Kangensai - Orchestra Festival

Kangen music is often played at Shinto rituals, but in one ritual, the scale is particularly large, with a portable shrine (mikoshi) enshrined on a boat and the music played to appease the spirits. This is held at Itsukushima Shrine in Miyajima-cho, Hatsukaichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture, and Kanazaki Shrine in Tsuruga City, Fukui Prefecture.

The Itsukushima Shrine's Kangen Festival is held every year on the night of June 17th of the lunar calendar. The preliminary stages of the ritual include the Ichitatesai dance on June 5th of the lunar calendar, the Osubori ritual of digging a sandbar inside the great torii gate on the 11th, the Ofunagumi ceremony and test ride ceremony on the 16th, and on the night of the 17th, three sacred boats are lined up and the portable shrine is enshrined in the center, accompanied by priests and musicians who play Kangen music, and the sacred boats are pulled by three tugboats, followed by an attendant boat in a procession. First, the procession leaves the corridor, passes through the large torii gate, and arrives at Chigozen Shrine where a religious ceremony is held. When the procession returns, festivals are held in front of Nagahama Shrine, Omoto Shrine, and Maroudo Shrine inside the large torii gate. On this day, thousands of lights are lit from Arinoura to Omotoura, adding color to the night festival.

[Yoshii Sadatoshi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

神事には往々にして管絃を奉奏することが行われるが、とくにその規模を大きくして神輿(みこし)を船中に奉安し、管絃を吹奏して神霊をなぐさめる神事。広島県廿日市(はつかいち)市宮島町の厳島(いつくしま)神社、福井県敦賀(つるが)市の金崎宮(かねがさきぐう)などで行われている。

　厳島神社の管絃祭は毎年旧暦の6月17日夜行われる。神事は前段階として旧暦6月5日に市立祭(いちたてさい)の舞、11日に大鳥居内の州浜(すはま)を掘る御州掘(おすぼり)の神事、16日に御船組(おふなぐみ)、試乗の式が行われ、17日当夜は御船3隻を並べ、中央に神輿を奉安し、神職、伶人(れいじん)などが陪乗して管絃を吹奏し、曳船(ひきふね)3隻によって御座船を引き、あとに御供船が従うという祭列を組む。まず廊嘴(したさき)から出御し、大鳥居をくぐり、地御前(ちのごぜん)神社に至って神事を行うもので、還幸のとき、長浜神社、大元(おおもと)神社、大鳥居内の客(まろうど)神社の前でも祭りが行われる。この日有ノ浦から大元浦あたりまで幾千の灯火がともされ夜祭りを彩る。

［吉井貞俊］

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