#chikubushima

[crazyfox-archives]

A painted depiction of festival rites being held at Hōgonji Temple (宝厳寺) on Chikubushima Island in present-day Nagahama, Shiga Prefecture during the 15th century

[arthistoryanimalia]

#LunarNewYear #YearOfTheRabbit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York:

Kyōgen Suit (Suō) with Rabbits Jumping over Waves Japan, Edo period mid-19th century plain-weave hemp with tube-drawn paste-resist dyeing (tsutsugaki) with hand-painted details dimensions: Jacket (a): 31 1/8 × 71 in. (79.1 × 180.3 cm)

"The suō—an unlined hemp suit with double-width sleeves, large sleeve openings, and matching pleated hakama pants—was originally part of the samurai wardrobe and was later adapted to Kyōgen comic theater. White rabbits hop over waves on this suit, the playful motif referring to the story “The Hare of Inaba,” from the Records of Ancient Matters (Kojiki, ca. 710). This text was later referenced in the Noh play Chikubushima (Chikubushima Island), which describes the moon’s reflection in Lake Biwa as a rabbit (a legendary inhabitant of the moon) running over the waves. Suō with large patterns and bright colors were used for roles of benevolent characters such as a bridegroom, daimyo, or wealthy man. As the long hakama pants are subject to intense wear, it is rare to find a complete ensemble like this one."

Photographed on display at the Met's Kimono Style exhibition (catalog entry here).

[dummy-kanji]

Chikubushima (Takiginoh, Kusatsu) - 57 por Stéphane Barbery

[kiyomi-u]

rainbow

[crazyfox-archives]

A printed ofuda talisman depicting the goddess Benzaiten (弁才天) at Hōgonji Temple (宝厳寺) on Chikubushima Island in Nagahama, Shiga Prefecture

[crazyfox-archives]

“Chikubushima in Ōmi Province, No. 30 of the Saikoku Pilgrimage Route” from the series “The Miracles of Kannon” (観音霊験記 Kannon Reigenki) by Utagawa Kunisada I (歌川国貞), 1859: depicting the layout of Hōgonji Temple (宝厳寺) on Chikubushima Island in present-day Nagahama, Shiga Prefecture above, below a scene from the tale wherein a monk’s transcendent acolyte gifts him a sacred biwa to be presented to the temple

Color woodblock print, ōban from the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

[crazyfox-archives]

The Front Gate of Hōgonji Temple (宝厳寺) on Chikubushima Island in Nagahama, Shiga Prefecture, founded probably in the 8th century, with the gate itself dating to the temple’s 1602 renovation under the patronage of Toyotomi Hideyori (豊臣秀頼) using architectural elements donated from the shrine dedicated to his father Hideyoshi.

Image from a site featuring photos and short descriptions of each temple along the Thirty-three Temple Western Pilgrimage Circuit (西国三十三所) dedicated to Kannon Bodhisattva (観音菩薩), of which this is the thirtieth

[crazyfox-archives]

The pilgrims’ hymn for Hōgonji Temple (宝厳寺) on Chikubushima Island in Nagahama, Shiga Prefecture, from a hymnal for the thirty-three temples of the western pilgrimage circuit dedicated to Kannon Bodhisattva (観音菩薩)

My own rough, tentative translation follows:

Number Thirty: Chikubushima Island, Hōgonji Temple (Shingon School) in Asai District, Ōmi Province

Chikubushima Island, Hayazaki Neighborhood, Biwa Village, East Asai County, Shiga Prefecture

A hymn for Thousand-Armed Thousand-Eyed Kannon:

The moon and the sun Afloat within the waves of Chikubushima Bear a fair resemblance to Treasures loaded on a ship

Image from “Saigoku Sanjūsansho Goeika” (西国三十三所 御詠歌) edited by Tomita Haruyuki (冨田晴行), published by Ryūshōdō (隆昌堂) in Osaka, 1995 reprint of the 1973 edition, unpaginated accordion book