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News from Wajima - Looking up at the starry sky - Text and photos by Yukiko Akiyama

2024.9.7

Wajima News - A young lacquer artist, Yukiko Akiyama, writes about Kuroshima Town in Noto. The floats of the Kuroshima Tenryo Festival parade through the town where rubble still remains. Part 8

The highlight of the Kuroshima Tenryo Festival, held in August in Kuroshima Town, is the float parade. As the floats make their way down the main street of the town, there is still debris that has not been removed, and in many places the road is barely wide enough for them to pass.



Summer on Kuroshima. Things decay and rot, and things grow vigorously.



Structures that had been built over many years were destroyed by the big tremor, and then collapsed even further by the intense rain and wind. Houses that no longer inhabitants live are subject to severe rainwater leaks and gradually decay. Seeing such abandoned townscapes makes me feel lonely and sad. At the same time, I feel a sense of powerlessness that cannot be dealt with, a sense of the fate of the cycle that returns to the bosom of nature, and sometimes even beauty.

 

When faced with a natural disaster, humans cannot resist the completely changed worldview and circumstances, and are forced to go with the flow. We are made painfully aware of the fragility of living in a modern society that has become too convenient. Regardless of the weaknesses of this human society, we watch the seasons change, plants grow vigorously and then wither, and wild animals and insects move about vigorously every day.

 

While all the things and values ​​we take for granted are constantly changing, we find life regenerating and thriving. Each time, we realize that we are living in this present moment as a single life housed in a human body, surrounded by the unchanging power of nature.


One midnight, a loud thud echoed through the quiet town. When they looked around the next morning, they were shocked to find that a nearby storehouse had collapsed.


Kuroshima Folk House Kuroshima Folk House

The owner of the house has disappeared. There is a shortage of manpower, and work on the house is not coming up easily, so emergency repairs are not progressing smoothly.



When the white lilies bloom, it's Obon and the Kuroshima Tenryo Festival.



During this season, white lilies begin to bloom all over Kuroshima Town, soon ushering in the Obon festival and the Kuroshima Tenryo Festival.

 

Before Obon, I received some red rice from a neighbor's mother. It was a slightly salty rice dish with red beans and kidney beans. Apparently, in this area, it's customary to offer it to the Buddhist altar or Shinto altar to welcome ancestors and guardian deities.

 

Nearly eight months have passed since the earthquake, and many volunteers, including local residents and those who have returned home from other parts of Japan, have come together to prepare for the Tenryo Festival float parade event on the 8th, the last day of Obon, and on the 16th and 17th, the floats paraded through the town. Because the mikoshi (portable shrine) of Wakamiya Hachiman Shrine is undergoing repairs, it was not as usual, but thanks to the enthusiasm of those who cherish the festival and the favorable weather, we were able to make it to this special day!

 


White lily White lily

The simple yet dignified Gun Lily blooms in harsh environments such as gaps in stone walls, roadsides, and wastelands.



Rice is rice Rice is rice

A neighbor's mother shared some steamed rice with us. It has a gentle flavor that has been passed down for generations.



The floats bring the town to life, but there is still rubble on the roadside.

Around noon on the 17th, local men were gathering in the center of town. They were wearing whitish hats called "Panama hats" and matching hand towels with a young wave pattern around their necks. They were wearing happi coats made of Noto Jofu cloth with a navy blue background and kasuri pattern called "dako," black tabi socks and sandals, and they were fanning their fans. This formal attire for the Tenryo Festival gave a sense of the elegance of the festival that has been passed down through the generations in Kuroshima Town. And standing among the crowd were the two floats from Kitamachi and Minamimachi, decorated with dolls and castles based on scenes from history, and heavy banners.

 

At the same time, in the grounds of a shrine on a small hill in the town, the priest offers a prayer and dedicates a pair of sakaki branches. The sakaki branches are carried to the base of the shrine, where they are prayed for a safe procession, then tied to each float and set off! As a large crowd looks on, the sounds of Tenryo drums and flutes resound throughout the area, and the monkey masks and lion dancers appear to lead the way, raising the excitement of the event.

 

The floats have four wheels carved out of wood, and are moved along narrow roads by manually pulling and pushing the ropes at the front and the steering rod at the rear. Along the way, there are some scary moments, such as the floats nearly colliding with nearby roofs or getting tangled in power lines. Then the town's fathers take command of the floats' progress, relying on their experience and intuition to shout chants such as "Umi hitotsu (one step closer to the west where the sea is)" or "Yama futatsu (two steps closer to the east where the mountains are)."

 

When the floats reach the edge of town, they make a U-turn. They attach wooden sticks to the wheels and use all their strength to move the rudder, turning the floats half a turn. This spectacle, where the strength and passion of many different people come together, is one of the highlights. The lively scene looks even more dazzling against the backdrop of the devastated townscape where rubble still remains.

 



Kuroshima Tenryo Festival Floats Kuroshima Tenryo Festival Floats

The many furnishings at the festival give a sense of Kuroshima's history as a territory of the Tokugawa Shogunate during the Edo period.


Kuroshima Tenryo Festival Kuroshima Tenryo Festival

This is a corner where the old-fashioned streetscape remains. Buildings that still have red "danger" signs on them after the earthquake remain untouched.


Kuroshima Tenryo Festival Floats Kuroshima Tenryo Festival Floats

The scene where the float is rotated half a turn. Everyone is drenched in sweat, but they manage to change the direction.



