Togakushi -- Sacred and Misterious Ground in deep mountains

Some of you may have heard about the area called Togakushi.

　 It is in the outskirts of Nagano city proper and is famous for its mysterious ninja history.

BUT, ninja up there it is not only in the history but in modern days. I will tell you about this

sometime later.

Togakushi will be most associated with its buckwheat noodles, soba. For most Japanese,

the mere name of it 'Togakushi soba' would make their mouth water.

Surely, soba they produce here is something special :buckwheat flour kneaded with some wheat

flour -- about 20 percent of the buckwheat flour, and fresh cold mountain water is of the top quality

in Japan.

We, tour guides in Nagano, had a small inspection tour up there, escaping from the summer heat.

Togakushi-- a mysterious mountainous area with abundant nature and history of hermits, Buddhists, and

Shintoists.

We had known it has been a spiritual center with abundant nature and history of hermits, Buddhists, and Shintoists,

that everyone would be struck with its spirituality, but our actual walk took us much further.

　　After about 15 min walk from our starting point, we came across a small temple with new buildings--which we had paid no attention first, but in its backyard, we stood aghast!

　　　It was a small ground but with several weird stone statues-- statues with wings! We guessed they had something to do with the region's worship, but we could not even guess whether they belong to Shintoism or Buddhism, or something else. Togakushi has been fringed with so long a history.

　　　Then, we came across this board.

　　　This reads as follows (excerpt) :

'Shaku Chomei Kajo-no-tokoro'

Shaku Chomei who had been leading a harsh training life as a hermit in Togakushi mountains, in the year of Emperor Murakami in 966 AD, entered Kajo here at this place and went to heaven .

We did not understand the word 'kajo' and so did not pay much attention to this small plaque and continued on our way, wondering what this mysterious place was for. None of us would wish to enter there alone.

　　　It was not until that night when i was looking the word 'kajo' in the dictionary and on the Internet, when I felt a chill run down my spine. I learned what he had done to attain the greatest devotion to his belief, an unbelievable sacrifice -- burn himself to death.

I have learned there have been more people, they all seem to be Buddhist priests, who killed themselves this way: apply oil all over his body, sit on/in a pile of firewood, set a fire while chanting sutras (Buddhist scriptures) . It is believed to be the most painful, agonal way of killing oneself. Ah, what great sacrifice they chose to seek after the truth or to save people!

That night, I ruminated over the image again and again -- so sad, but would have been so meaningful for them. It is still beyond my understanding.

　　　I have learned anther story of a Buddhist priest who killed himself this way in Ueda, Nagano prefecture. He burned himself to save villages from a fierce epidemic that killed many children.

　　　Our walk went on without much knowing this event in history.

History of Togakushi -----excerpts from the official pamphlet of Togakushi

Togakushi is a major center for Japan's native religion, Shintoism, as well as for Buddhism. Japanese people have found their peace of mind and spirituality here for more than 1,000 years. Hermits lived an ascetic life of training and meditation far away from the world with earthly desires.They sought after the truth and the enlightenment in a total of 33 caverns discovered in the steep Togakushi mountain range.

http://www.city.nagano.nagano.jp/pcp_portal/PortalServlet;jsessionid=E78355A65186CDD172EF29763AE6AF6A?DISPLAY_ID=DIRECT&NEXT_DISPLAY_ID=U000004&CONTENTS_ID=8053

Any idea what this gadget is for?

You have to be careful when you go into the woods! It is advised you wear something that makes noises such as bells and radios.

Chusha (Main Hall)

One of the five Shinto shrines of Togakushi, which for many centuries have been a focus of pilgrimage. The surrounding forests is still seen as a sacred treasure.

One of the sacred trees

This creptromeria tree just in front of the shrne is 700 years old.

Soba -- buckwheat fields just started to bud.

The last day of Summer Vacation

My sons, who are 14, are having the last day of their summer vacation today. This year, it is just 3 weeks -- very short, isn't it?

They, as usual, have to work terribly hard toward the end of the vacation to finish their homework and get ready for school.

Junior high schools (middle schools) usually give a lot of homework (assignment) to their students, but not for the third-year students -- in stead of that , they will have an important exam to take in two days. Are they ready? Well, obviously they aren't.

In my prefecture, Nagano, children have to undergo high school entrance examination to be accepted to senior high school of their wish. It is almost the same throughout Japan.

O-bon

O-bon is a special holiday for Buddhist (some data show that nearly 80 % of the Japanese are Buddhist as well as Shintoist). It varies from area to area, but basically it is 3 ~4 days. In my area in Nagano, it is from August 13th through 16th ( 4 days). People would want to return to their home towns and meet their parents, brothers and sisters, and relatives. During this season, it is said that the spirits of the dead return their former homes and families.

In order to welcome the spirits, we build a small fire in the graveyard and our own yards, light a lantern to guide them to their former house. We entertain them by performing bon dances in communities and offer them food and drinks at home. The food would be seasonal veggies andfruits such as cucumbers, eggplants, pears, apples, peaches.

On the evening of the last day, we guide the spirits back to their graves. It is also for the visitors to their home towns to return to their present home, so the traffic on August 16th would be the worst of the year along with August 13th.

My daughter who lives apart from her family and my sister's family stay with us during the festival. It is one of the best time for us and for my children to meet their relatives who otherwise we would not have much chance to see.

Despite its great significance along with New Year's Day, o-bon is not national holidays. I think it is because of the Japan's policy of separation of religion and politics. Then, what we would usually do? We just take days off or take a short summer vacation from work to travel back home.

photos: Go-zan no Okuri-bi (in Kyoto) taken tonight and sent to me by my friend living in Kyoto

Five huge-scale bonfires are built on the hillsides surrounding Kyoto to send the souls of the ancestors back, which marks the end of the hot summer holiday

Daruma ( Bodhidharma ) Doll Workshop in Nagano city

My friend and her family runs a small workshop in Nagano city -- a Daruma ( Bodhidharma ) Doll Workshop.

She and I have been friends since we both were members of a group of parents in Nagano who visit elementary schools and read the kids stories. The importance of story reading and story telling have been positively reevaluated in Japan.

In Japan, this type of doll is believed to bring you good fortune and good luck. People, especially business people, highly appreciate it and make it a custom to visit shops to purchase ones on New Year's Day and other ceremonial occasions.

The price varies, but the middle-range price for the ones of about 30 cm tall would be 2,000 ~ 3,000 yen. If you find it too big as a souvenir, you can get miniature ones of about 10 cm tall just for several hundred yen. It is a papier-mache (hollow inside) and so, not as heavy as it looks.

I (happen to be a licensed English tour guide of Japanese government ) took one of my guests to this workshop last November and then she got a special bargain as well as a good hospitality from the workshop.

Summer is their busiest season because of the summer festivals that take place all over Nagano.

They are so friendly and kind to visitors. It is also fun and interesting to see how they make these traditional Japane

se mascots.

If you are lucky, you can see the scenes of them making Daruma Dolls.

The doll she holds in her right hand is a finished one while the other, still in process.