Japanese Carnival ?

Men dressed in women clothes running around the neighbourhood in February. This looked like Carnival to me. But I was wrong…

When I arrived to a little temple in Kasai, Edogawa, which is located around 20km northeast of Tokyo, at around 8.00 a.m. on February 24th, the festival called Ikazuchi no Daihanya was about to begin. Translated the words mean “Thunder of Big Wisdom” which leaves a lot room for imagination.
As usual a few spectators had gathered and then 36 men entered a gathered in front of the shrine. They all were dressed in women kimonos. They obviously had also prepared themselves with make-up, including red lipstick, blue eyelashes, rouge style cheeks and a lot of face powder.

I do not explain the usual ritual with breaking the sake-barrel. They got their share to toast to themselves and us and the deities before the actual work started. Notice the three men in the front, wearing a distinctive outwear called “Kurohaori”.These three would be taking a leading role in the unfolding event.

I was at first not well prepared to understand what was following next. The 36 were preparing to move out of the temple area and run through the streets.

You can see them carrying several wooden boxes, which are supposed to contain 100 rolls of writing, resembling the Great Wisdom or Enlightment. Also two of them carry a huge treasured wooden sword.
I had studied the map handed out before and knew that they were running all around the local area until afternoon. So I followed them and was suprised to see, that they had stopped a Japanese house around 1km away. They had put their boxes down and enjoyed some crackers and drinks.

After around 15 minutes they slowly left the premises and you can see various items they are carrying. One is a basket with salt. The salt is thrown in front of the houses to purify them. Another is holding a bamboo stick to hit the wooden box, thus enforcing the “Thunder of the Big Wisdom”.

Once they are lined up again the run starts again. Some followers tell me to wait, as they will pass this way again. Also one of the men knows this and takes a rest. He is wearing a red kimono, indicating that he is over 60 years.

The group stops now at several houses. The owners have apparently requested them to stop in advance and are waiting to put some money in a money box, which one of three black “leaders” is carrying. The other hands over a congratulation gift envelope and the third one gives the donor a yellow piece of thread, which is folded around a piece of wood.

The historical background to this festival is, that at the end of the Edo-Period cholera, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases were spreading and the buddhist priests were asked to chase the evil spirits away.For this purpose they started symbolically fighting the spirits with swords. The boxes would carry the words of Buddha around and protect– as well as the yellow thread. Not quite clear is why men a wearing women clothes. One explanation given is that a sister already had been infected and the elder brother put on her cloth to mislead the evil spirit and to be excorcised on her behalf.

The group continued to move to several houses. Each time they handed over their gifts the two holding the swords would pretend fighting the evil and the group would then shout “Congratulations”.( I assume meaning by this something like you are cured…).

Afterwards the run continued to the next longer stop.

I took a few more shots of these fellows who really enjoyed their time, receiving more sake and beer at these stops. And painting the face black really goes in the direction of Carnival….