A sense of past and present seen in festivals. Thinking back to the good old days



The Tenryo Festival is a festival to pray for safety at sea and bountiful harvests. Every year, curtains bearing the family crest are hung from the eaves of houses along the road where the floats pass, and each house has a folding screen and furnishings themed around a historical event. This year, the festival was held as a float parade event to pray for recovery from the earthquake, and we heard various stories related to the festival from local people.

 

In the past, the parade would include a children's procession called "Yakkofuri," creating a lively scene. Each household would hold a dinner party called "Yobebi," where people would enjoy spending time together in harmony. Then, when it got dark, paper lanterns would be lit at the entrances of their homes, and people of all ages and genders would gather on the beach or in the square, dressed in yukata robes with young wave patterns, humming folk songs such as Yachiyosakaebushi, nicknamed "Yachoi," and dancing until late into the night.

 

Their love for their hometown is palpable in every word they speak. They are amazed and moved to learn that "there is music and dance alive among the townspeople across generations, and that cherished scenery and time are shared!" Scenes of dressing up for special occasions and fond memories with their families come back to life in vivid colors, and they are reminded of the good old days.

 

On the other hand, until a long time ago, it was men who carried the floats, and women were reluctant to even touch them. While feeling that the gender barrier still remains strong in this land, I timidly picked up the float's pull rope in the second half of the parade.

 

Festivals are an expression of gratitude for life and a celebration of the heavens and the earth. When you unravel the origins of good luck, you can find connections to spiritual philosophy and astronomy. Festivals used to be at the center of life in Kuroshima Town, but I hope they will continue to be passed down in the future in a way that suits the modern era, without being too caught up in old customs and formal religious ceremonies.

 




Kuroshima Tenryo Festival Kuroshima Tenryo Festival

The lanterns were lit on the evening of the 17th. They are filled with the desire to continue the culture of Kuroshima, and are very moving.



In late summer



Even after the Obon festival has passed, the scorching heat and drought continue. Even with electric fans running during the day, the air is so hot that I can't help but imagine, with a sense of dread, how dinner could be prepared if I left a pot of chopped ingredients on the black roof tiles.

 

In the strong sunlight, the sea sparkles blue, the green of the mountains fades slowly, and the rice fields turn gold. And the sun sets earlier and earlier. As the sun sets, a wind blows from somewhere, blowing away the heat from the ground and bringing in the cool evening air. Listening to the sounds of insects echoing from the grass, I feel the lingering summer and the onset of autumn.

 

In normal years, the local market is lined with seafood such as turban shells and abalone, as well as mountains of summer vegetables, and locally grown peaches and passion fruit are in season. As I walk through this town surrounded by the sea and mountains, I feel a sense of once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and murmur to myself, "What an inconvenient yet rich life."

 


Kuroshima Momo Kuroshima Momo

A small peach harvested in this region, with reddish flesh and a sweet and sour taste like a plum.


Ripening rice Ripening rice

I think the festival is based on prayers for the rice to ripen during this period and for a safe harvest.



Kuroshima Sunset Kuroshima Sunset

A cool breeze blows as the sunset unfolds. The scenery along the coast has changed, but the beauty of the sunset remains the same.













































































photography by Kuninobu Akutsu

Yukiko Akiyama

 

Born in Kanagawa Prefecture. She graduated from Joshibi University of Art and Design High School. She graduated from Joshibi University of Art and Design, majoring in dyeing. In her high school class, she came across ``The Story of Urushi'' by the late Living National Treasure lacquer artist Gonroku Matsuda, which led her to decide to pursue a career in lacquer. After graduating from university, she moved to Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture to train in lacquer painting. She graduated from the Ishikawa Prefectural Wajima Lacquer Art Training Institute. She graduated from the Ishikawa Prefectural Wajima Lacquer Art Training Institute, Department of Lacquer. She became an apprentice to Living National Treasure Kunie Komori and became independent at the end of the year. She encountered the January 1st earthquake just as she was setting up her Takaura lacquer workshop in the Kuroshima district of Wajima City.

 

 

 

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“Wajima News ~While looking up at the starry sky~” is…

 

Yukiko Akiyama, a lacquer artist who lives in Wajima, writes ``Wajima News ~While looking up at the starry sky~''. 30 minutes by car from the center of Wajima City. The Kuroshima area, located in the northwestern part of the Noto Peninsula, flourished as a residence for Kitamae-bune ship owners and sailors, and its beautiful landscape with black-tiled roofs has been designated as a nationally important preservation district for groups of traditional buildings. I did. After 16 years in Wajima, lacquer artist Yukiko Akiyama set up a workshop in an old private house in the Kuroshima district, and was just about to work on her work while restoring it, when she was struck by the earthquake. Like many buildings, Akiyama's workshop collapsed. Although there is no prospect of resuming production in her workshop, she will continue to work with lacquer here, and while working on the town development of Kuroshima, she will aim to rebuild the Noto Peninsula and solidify her resolve to start a new life. I am. The rich lifestyle of Kuroshima in the past, the beautiful nature, the interaction with people, the passion for lacquer, and the current situation of the disaster area... She is a woman who lives her daily life in the disaster-stricken area and strives for reconstruction, but at the same time, she depicts the true image of Noto as depicted by a woman who deals seriously with lacquer.

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