The Japanese Religion and Community
In societies across the world, religion has always had the ability to unite the people into communities through its rituals and celebrations. Japanese society is a major example of how people can join together as a community to celebrate their unique beliefs. However, this would then often raise the question of which came first; the close-knit community who started the religion, or the religion that jumpstarted everything and brought people together. The truth of the matter is, if one were to look at Japanese culture and society, it is rather apparent that ancient religions such as Buddhism and Shinto form rituals and traditions which would then later shape the ceremonies that the community partake in. These ceremonies are essentially festivals that villages put together to show respect and acknowledgement for a certain religion or an important event. Festivals are done with the most dedication among everybody in a village or town, and it is this dedication that proves how important festivals are to the community. Essentially, the religion is the driving force behind a culture 's communal bond, and it is the festivals such as the Kenka Matsuri, Namahage Matsuri, and the Gion Matsuri that are physical representation of this union. However, these religious festivals have proven to lose its religious background and tradition and start to converge into a celebration of the community itself.
A very well known festival that Japan usually takes pride in is the Kenka Matsuri, or also known as the Fighting Festival. One of the most world renown fighting festival is held in the town of Shirahama, Himeji City. The Nada Kenka Matsuri is famous for its seven competing villages and its people 's sheer dedication to celebrating its annual festival. This particular festival is celebrated for its elaborate portable shrines, or yatai, that get thrown at each other as a sign of each individual village 's power. This would often seem as a fierce competition rather than a festival,
A very well known festival that Japan usually takes pride in is the Kenka Matsuri, or also known as the Fighting Festival. One of the most world renown fighting festival is held in the town of Shirahama, Himeji City. The Nada Kenka Matsuri is famous for its seven competing villages and its people 's sheer dedication to celebrating its annual festival. This particular festival is celebrated for its elaborate portable shrines, or yatai, that get thrown at each other as a sign of each individual village 's power. This would often seem as a fierce competition rather than a festival,
References: Yamamoto, Yoshiko. The Namahage. Pennsylvania: Institute for the Study of Human Issues, Inc., 1978. Kawano, Satsuki. Ritual Practice in Modern Japan. Honolulu: University of Hawai 'I P, 2005. Casal, U. A. The Five Sacred Festivals of Ancient Japan. Tokyo: Charles E. Tuttle Company Inc., 1967. Ashkenazi, Michael. Matsuri Festivals of a Japanese Town. Honolulu: University of Hawaii P, 1993. Japanese Fighting Festival Review author[s]: Theodore C. Bestor American Anthropologist, New Series, Vol. 88, No. 3. (Sep., 1986), pp. 778-779. Stable URL: http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=00027294%28198609%292%3A88%3A3%3C778%3AJFF%3E2.0.CO%3B2-P