2012年12月26日
Kadomatsu – Gate Pines
Christmas is over and in Japan that means it’s time to bring out the New Year’s decorations. My favorite are the kadomatsu, or “gate pines”.
These are placed one on either side of the entrance to homes and buildings to welcome the toshigami, the gods of the New Year. It also means that the person passing through receives the blessings of the gods.
The photos above show a lovely example I stumbled across yesterday. I also stumbled across a lovely man who was able to explain the symbolism, something a surprising number of Japanese are unable to do. According to him, each part of the kadomatsu is a metaphor, which he interpreted as follows:
The bamboo stands for growth and strength, and also for honesty and uprightness because it grows straight and tall. The hollow tubes serve as a receptacle for the gods during their temporary stay. The evergreen pine represents a long and vigorous life.
“Nanten”, the nandina with red berries, is a play on words, “nan” being the same sound as the word for “difficulties” and “ten” sounding like the verb “to convert” (“tenjiru”), i.e. changing hardship to good fortune. The plum branches stand for hope because they are the first trees to blossom in spring and the ornamental cabbage flowers are white and red (well, almost), colors denoting happiness.
There is a great volunteer group in Kagawa prefecture called Donguri Ginko (The Acorn Bank) that takes care of forests and raises environmental awareness through events for families and children. One of their annual events is making kadomatsu. We joined them years ago and enjoyed a great day tromping through a forest on the south end of Takamatsu and picking out the materials we would use. At the same time, we were culling bamboo, which is essentially a weed that can take over and destroy healthy forests if it is left untended by humans.
Here we are cutting bamboo.
The work in progress.
A break for the local delicacy, shippoku udon, noodles cooked in a soup with miso and vegetables
This delicacy was served in dishes and eaten with chopsticks that we made ourselves from bamboo of course.
And finally, here we are with our creations.
In our area, the kadomatsu are burned on January 15 to release the gods and ensure a bountiful year. So let me end this with best wishes to all for a very happy New Year!
These are placed one on either side of the entrance to homes and buildings to welcome the toshigami, the gods of the New Year. It also means that the person passing through receives the blessings of the gods.
The photos above show a lovely example I stumbled across yesterday. I also stumbled across a lovely man who was able to explain the symbolism, something a surprising number of Japanese are unable to do. According to him, each part of the kadomatsu is a metaphor, which he interpreted as follows:
The bamboo stands for growth and strength, and also for honesty and uprightness because it grows straight and tall. The hollow tubes serve as a receptacle for the gods during their temporary stay. The evergreen pine represents a long and vigorous life.
“Nanten”, the nandina with red berries, is a play on words, “nan” being the same sound as the word for “difficulties” and “ten” sounding like the verb “to convert” (“tenjiru”), i.e. changing hardship to good fortune. The plum branches stand for hope because they are the first trees to blossom in spring and the ornamental cabbage flowers are white and red (well, almost), colors denoting happiness.
There is a great volunteer group in Kagawa prefecture called Donguri Ginko (The Acorn Bank) that takes care of forests and raises environmental awareness through events for families and children. One of their annual events is making kadomatsu. We joined them years ago and enjoyed a great day tromping through a forest on the south end of Takamatsu and picking out the materials we would use. At the same time, we were culling bamboo, which is essentially a weed that can take over and destroy healthy forests if it is left untended by humans.
Here we are cutting bamboo.
The work in progress.
A break for the local delicacy, shippoku udon, noodles cooked in a soup with miso and vegetables
This delicacy was served in dishes and eaten with chopsticks that we made ourselves from bamboo of course.
And finally, here we are with our creations.
In our area, the kadomatsu are burned on January 15 to release the gods and ensure a bountiful year. So let me end this with best wishes to all for a very happy New Year!
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Cathy Hirano キャシー ヒラノ
I've lived in Japan since 1978. After graduating from a Japanese university with a BA in cultural anthropology in 1983, I worked as a translator in a Japanese consulting engineering firm in Tokyo for several years. My Japanese husband and I moved to Takamatsu in 1987 to raise our two children in a slower-paced environment away from the big city pressures. We've never regretted it. I work as a freelance translator and interpreter and am involved in a lot of community work, including volunteering for Second Hand, a local NGO that supports educational and vocational training initiatives in Cambodia, and for the Takamatsu International Association. I love living in Takamatsu.
Cathy Hirano キャシー ヒラノ
I've lived in Japan since 1978. After graduating from a Japanese university with a BA in cultural anthropology in 1983, I worked as a translator in a Japanese consulting engineering firm in Tokyo for several years. My Japanese husband and I moved to Takamatsu in 1987 to raise our two children in a slower-paced environment away from the big city pressures. We've never regretted it. I work as a freelance translator and interpreter and am involved in a lot of community work, including volunteering for Second Hand, a local NGO that supports educational and vocational training initiatives in Cambodia, and for the Takamatsu International Association. I love living in Takamatsu.
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