5:15 PM - 6:45 PM
[MZZ46-P17] What do the tug-of-war events seen around the San'in Kaigan Geopark mean?
Keywords:intangible folk cultural assets, straw snake, geological disaster, landslide, debris flow
In the San'in Kaigan Geopark and its surrounding areas, there are many tug-of-war rituals made of straw (Aburano,1984), and some of them have become tourist events. However, when talking about the land of geoparks, the significance of their existence is rarely mentioned. This presentation will focus on two of these tug-of-war events in the San'in Kaigan Geopark, where legends remain, and discuss their geological background and relationship with disasters.
(1) Shobu-tsunahiki in Wada area
This tug-of-war ritual is held every June in Wada, Kami Town, Hyogo Prefecture, and has been designated as an important intangible folk cultural property of Kami Town. After making a rope shaped like a large snake and dedicating it to a shrine, a tug-of-war is held with all the villagers. This event originates from the legend that a dragon living in a pond attacked people and destroyed the fields.
This area consists of Miocene strata, and on the upstream side, clastic rocks and volcaniclastic rocks of late Pliocene to early Pleistocene age are distributed. They often cause landslides, and landslide topography has developed around them. Although the pond mentioned in the legend does not exist in the current Wada area, there is a pond called Kebi-Oike about 4.5 km upstream. This is a lake formed at the boundary between the top of the landslide mass and the sliding cliff, and many landslide topography can be seen from there to the Wada village. From these facts, it is inferred that the story of a rampaging dragon represents a landslide disaster.
(2) Hassaku no Enta Biki
“Hassaku no Enta Biki” is held irregularly in the Izu area of Toyooka City, Hyogo Prefecture. The most recent one was in September 2017, and the previous one was 20 years ago. A snake-shaped rope made of straw is pulled against each other until it breaks. In the Toyooka Basin, there are myths about immigrants who cultivate muddy waters and giant snakes that obstruct the flow of rivers. The tug-of-war ritual is based on the scene at the end of the story where the gods pull a giant snake and tear it apart.
The mountains around the Toyooka Basin are mainly composed of Neogene pyroclastic rocks and Paleogene granites. They are easily eroded and form wide valley plains, but the valleys become narrow due to the distribution of hard basalt on the downstream side. As a result, wetlands with thick sediments were formed within the basin, and floods frequently occurred in the Toyooka Basin. The myth of cultivating a sea of mud corresponds to the history of the formation of this area.
Based on the legends and geological background that remain, it is concluded that these tug-of-war rituals were created with geological disasters in mind. Many of the intangible folk cultural properties reflect the way of life and views of nature that local people have cultivated while receiving the blessings and disasters of nature. Continuing the tug-of-war event seen in this region is significant from the perspective of learning about disasters that can occur in the region and thinking about disaster prevention. At present, these events are not recognized as part of the geopark's cultural heritage. In the future, in developing geopark activities, it will be important to unravel local intangible folk cultural assets and the traditions associated with them.
Reference
Aburano, T. (1984) A study of a tug of war in Tottori and northern part of Hyogo Prefectures. J. Fac. Edu. Tottori University, Cult. Soc. Sciences, 35, 79-90.
(1) Shobu-tsunahiki in Wada area
This tug-of-war ritual is held every June in Wada, Kami Town, Hyogo Prefecture, and has been designated as an important intangible folk cultural property of Kami Town. After making a rope shaped like a large snake and dedicating it to a shrine, a tug-of-war is held with all the villagers. This event originates from the legend that a dragon living in a pond attacked people and destroyed the fields.
This area consists of Miocene strata, and on the upstream side, clastic rocks and volcaniclastic rocks of late Pliocene to early Pleistocene age are distributed. They often cause landslides, and landslide topography has developed around them. Although the pond mentioned in the legend does not exist in the current Wada area, there is a pond called Kebi-Oike about 4.5 km upstream. This is a lake formed at the boundary between the top of the landslide mass and the sliding cliff, and many landslide topography can be seen from there to the Wada village. From these facts, it is inferred that the story of a rampaging dragon represents a landslide disaster.
(2) Hassaku no Enta Biki
“Hassaku no Enta Biki” is held irregularly in the Izu area of Toyooka City, Hyogo Prefecture. The most recent one was in September 2017, and the previous one was 20 years ago. A snake-shaped rope made of straw is pulled against each other until it breaks. In the Toyooka Basin, there are myths about immigrants who cultivate muddy waters and giant snakes that obstruct the flow of rivers. The tug-of-war ritual is based on the scene at the end of the story where the gods pull a giant snake and tear it apart.
The mountains around the Toyooka Basin are mainly composed of Neogene pyroclastic rocks and Paleogene granites. They are easily eroded and form wide valley plains, but the valleys become narrow due to the distribution of hard basalt on the downstream side. As a result, wetlands with thick sediments were formed within the basin, and floods frequently occurred in the Toyooka Basin. The myth of cultivating a sea of mud corresponds to the history of the formation of this area.
Based on the legends and geological background that remain, it is concluded that these tug-of-war rituals were created with geological disasters in mind. Many of the intangible folk cultural properties reflect the way of life and views of nature that local people have cultivated while receiving the blessings and disasters of nature. Continuing the tug-of-war event seen in this region is significant from the perspective of learning about disasters that can occur in the region and thinking about disaster prevention. At present, these events are not recognized as part of the geopark's cultural heritage. In the future, in developing geopark activities, it will be important to unravel local intangible folk cultural assets and the traditions associated with them.
Reference
Aburano, T. (1984) A study of a tug of war in Tottori and northern part of Hyogo Prefectures. J. Fac. Edu. Tottori University, Cult. Soc. Sciences, 35, 79-90.