The Roving Ronin Report

Japanese Devils Scare the Laziness out of Kids Namahage – Japanese Devils with a Strong Work Ethic Namahage – the bane of lazy children “ Twas the night before my skinning…” Imagine you were a young child living in the Northwestern part of Japan on the small peninsula of Oga. It’s the holiday season and instead of waiting eagerly for fat jolly old elf with a sack full of toys to bring you presents, you’re dreading the arrival of a bunch of hairy scary devils with a handful of butcher knives who threaten to peel off your skin if you’ve have been lazy all year. It makes the lump of coal Santa Claus leaves with naughty children pale in comparison. If you can get your head around that, perhaps you can understand this bizarre bit of psychological child abuse known as the Namahage. Part of the Oga Welcoming Committee Namahage come in a variety of shapes and colors throughout Oga The Namahage are Japanese devils who visit villages on the Oga peninsula every New Year’s Eve. They wear s...

Ishinomaki in Miyagi Prefecture is one of the town that was hit hard by the tsunami which followed the earthquake on March 11, 2011. I was passing thru 5 months afterwards and still the stark grim reminders remain of what happened that day. Later that evening I went to Sendai the capital of Miyagi which had also gotten hit that day. It was the kick-off of their big Tanabata festival which they do with a big fireworks display. It was good to see the people out and about enjoying themselves - they had cancelled some other festivals in previous months. It showed me that the Tohoku area will pull itself through the disaster with their indomitable spirit. Ganebaremasu!

Japan’s Nebuta Matsuri – Giant Floats Frighten and Delight Fujin the Japanese God of Wind “Dragons, griffins, reptiles, fishes, birds there are, all dancing, waving fans, shouting, howling, singing, noising, in one form or another, in chorus perfectly bewildering.” - Amy Michael-Carmichael, American Missionary to Japan, 1895. Every summer, Aomori City’s Nebuta Festival brings in flocks of tourists from all over to gaze and wonder at the festival’s huge illuminated floats. Nebuta’s giant floats are the stuff of fantasy and nightmare depicting historical and legendary characters some of whom were of demonic origins. A samurai fights the Shuten Doji devil who once troubled Kyoto Visages of snarling faces of humans, animals, monsters, and demons of enormous proportions locked in grisly combat assail the eyes of visitors in a seemingly pagan-like splendor. If a 19th century Christian missionary had ever witnessed the Nebuta Matsuri, they would have probably thought tha...

This is a video I made in support of Japan after the earthquake and devastating tsunami which caused much damage and loss of life in northeastern Japan in the Tohoku region. Over a couple of days I got Japanese and foreign-residents to show their support and togetherness in dealing with the aftermath. I included footage of various Japanese festivals to showcase Japanese spirit and strength. Many of the festival clips were taken at events in the Tohoku area. The singing is from the World Cup celebrations this past summer.

2010 Hirosaki Neputa Matsuri My second night in Aomori Prefecture I went to the city of Hirosaki for its Neputa Matsuri, a festival where they predominately use fan-shaped floats with painted pictures on them. The paintings depict scenes from Japanese and Chinese history and legend. Neputa is seen more like a parade for going to war so the scenes are more warlike and on the back are often paintings of women who represent the women who would say farewell to their warriors. Because of the warlike nature of Neputa, some of the paintings can be a bit gory with bloody severed heads. There is also a brief demonstration of using the katana. This is my fourth time to the festival and it's one of my favorite being different each year as they make new floats every year.