Awashima Shrine
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Awashima Shrine (淡嶋神社, Awashima-jinja) is a Shinto shrine in Kada District of Wakayama City.[1]: 74–77
On February 8th the shrine hosts the broken needle festival (針祭, Hari-kuyō matsuri). [4][1]: 74–77 , but the shrine is best known for its March 3rd festival, Hina nagashi, during Hina matsuri [5][1]: 74–77
It is one of many fertility cults linked to Empress Jingū.[1]: 74–77
Deities
[change | change source]- Okuninushi[1]: 74–77
- Sukunahikona no mikoto[1]: 74–77 , a god of medicine, particularly gynecology and childbirth [2]
- Empress Jingū[1]: 74–77
- Awashima-no-Kami (淡島神) , another god specialized in women's illnesses [6] .[1]: 74–77
Hari-kuyō matsuri
[change | change source]During the broken needle festival (針祭, Hari-kuyō matsuri), on February 8th, people bring used, rusty or broken needles to the shrine. They are buried under a large rock, after being covered with salt . People do this to thank the needles for being useful.[1]: 74–77
Doll funeral
[change | change source]The shrine is famous for the doll funeral ceremony. Anyone can leave their old dolls and leave money to pay for the ceremony [7][1]: 74–77
People do this to respect the spirits in the dolls. This helps avoid disasters and bad luck [8][1]: 74–77
In 2011, the shrine did a thousand doll funerals.[8] As a result, several thousand dolls can be seen lined up in the shrine[8] .
Lines of dolls at the Awashima Shrine.
Lineups of dolls at the Awashima Shrine.
On March 3rd, people put the dolls on boats and send them out to sea. [2]
References
[change | change source]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Rambelli, F (2018). The Sea and The Sacred in Japan. Camden: Bloomsbury Academic Publishing. ISBN 978-1350062870.
- 1 2 3 "Awashima-jinja Shrine | my secret Wakayama". my secret Wakayama. Archived from the original on 2025-01-14. Retrieved 2025-09-27.
- ↑ Arne Kalland, Facing the Spirits: Illness and Healing in a Japanese Community, 1991, p. 15.
- ↑ William Shurtleff et Akiko Aoyagi (2013). History of Tofu and Tofu Products (965 CE to 2013). Soyinfo Center. pp. 643, 4004.. Les auteurs citent l'ouvrage de H. S. K. Yamaguchi (1934). We Japanese. Yokohama: Yamagata Press. p. 160..
- ↑ Brian Bocking, A Popular Dictionary of Shinto, 1997, p. 41.
- ↑ Arne Kalland, Facing the Spirits: Illness and Healing in a Japanese Community, 1991, p. 15.
- ↑ Michitaka Suzuki, Hibutsu (Hidden Buddha). Living Images in Japan and the Orthodox Icons, 岡山大学文学部プロジェクト研究報告書 17, 2011, p. 5-24.
- 1 2 3 Darren Jon Ashmore, The Authenticity of the Other. The Kuiraishi-no-ki and Japanese Ritual Puppet Theatre, ejcjs, volume 13, numéro 3 (Article 14 en 2013).