The is an event celebrated in various places in

Nagasaki prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Nagasaki Prefecture has a population of 1,314,078 (1 June 2020) and has a geographic area of 4,130 Square kilometre, km2 (1,594 sq mi). Nagasaki Prefecture borders ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. It is part of the

Bon Festival or just is fusion of the ancient Japanese belief in ancestral spirits and a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the spirits of one's ancestors. This Buddhist–Confucian custom has evolved into a family reunion holiday during which people retu ...

. During the event, the souls of the deceased are mourned.

Description

The procession takes place on August 15 of every year. During the procession, people float boats which are said to be carrying the spirits of the deceased down the river. The spirits are said to be sent to

Sukhavati Sukhavati (IAST: ''Sukhāvatī''; "Blissful") is a pure land of Amitābha in Mahayana Buddhism. It is also called the Land of Bliss or Western Pure Land, and is the most well-known of Buddhist pure lands, due to the popularity of Pure Land Budd ...

. It is done as an act of mourning by those who have lost a family member in the past year, though people who are not mourning participate as well. As with many other Japanese festivals, people carry firecrackers and gongs, and often sound off with

kakegoe ''Kakegoe'' () usually refers to shouts and calls used in performances of traditional Japanese music, Kabuki theatre, and in martial arts such as kendo. Kabuki In the kabuki theatre, the term is used to refer to melodramatic calls from an audien ...

. Some boats are built up to look like festival floats, and many tourists come to see the event. Despite the atmosphere, the procession is actually a Buddhist event of mourning the deceased. At one time the boats were floated off into the ocean, but in recent years the boats are retrieved before they go out that far so as to prevent polluting the ocean. In 2010, it was reported that more than 180,000 people had attended the event.

Boats

The boats are called . The boats are said to carry the souls of the deceased on them. The boats are mainly built by people who have lost a family member in the last year, though they are also built by others. The boats can be built from a quantity of different supplies and no particular one is preferred. Bamboo and grass are often used, though

cogongrass ''Imperata cylindrica'' (commonly known as cogongrass or kunai grass ) is a species of perennial rhizomatous grass native to tropical and subtropical Asia, Micronesia, Melanesia, Australia, Africa, and southern Europe. It has also been introduc ...

is popular in

Saikai, Nagasaki is a city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. As of March 2017, the city has an estimated population of 28,815 and a population density of 4,700 persons per km2. The total area is 242.01 km2. The modern city of Saikai was established on ...

, and some other people use hardened corrugated cardboard. People who are mourning decorate the boat with the family crest, put a portrait of the deceased and the mortuary tablet on the boat, and also sometimes use a token that exemplifies the person (e.g. a shogi player may have a shogi piece on the boat). Those who are not mourning generally build small laced rafts, and set O-Bon lanterns, fruit or non-natural flowers on them instead. Boats made by individuals or family members are generally between 1 and 2 meters. Often boats also have a sail with

sutra ''Sutra'' ( sa, सूत्र, translit=sūtra, translit-std=IAST, translation=string, thread)Monier Williams, ''Sanskrit English Dictionary'', Oxford University Press, Entry fo''sutra'' page 1241 in Indian literary traditions refers to an aph ...

s for Buddha and Kannon. Larger boats, called ''moyaibune'', are created and sent out by neighborhoods, local councils or organizations. Prior to the 1950s, these sorts of boats were more popular, as individual family boats are expensive and considered relatively luxurious. Neighborhood boats are usually adorned with the town icon, and paper lanterns with family crests are hung off the boat. In more recent years, less traditional boats have gained popularity. These boats are discussed to as and are becoming progressively popular. An example of such a boat would be a yacht-shaped boat for someone who was an avid sailor.

Origin

There are various theories as to the festival's origin, though it is believed to be strongly influenced by a similar Chinese festival. The meaning of the firecrackers that are fired on the side of the road leading up to the launching place comes from a Chinese idea on how to ward off evil spirits, and by passing the boats by, they are cleansed.

Song

Masashi Sada is a Japanese singer, lyricist, composer, novelist, actor, and a film producer. Sada formed the folk duo Grape with Masami Yoshida in 1972, and they made their debut as recording artists a year afterward. The pair rose to fame owing to the hi ...

, a native of Nagasaki, wrote a song called ''Shoro nagashi'' that is essentially about the festival. It was recorded along with Masami Yoshida under the band name ''Grape'' and was released in 1974. At the end of 2009 Sada's father died, and in 2010 he and his family sailed a boat in honor of his father. Footage was broadcast around the country.

References

External links