Last Saturday I’ve returned to Asakusa, in Tokyo. By chance I came across the celebrations of the Sanja Matsuri Festival. This Festival is held to celebrate three men and their founding of the nearby Senso-ji (Buddhist) Temple. When the men passed away, festivities are said to have taken place commemorating their dedication to Buddism and as early as the 7th century AD it is believed the foundations were laid for what is today the Sanja Matsuri. Although the current version of the memorial dates to the mid 17th century with the founding of the Asakusa Shrine, the spirits of the three men responsible for founding Senso-ji are still remembered in the name of the festival ‘’San’’ means three in Japanese, and the fact that three portable shrines (each representing one of the men) collectively form the centerpiece of the festivities. Circa 50 individuals carry the ‘’mikoshi’’ revered objects (these appear before the public eye only once a year), and sort of singing.
Landing Away in Japan
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