Mushi-okuri in summer season / Japanese event for rice fields / Shinto concept and foods
Friday, June 23, 2017
Mushi-okuri in the Hitoyama area is an annual event for rice plants.(Every 6th of July)
It has been going on for 300 years.
Local people walk around rice fields with torches.
Fire of torch exterminates harmful insects on rice plants.
Insects fly into the fire and die but actually,this event is not just for a insects prevention.
This event was derived from severe starvation caused by plague of locusts on rice fields.
Many people died without foods.
So it is also like a playing for dead poor ancestors and wishing rich harvest in the island.
In 1970,this event became a intangible folk-cultural properties of town.
Short movie of Hitoyama area's Mushi-okuri.
There is a very important face in the event.
It is a funeral,memorial ceremony for harmful insects in the Tamon temple that is held in the begging of the event.
I think it represents a mercy heart for dead insects.
In Japanese Shinto,whole cycle of nature is an essential concept.
Insects were just living for their own life but we have to remove them to protect agriculture.
Local people are thinking about the meaning.
If we just kill insects for human without memorial mind,
it doesn't mean Japanese Shinto,the whole nature worship.
Thanks to the merciful funeral,insects never curse us and they will re-birth again.
Japanese word ITADAKI-MASU for the beginning of eating also means merciful heart for all foods.
With the kindness word,sacrificed meat of animal's heart will calm down.
It is true.
Human are able to eat animal's meat if we respect them.
Some people eat only vegetables so as not to kill animals.
But it is a little bit nonsense.
Because animals are already killed even if you don't eat them.
Or other eats animals and you can't stop it.
We have to eat Animal protein because your all ancestors ate it.
Your body need Animal protein too.
Also,the Earth is a stage for human.
Not for a animals.
Some people are misunderstanding about the Earth.
"It will be better if human don't exist in the Earth."
No,no,no.Opposite.
This stage was given by God for human.
God prepared Animals to show us how to live.
I mean God hopes human never give up to live in any severe situation.
Animals never commit a suicide.But human do.
Truth about suicide / Don't commit suicide
Appropriate amount of meat or fish is very effective in long term life.
You have to accomplish your own aim within a life limit.
So,eat animal protein for your long life and mental health.
Vegetarian or vegan people will have short term life.
They will regret their food habit after their death.
If we just kill insects for human without memorial mind,
it doesn't mean Japanese Shinto,the whole nature worship.
Thanks to the merciful funeral,insects never curse us and they will re-birth again.
Japanese word ITADAKI-MASU for the beginning of eating also means merciful heart for all foods.
With the kindness word,sacrificed meat of animal's heart will calm down.
It is true.
Human are able to eat animal's meat if we respect them.
Some people eat only vegetables so as not to kill animals.
But it is a little bit nonsense.
Because animals are already killed even if you don't eat them.
Or other eats animals and you can't stop it.
We have to eat Animal protein because your all ancestors ate it.
Your body need Animal protein too.
Also,the Earth is a stage for human.
Not for a animals.
Some people are misunderstanding about the Earth.
"It will be better if human don't exist in the Earth."
No,no,no.Opposite.
This stage was given by God for human.
God prepared Animals to show us how to live.
I mean God hopes human never give up to live in any severe situation.
Animals never commit a suicide.But human do.
Truth about suicide / Don't commit suicide
Appropriate amount of meat or fish is very effective in long term life.
You have to accomplish your own aim within a life limit.
So,eat animal protein for your long life and mental health.
Vegetarian or vegan people will have short term life.
They will regret their food habit after their death.
Actually,the funeral for insects is held in Buddhism temple,but this event has strong Shinto's concept originally.
Shinto and Buddhism are totally different and Shinto is Japanese main one.
Buddhism is really new thing in Japan.
Buddhism is really new thing in Japan.
But some Buddhism temple has Shinto like role in Japanese long history.
It is really complex history and some Japanese people don't understand the difference between Shinto and Buddhism.
Japanese even think that Japan has no religion.
But Japan is the nation of most full of religious rituals in the world.
After the Insects funeral,about 200 people start walking with torches from the Hitoyama-Rikyu Hachiman Shrine.
The shrine is also known as local Kabuki stage.
This Kabuki performance is not only for fun but also for wishing happy rural life and gratitude heart for rich harvest.
By the way,Ｎakayama-Senmaita area in the same island also do the same event.
It is held on the first Saturday of July.
Mushi-okuri is not a specific event of the Shoudo island.
Many Japanese rural prefectures do this.