Kagura @ Kenchoji Temple in Kamakura City: Oct 26-27, 2024

 

I visit Kamakura City to see Kagura, Japan’s traditional ritual dance performance, around this time every year. I made a visit on 26 and 27 this year.

The performance is played by Kagura teams is Iwate prefecture. The area was severely hit by the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011. Traditional arts played important roles after the quake in uniting the local communities. The Kagura performance started in Kamakura as a part of support activities for Iwate.

 

The event is held in Kenchoji-Temple, one of most prestigious Zen-school temple in Kamakura, every year.

The performance in 2024 was played by Koshio Kagura in Hanamaki City. 

The temporal stage was set in a large temple building. About 200 audience gathered.

 

Five to seven dances were performed on Oct 26 and 27 respectively. (Seealso the top and 2nd photo)

 

A sword dance was performed outside the building. (See also the 3rd photo)

 

Koshio Kagura is unique as its team has many female members. Many Kagura teams in Japan have only male members.

 

Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, which locates in the Sea-of-Japan coast in central Japan, was seriously damaged by a quake in January this year. Some NGOs engaged in supporting activities in the area collected dishes, bowls, chopsticks and dining trays lacquered with Japan, brought them to Kamakura and sold them in Kenchoji-temple. 

The revenue will be used for the reconstruction of Noto area.

Many guests including foreign people stopped their feet and bought the products.

 

 

 

 

 

 

General election in Japan: Oct 21-27, 2024

 

Japan had a snap general election on October 27, 2024.

The election was held as Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba dissolved the lower house on Oct. 9. Ishiba became Japan’s PM on Oct. 1^st.

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party has been involved in a scandal (not a few members of the party had collected money without reporting the revenue to the tax office. The actions were seen as tac evasion).

The election campaign officially started on Oct. 15. Candidates made speeches in many places.

Posters of the candidates were put on the boards. The left photo was taken in Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture. The 2nd photo was taken in a walking path in Setagaya City, Tokyo.

Former environment minister Shinichiro Koizumi is a popular politician. As LDP’s campaign chief, he visited the electoral districts of many candidates and made speeches. He was in Takadanobaba in Shinjuku City on Oct. 21. (See the top photo)

The left photo was taken in front of Kyodo Station in Setagaya City. Only a few people listened the candidate's speech in this case.

The central and local governments called people to vote. I saw a sign displayed in Fujisawa Station in Kanagawa Prefecture.

The ruling parties (LDP and its junior coalition partner Komeito) made a big defeat in the election. It is not sure whether the LDP will keep the power or the opposition parties will take over the power.