火の粉
日本で生まれ育ち、多国籍のルーツを持つ自分は、昔から自分の文化的な背景には興味があった。だが、日本の文化主に祭りを深く知ろうとしたことはなく、特に探求しようとも思っていなかった。
そんな中、神奈川県の鎌倉と小田原の間にある小さな町、大磯には、健康を願い、善霊を敬い、悪霊を焼き焼き尽くすという普通のと違う異例な祭があると知った。フォトジャーナリストの友人ニコがこの祭りに行くことになり、大磯の火祭りの話を聞けば聞くほど興味が湧き、友人たちと一緒にその祭りを見に行くことにした。
祭りの会場で地元の人たちと話してみると、大磯の火祭りの伝統について色々と教えてくれた。毎年新年になると、「だるま」を燃やす風習があって、願いが叶った「だるま」を火にくべることで、神様に喜びの光を届けると言われている。でも、地元の人たちの考えでは、ただ運を燃やすだけじゃなく、昔から災いや病気、飢饉をもたらすとされてきた悪霊も一緒に焼き付けてならければならないと信じている。そして、この習慣は何世代にもわたって続けられているという。
大磯の火祭りは、他の火祭りとどう違うのか？
多くの地域の火祭りは、基本的に「運を良くする」「願いを叶える」といった目的で行われる。でも、大磯の火祭りでは、それだけじゃなく「悪霊を倒す」という意味合いが強い。悪霊は、稲藁で作られた小さな神輿（みこし）に閉じ込められ、それを燃やした後、海へと引きずり込む。火をつけたまま揺らしながら燃やし、最後には粉々にして潰してしまう。そして、最後の儀式として、燃え尽きた「鬼の檻」に参加者が座り、地元の人たちが家々を巡って「悪霊は退治された」と伝えていく。
Spark
Born and raised in Japan and I have a mix nationality and have always been curious about my cultures but have never had any interest nor experience with exploring the culture of Japan. However, in the small town called Oiso located between Kamakura and Odawara in Kanagawa prefecture, there is a festival uniquely dedicated to believing in health and the burning of the good spirits and the devil. When my photo journalist friend Nico was asked about going to the festival I was stunned by unknown cultural significance and I was immediately hooked by the story about the Oiso fire festival, and with power of friends we headed to see a unknown fire festival. When I encountered the locals whom were participating in the event, the they told me about the tradition of the festival in Oiso. Traditionally every New Year the ‘daruma’ linked whatever your wishes you wished to have accomplished is burned. You will burn the ‘daruma’ to bring a light to the spirit of joy to the gods. On that vein the local residents told us about their beliefs that in order to burn the luck to achieve their goals they must also burn the devil that cursed them with disease and famine. They have continued this tradition for centuries.
How the process of fire festival works in Oiso maybe different from other cities. Most of the other burning festivals are only for luck and the accomplishment goals. However, in this particular event, they were also burning the devil by trapping it in mini Mikoshi (portable shrines) made of rice weed. After the burning process they dragged their “devils cage”and torched it back and forth by alternating between burning it and drowning it in the sea. At the end of process they crushed the shrines and participants sat on them. The locals were dragging them to their homes and to the participants while telling them that the devil had been eliminated.
