11:00 AM - 11:15 AM
[MIS10-08] The meaning of the straw snake rituals and legends at San'in Kaigan Geopark
Keywords:atraw snake rituals, legend, geological disaster, geopark, intangible folk cultural property
There are many rituals in the Kinki and Chugoku regions that use giant snakes woven from straw (called straw snakes here) (Fig.1). The basic form of these is that people pull a straw snake through the village, then wrap it around the torii gates or sacred trees of shrines and offer it as a dedication. One event that deserves special mention is the tug-of-war event that takes place from Tottori Prefecture to northern Hyogo Prefecture . Among these, the "Wada no Shobu Tug-of-War" and "Hassaku no Entahiki," both held within the San'in Kaigan Geopark, have legends related to dragon and giant snake.
In this presentation, I will summarize the folklore and geological background that gave birth to these events, and consider their connection to disasters, including straw snake events in other regions.
1. Wada no Iris Tug of War
Overview of event:
This event is held every June and is designated as an intangible folk cultural property of Kami Town, Hyogo Prefecture. A large rope approximately 30 meters long resembling a large snake is made and dedicated to the shrine, after which a tug-of-war is held with all the villagers.
Legend:
A dragon lived in a large pond and attacked people. There, a traveling monk exterminated it. However, after that, disasters began to occur frequently, so every year a rope was woven in the shape of a large snake and enshrined there.
Wada district, where the tug-of-war takes place, is located along the Yata River, which flows through the center of Kami Town, Hyogo Prefecture. This area is made up of clastic and pyroclastic rocks from the Miocene and Pliocene eras of the Neogene period and the Pleistocene period of the Quaternary period, and is a major landslide area. Currently, there are no ponds in the Wada district, but Kebi Oike Pond exists about 4.5 km upstream. This lake was formed on the boundary between the top of the landslide mass and the falling cliff, and many landslide topography are distributed from there to the Wada settlement.
The legend of a dragon that lives in the pond and attacks people is reminiscent of the landslides that invade this area.
2 Hassaku no Enta-hiki
Overview of event:
Hassaku no Enta-hiki was held in Toyooka City, Hyogo Prefecture in 2017 for the first time in 20 years. The event involves all the local residents walking around holding straw ropes made to resemble snakes, then pulling on them until the rope breaks.
Legend:
There was a large rock near the mouth of the Toyooka Basin that blocked the flow of water, turning the basin into a sea of mud. So the gods broke the rock to allow the water to flow, but a giant snake appeared and blocked the flow, causing the basin to become a sea of mud once again. Eventually the gods joined forces and pulled the snake apart, allowing the water to flow again, and the basin became a fertile rural area. The tug-of-war event is based on this legend.
The mountains around the Toyooka Basin are mainly composed of Neogene pyroclastic rocks and Paleogene granite, which are easily eroded and form a wide valley floor plain. On the other hand, the valley is narrow due to the presence of hard basalt on the downstream side, creating a bottleneck. As a result, thick sediment has accumulated in the basin, forming wetlands, and the Toyooka Basin has frequently experienced flooding.
The legend of reclamation of the muddy sea corresponds to the history of the formation of this region.
3. Relationship between straw snake rituals and disasters
As mentioned above, the tug-of-war events seen in the San'in Kaigan Geopark are related to landslides and floods. The Straw Snake ritual is performed in various other ways. Other well-known straw snake rituals include the Kojin Festival in the Izumo region, the Nogami Festival in the Nara Basin, Michi-kiri in the southern Lake Biwa region, and Tsuji-kiri in southern Kanto. As a result of superimposing the distribution of these events with hazard maps, it became clear that most of the straw snake events were held around areas expected to be inundated by floods or in areas at risk of debris flows. Based on the above, it is thought that many of the Straw Snake rituals have the meaning of protecting the area from disasters.
Through such rituals, people may have expressed their fear of disasters and their gratitude for the blessings of the earth. Activities that allow people to experience the movements of the earth and the views of nature of people in the past while enjoying events are connect to the origin of geopark activities, which are to "celebrate the Earth's heritage and create a sustainable local community."
In this presentation, I will summarize the folklore and geological background that gave birth to these events, and consider their connection to disasters, including straw snake events in other regions.
1. Wada no Iris Tug of War
Overview of event:
This event is held every June and is designated as an intangible folk cultural property of Kami Town, Hyogo Prefecture. A large rope approximately 30 meters long resembling a large snake is made and dedicated to the shrine, after which a tug-of-war is held with all the villagers.
Legend:
A dragon lived in a large pond and attacked people. There, a traveling monk exterminated it. However, after that, disasters began to occur frequently, so every year a rope was woven in the shape of a large snake and enshrined there.
Wada district, where the tug-of-war takes place, is located along the Yata River, which flows through the center of Kami Town, Hyogo Prefecture. This area is made up of clastic and pyroclastic rocks from the Miocene and Pliocene eras of the Neogene period and the Pleistocene period of the Quaternary period, and is a major landslide area. Currently, there are no ponds in the Wada district, but Kebi Oike Pond exists about 4.5 km upstream. This lake was formed on the boundary between the top of the landslide mass and the falling cliff, and many landslide topography are distributed from there to the Wada settlement.
The legend of a dragon that lives in the pond and attacks people is reminiscent of the landslides that invade this area.
2 Hassaku no Enta-hiki
Overview of event:
Hassaku no Enta-hiki was held in Toyooka City, Hyogo Prefecture in 2017 for the first time in 20 years. The event involves all the local residents walking around holding straw ropes made to resemble snakes, then pulling on them until the rope breaks.
Legend:
There was a large rock near the mouth of the Toyooka Basin that blocked the flow of water, turning the basin into a sea of mud. So the gods broke the rock to allow the water to flow, but a giant snake appeared and blocked the flow, causing the basin to become a sea of mud once again. Eventually the gods joined forces and pulled the snake apart, allowing the water to flow again, and the basin became a fertile rural area. The tug-of-war event is based on this legend.
The mountains around the Toyooka Basin are mainly composed of Neogene pyroclastic rocks and Paleogene granite, which are easily eroded and form a wide valley floor plain. On the other hand, the valley is narrow due to the presence of hard basalt on the downstream side, creating a bottleneck. As a result, thick sediment has accumulated in the basin, forming wetlands, and the Toyooka Basin has frequently experienced flooding.
The legend of reclamation of the muddy sea corresponds to the history of the formation of this region.
3. Relationship between straw snake rituals and disasters
As mentioned above, the tug-of-war events seen in the San'in Kaigan Geopark are related to landslides and floods. The Straw Snake ritual is performed in various other ways. Other well-known straw snake rituals include the Kojin Festival in the Izumo region, the Nogami Festival in the Nara Basin, Michi-kiri in the southern Lake Biwa region, and Tsuji-kiri in southern Kanto. As a result of superimposing the distribution of these events with hazard maps, it became clear that most of the straw snake events were held around areas expected to be inundated by floods or in areas at risk of debris flows. Based on the above, it is thought that many of the Straw Snake rituals have the meaning of protecting the area from disasters.
Through such rituals, people may have expressed their fear of disasters and their gratitude for the blessings of the earth. Activities that allow people to experience the movements of the earth and the views of nature of people in the past while enjoying events are connect to the origin of geopark activities, which are to "celebrate the Earth's heritage and create a sustainable local community."