In 2018, it is Namahage on Oga Peninsula, Akita Prefecture, which has been registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Site as one of the “Gods Masked and Dressed Gods”. The only craftsman who lives by sculpting the face of a mother is Chiharu Ishikawa, who lives in Oga. I went to the snowy Oga, before the spring visit, and I visited the people who protect the culture of Namahage.
Form the incarnation of God. Visit Chiaki Ishikawa, Japan's only Nahage face carver
Sentence ・ Queen Dumpling
One day, when I looked at the TV that was on something, I did a special feature of Namahage. The plan was to have a mother who never listens to what the children say, call on their namahage and observe how they are being asked to distract.
A naughty boy who keeps playing toys and plays games even if you are told to stop it. Even if my mother says, "I have to ask you what I want to say, I will call you, Namahage!" Here, Namahage's turn was waiting in a separate room. When the mother calls "Namahagesan", a frightening namahage will make a loud noise from the window and will come into the house saying "The bad boy is good!" A boy who seems to be aware of "a bad boy" runs away in the room, shouting "Gya!", Hugged by his mother, and "sorry ~!" I listened to what my mother told me properly, and I promised to clean up what I played, and I was completely knocked out, saying, "I'm weird to see again!" Mr. Namahage went home with her nephew.
As she is tired of tears and patted on the back of her son gazing in the air, she utters, "Hey, you're a bad boy, will you come?" The next day, as usual, he was messing up with toys, and after hearing his mom's word, "You should clean up," he started to clean up properly.
There is a word that there is nothing scary, but it is better to have some scary things
I was born in Tokyo, grew up in Tokyo, and grew up without a relationship with my mother-child, but if I met my mother-child in my childhood, I felt confident that I was absolutely scared and unable to sleep. Although there is a word that there is nothing scary, I think that it is better to have some scary things. If you are scared, you can stop once. A person who can proceed without shaking his side eyes without feeling fear may not notice the pitfalls that were under his feet. I think that's the way it is.
Namahage is not a demon who does evil against human beings, it is a god
Namahage is a New Year's event that takes place on the Okita Peninsula of Akita. Young people in the village are wearing demons and wearing "Kede" made of rice straw that was harvested in that year, dressed as namahage, visiting houses, and reproving the evil spirits and lazy people. Now it is often done on New Year's Eve, and it is actually being done in the 80-90 area.
Namahage is a change of "Namomigi". If you don't work and just hit the fire, you can see marks of low temperature burns in your hands. It has the meaning of entrusting "Namomi", which is evidence of this misery, in order to admonish it, apologize for its calamity, and bring happiness in the new year.
A work rope of Chiaki Ishikawa, who is the only facelifter in Japan, has a closet. When you look at it, it says, "It's because God wears after all." Yes, Namahage is not a demon against evil. It is God.
A face of a mahaha made by a face tattoo artist Ishikawa
There are a variety of materials such as wood, paper, wood, rattan and so on, and the hair is also used as horse hair and hemp, or in the coastal area it is seaweed because the side of the village is handcrafted. . There are no horns. There are faces like Africa, faces like humorous and humorous faces that make you laugh a little. There are many varieties of baldness in each village, but what Ishikawa makes is the surface of a tree that seems to have come from the mountain, and the bald baldness has risen.
The material is Akita's live wood of oak. He made a rough shape with a chainsaw and hand-carved with a chisel and a knife. The workshop which deals with wood has been disturbing so many times, but I noticed that something is different here.
Yes, sound. There is a profound feeling to the sound of carving the surface. Mr. Ishikawa said, "Oh, I'm alive, and I just carve something that has been soaked in water for a few days. You see, if you press it this way, the water will come out." It should be very light if it dries, but it is heavy if it contains water. Because it's soft, it's easy to cut and easy to make shapes. Neither the sound of a chisel, nor the sound of an xylophone, is a light sound that carves a dry tree. A thick, low sound like a wild god is born. I want to close my eyes and listen quietly.
The face that was created in this way is somehow pretty beautiful and scary. After all it is God's incarnation. Even though she had a scary face, she felt like it was oozing out of the tender oak that protected us.
Parent and child, event of namahake that strengthens local bond too
I was able to meet the real Namahage at the Denshokan next to the Namahage Kan. When the forerunner came to see the situation and the owner of the house gave permission, it burned from the entrance! It sounds so good. At the front door, I step on my doorstep, and as I hit the door or open the door for bad children and lazy people, I go wild. I'm really scared. However, no matter how much I spend my time, my dad and grandpa will definitely cover and protect my children. "I think I did my homework yesterday, but I do." It is also an event to strengthen the bonds between parents and children and the community.
Mr. Namahage told me, "Be careful because the flu is in circulation!", And I went home with a smile. It was a very refreshing experience to understand the meaning that it is a god that Namahage will pay off the year and bring happiness in the new year. Influenza virus will also fly with fear of Namahage. I felt like that.
Shooting / Kenji Miura
I want to read together
・ The serial number on the “Japanese Zen” magazine, which Queen Princess Yuko wrote to visit the last craftsman, has become a book!
・The imperial tradition of “Bon Boniere” that Queen Reiko sees
Wadon web editorial department. My motto is "I'm seriously stupid", and I am having fun with all sorts of dread and fun every day. https://note.mu/warakumagazine
