著者

鈴木 正崇

出版者

慶應義塾大学

雑誌

哲學 (ISSN:05632099)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.91, pp.439-461, 1990-12

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文学部創設百周年記念論文集ITreatiseThe festival called Shoreisai or Toshiya-Matsuri is held on the final day of the winter peak, at the end of the confinement of two Matsu Hijiri (ritual practitioners). At present it is a very lively annual festival for Toge villagers on the foot of Mt. Haguro in Yamagata prefecture of Japan. According to a traditional writing of Haguro sect of Shugendo religious groups of practicing for magico-ascetic powers on the mountain, the festival began about A.D. 705, when a fierce and ugly, three-headed evil spirit appeared on mountain area of northern Japan. He sent forth a poisonous vapor from the mountains, which caused widerpread sickness in these areas. Many people died so that the land went back to wilderness. At that time the seven-year-old daughter of the man serving Haguro-gongen became possessed and hand down an oracle. According to it, twelve genja (ascetics) had been stationed in the main room before Haguro-gongen, and had them burn a large torch in the form of the evil spirit, after that the evil spirit was driven away to a small of the north sea. This is the reason why two huge mock insects were made of rice straw and were burned on Shoreisai. This paper analizes with Shoreisai from the satndpoint of ritual killing and presents some interpretations of ritual symbolism. Under the influence of Shugendo, the festival not only bespeaks agricultural rituals of competition which divinate the year's crops, but also include the aspects of ascetic confinement. However, the main theme of this festival focuses upon the supernatural power through a regeneration of the death performed by ritual killing.