The second week of our project to introduce festivals in downtown Tokyo is the Sanja Festival of Asakusa Shrine, which is now entering its climax.
The Sanja Festival is an ancient festival said to have a history of 700 years.
Sensoji Temple (built in 628) is known as the oldest temple in Tokyo, and Sensoji Shrine, built within its temple grounds, is dedicated to the three great men who contributed to the construction of Sensoji Temple: brothers Hinokuma-no-Hamanari and Takenari, and Haji-no-Matsuchi no Mikoto.
It is said that the Sanja Matsuri was born from a legend that once a year, the three Shinto deities enshrined at the shrine spend the night with Kannon (Goddess of Mercy) in the main hall of Sensoji Temple, and then ride on a portable shrine to see the town.
Upper left: Three portable shrines at the head shrine, Upper right: Asakusa Kisakata-chokai's drum, Lower left: Asakusa Kisasan-chokai's portable shrine during the joint parade, Lower right: Four portable shrines lined up before crossing Umamichi-dori (in front is Asakusa Umasan-chokai's portable shrine).
On May 18, the third day of the festival, a joint parade of portable shrines through the town was held.
At noon, approximately 100 portable shrines from 44 Asakusa Ujiko merchants gathered in the back of Senso-ji Temple grounds and started to move out one after another into the town.
The tamafuri, in which the portable shrine is shaken wildly as it moves forward, is one of the highlights of the Sanja Festival.
Upper left and lower right: The portable shrine parading in front of the main hall of Sensoji Temple; Upper right: The lively crowd in front of the main hall of Sensoji Temple; Lower left: The Asakusa Umaichi-chokai’s portable shrine at Asakusa Shrine; Lower middle: The five- storied pagoda and the portable shrine
Tomorrow, the 19th, is the last day of the festival. The three main shrines, Ichinomiya, Ninomiya, and Sannomiya, will be unveiled early in the morning and will walk through the town in the following order.
Ichinomiya (Eastern part: 12 towns): Asakusa Umaichi, Hanakawado-Ichi, Hanakawado-ni, Saruwak, Shoten, Mutsumi, Asakusa Umasan, Asakusa Umani, Asakusa Kisaichi, Asakusa Kisakata, Asakusa Kisasan, Asagokai
Ninomiya (Western part: 16 towns): Asakusa-ni、Shibasaki Higashi, Nishiasa San-kita,、Asakusa Kiyosan, Asakusacho-ni、Asakusacho-ichi, Tsutsumi, Chigusa, Asakusa-naka, Asakusa Senwa, Senni-nishi, Senni Kogetsu, Senichi-minami, Asasan-higashi
Sannomiya (Southern part: 16 towns): Nakamise, Kaminarimon Tobu, Kaminarimon Chubu, Kaminarimon Seibu, Kaminarimon Tawara, Kotobuki-yon, Komagata, Kotobuki-san Higashi, Kotobuki-ichi, Kotobuki-ni, Nishiasakusa-ichi, Asaichi Sanei, Asakusa Kouen, Asakusa-nishi, Asakusa Chuo, Asakusa-higashi
Left: Main shrine mikoshi (Ichinomiya), Center: Main shrine mikoshi (Ninomiya), Right: Main shrine mikoshi (Sannomiya)
Video 1: The portable shrine of Asakusa Kisasan-chokai during the joint procession
Video 2: Four portable shrines lined up in front of the Umamichi Road crossing
Video 3: The portable shrine of the Umaichi-chokai proceeding to the grounds of Asakusa Shrine
Video 4: Portable shrines proceeding in front of the main hall of Sensoji Temple
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