Mountain play - Yamaasobi

Around the 8th day of March or Uzuki (April) in the lunar calendar, this is an event where people take food and go to the mountains or the seaside to play for a day. In the past, it was held almost throughout the country. Its name varies depending on the region, and it is called ohanami, yamagiki, isoasobi, nogake, etc., and the date is generally not only March 3rd but also around April 8th, but there are also places around the March equinox or mid-April. In the southern Kanto region, around March 3rd, girls mainly put sushi and simmered dishes in a tiered box and go to a small hill or mountain, exchange the food they brought with them, and eat it. In some places, they also take a Hina doll with them. Isoasobi is an event that follows modern clam-digging, but in the southern islands of Japan, March 3rd is called sangansanichi, and it is said that you must go to the seashore, and in the past, there was a custom of going to the seashore even in the mountainous areas of Iwate Prefecture. Both of these are thought to have been customs that involved welcoming the gods outdoors, holding festivals and sharing food and drink together from spring through summer, when the actual farming season was about to begin, and which may have had some religious significance.

[Osamu Takano]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

旧暦の三月節供または卯月(うづき)（4月）8日のころ、食物を持って山や海辺に出て、1日遊ぶ行事。昔はほとんど全国で行われた。その名称もお花見、山行き、磯(いそ)遊び、野がけなど、土地によって違い、期日も3月3日だけではなく4月8日の前後という所が一般に多いが、3月の彼岸ごろや4月中旬の所もある。関東南部では、3月3日ごろ重箱にすしや煮しめなどを入れ、おもに女の子が山や丘などの小高い所に行って、持参の食物を交換しあって食べるというが、このとき雛(ひな)人形を一体ぐらい持って行く所もある。磯遊びは近代の潮干狩に続く行事であろうが、日本の南方の島々では3月3日をサンガンサニチといってかならず海岸に出なくてはならないとされ、昔は岩手県の山間部でも海岸へ出かける習わしがあった。いずれも春から夏にかけ、実際の農事の開始を迎えるころ、戸外で神を迎え祭りを行い飲食をともにした習俗と考えられ、なんらかの信仰的意味があったものと考えられる。

［高野　修］

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