祭概要

地域の子どもたちが伝統を継承！神の人形を燃やし厄災を払う伝統行事

村境で邪悪なものの侵入を防ぎ集落を守る「塞の神信仰」と、小正月の火祭り（左義長）が結びつき、地域に根ざした伝統行事です。早朝から子どもの集団が家々を訪問し、正月飾りや米、大豆、菓子などを集めます。玄関先では年長の男児が「デク（木製の男神・女神）」を捧げ持ち、みんなで「塞の神じゃ、大神じゃ」とサイノカミの唄を歌うのが特長。最後に集めた正月飾りとデクを、竹と藁による作り物の中に納めて燃やし、一年の無病息災と五穀豊穣を祈願します。
厄を背負うとされるデクは、完全に灰になるまで燃やされます。竹の節の弾ける音が大きいほど災厄が払われるとされます。

写真提供：入善町教育委員会


The local children pass on tradition! A traditional festival where god dolls are burned to ward off evil.

A traditional ritual deeply rooted in the region, related to the faith of deities that prevent the invasion of evil at village boundaries while warding off disasters and evil, and the fire festivals of the Lunar New Year. Groups of children get together early in the morning to visit homes and gather items such as New Year decorations, rice, soybeans, and sweets. It features elderly men holding up wooden gods and goddesses at their front doors. Everyone sings a song of deities that protect from disasters and evil saying, “This is the Sainokami deity. This is a great deity.” At the end, the New Year decorations as well as wooden gods and goddesses are placed into bamboo and straw containers to be burned in prayers for good health and good harvests for the year.

The wooden gods and goddesses that are said to bear the burden of the evil are burned until there is nothing left but ashes.
It is also said that the louder sounds of bamboo joints being struck ward off more evil.
Photo courtesy of: Nyuzen Town Board of Education

Muramachi District, Uwano, Nyuzen Town

祭基本情報