Shinto followers boasting their mikoshi which have been so meticulously constructed. Yet having the chance at all, to observe these firsthand, even in the busy streets of Tokyo, reminds me that Shinto is a way of life that is not exclusive but rather incorporated in present day.

More links:

Mikoshi: More information about the Mikoshi

A Photo Collection of a Mikoshi Festival in Yokosuka