|
|
|
|
Mt. Iwaki
Mt. Iwaki stands tall over the Tsugaru Plain. 99.10.28/Temperature: 8C/ Weather: Rain / Wind Direction: NW
Start: Hakuryu Shrine /Latitude: 40 33 24 N / Longitrude:140 16 57 E
Destination: Tsurube Tunnel, Aomori and Akita Prefecture border/ Latitude: 40 26 21 N/ Longitude: 140 19 08 E
Distance Traveled: 19 kmMt. Iwaki is a one of the defining landmarks of Tsugaru, the western plain of Aomori Prefecture. The mountain brings both spiritual strength and abundance of nature to the surrounding area. Mr. Takada, representative of the Mt. Iwaki Nature School, explained to me about the mountain's folk lore and his attempts to share the nature of Iwaki with others.
"There are primarily two yearly spiritual events focusing on Mt. Iwaki," he said in his smiling energetically. "Oyama Sankei is a festival in which people from Tsugaru worship the five spirits of the Iwaki Mt. Shrine. People gather from all over Tsugaru and walk in a procession to the shrine. They carry tall stuffs with dangling rice straw to the shrine at the foot of the mountain where they worship the spirits of the mountain." The people of Tsugaru have long revered the mountain which towers over the Tsugaru plain.
"The other major event centering around the mountain is Tsuitachi Yama (First day of the month mountain). On the evening before August 1st of the old calendar, locals gather for another ceremony. Carrying torches, the procession climbs up to the peak of Mt. Iwaki. Once at the top of the mountain torches are put out. Participants wait in the darkness of the new moon for the new sunrise." This ceremony is said to symbolize new birth.
Water gushes over a small dam on the Yunosawa River. In addition to being an object of spiritual worship, Mt. Iwaki is abundant in nature. Working within this nature, Mr. Takada is making new attempts to look at the humans relationship with nature. "I am working to create more interest in nature. What I do is the first step for people to find out their relationship with nature," he said as if he felt that it his duty. "We go mushroom and edible plant picking, make crafts from the wealth of the forest, and take students to meet with local matagi (hunters)." Mr. Takada's first attempt to have people realize their relationship with nature is to take them into Mt. Iwaki's forest. "It is in the forest when people have a chance to come in direct contact with nature. This is when they begin to learn."
Oyama Sankei and Tsuitachi Yama are two traditional ways of showing the relationship between man and nature. While these traditions continue, Mr. Takada is seeks new ways for people to think about their relationship with the same nature of Iwaki.
Iwaki is a natural and spiritual landmark in Tsugaru. Are there any landmarks similar to Mt. Iwaki in your regions that play a large role in your communities?
Mt. Iwaki faded in the background as I started out in the pouring rain this morning. My last encounter before entering unpopulated territory was a struggle to catch bits and pieces of the Tsugaru dialect. The lovely women sent me back into the rain apples, the third time in three days.
Heading up the Yunosawa logging road, silty water roared down the narrow valley. The rusty orange of turning leaves filled the hillsides. Rainfall seeped out of every nook and cranny alongside the road. The amount of and speed of flowing water was so powerful that it was frightening. By early afternoon I arrived at the mountain pass between Aomori and Akita Prefectures.
Greg
to Top News Page of Wisdom
< >
Copyright World School Network & ECO-CLUB, 1998-99. No reproduction or republication without written permission.
Send feedback to info@wschool.net
