Waiting for the moon - Tsukimachi

People gather on nights of a certain lunar phase to wait for the moon to rise and worship. Most people worship on the 13th, 15th, 17th, 19th, or 23rd night, but some places, such as the western Shizuoka region, worship the crescent moon. There are few cases of worship every month, and most places worship on a certain month in January, May, and September, or on a certain month in January and November. Tsukimachi is often held for groups or small villages, and there are various types, such as by age, gender, or by believers in a certain profession. In some places, the date is shifted by one day, and while men gather on the 23rd night, only women gather on the 22nd night to pray for safe childbirth. In Nagano Prefecture, July 22nd is called "Niyamachi," and it is said that seven people gather together. Tsukimachi is often related to people, such as prayers for safe childbirth and recovery from illness, probably because people believed that the phases of the moon are deeply connected to vitality.

[Kamata Hisako]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

特定の月齢の夜、人々が集まって月の出るのを待ち、祀(まつ)ること。十三夜、十五夜、十七夜、十九夜、二十三夜などが多いが、静岡県西部地方のように三日月を祀る所もある。毎月祀る例は少なく、正月、5月、9月の3回、あるいは正月、11月の一定の月を祀る所が多い。月待は、組とか小字(こあざ)を単位とすることが多く、年齢によるもの、性別によるもの、あるいは特定の職業者だけの信仰者によるものなど、さまざまである。日を1日ずらして、男子の二十三夜に対し、女子だけ二十二夜に集まり、安産祈願を行う所もある。長野県では7月22日を「ニヤマチ」といい、7人ずつそろってするものだという。月待には安産祈願、病気平癒祈願など人にかかわるものが多いのも、月の満ち欠けが生命力に深いかかわりをもつと信じていたからであろう。

［鎌田久子］

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