Category: chapponpon

One feudal lord (“Daimyo”  in Japanese) who believed in Benzaiten visited Nashima Shrine in Chikuzen (former Fukuoka prefecture) with his followers. A soft and warm wind was blowing through the Chikushigata (former sea of Ariake), and small boats were coming and going peacefully. It was spring (“Haru” in Japanese).
At a tea house in front of  shrine, they started to drink Sake enjoying the beautiful spring view.(“Harugeshiki” in Japanese) They got drunk and then felt into a doze.
They ware dreaming a dream….
Benzaiten in a kimono appeared with her Konzai-douji. They flew over Atado Miya, Miyazaki-Hachiman, and Chiyo-no-matsubara which was pine tree grove in front of Hakata bay in ancient time. They fell down to Nashima Shrine finally. In the shower of cherry blossom petals, Benzaiten and Konzai-douji enjoyed dancing ever and ever.

Note: Benzaiten: She is Indian beautiful goddess who controls speech, music, fortune, and wisdom. She plays Biwa very well. Benzaiten has come to Japan from India though China in ancient time .and was worshipped as a deity of fortune. Benzaiten is one of the Seven Lucky Gods in Japan.

Note: Konzai-douji: He is one of the sixteen (or fifteen) god children who serve Benzaiten. He has a balance with his hand and he is in charge of judging people’s virtue and vice and measure the value of people’s fortunes.

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This story sounds not unique because it has no excitement. We would like to watch the Chapponpon puppet show based on this story. If we could, we understand why this story selected for this puppet show. Even though a certain story of four stories is held once four years. we might wait it for at least 2 or 3 years from now.

We checked the some information regarding this story in web site. Please visit this web site. Sorry for in Japanese but you can find the picture of puppet show.

The story of the lantern puppets show called “Chapponpon” is held in Fukushima, Yame city, Fukuoka Prefecture during 3 consecutive holidays at the end of September.
This is based on a famous piece of Japanese history. There are 4 stories as below.

1.Tamamo-no-Mae
2.Yoshinoyama kitsune tadanobu hatsune-no-tsuzumi
3.Satsuma-hayato Kuniwakamaru Itsukushimajinja-moude
4.Harugeshiki Chikushigata Nashima-moude

This puppet show is performed based on the other story by every 4years as rotation.
We would like to show you each 4 stories on this homepage as posting.

In the late Heian Period, there was a so beautiful and talented woman in Japan. Her name is “Tamamo-no-Mae”.She served Toba ex-emperor and got the favor of him, but she was really the incarnation of a white fox with nine tails. In one day, an orchestra concert was held in a cool palace and a mysterious event occurred there. Tamamo-no-Mae was found out what she really was by fortune-teller Yasunari Abe, and she ran far away and hid in Nasuno field. But finally she was caught and killed by Sousuke Miuragami. Afterwards, the vengeful gohst of the fox became a cursed stone and harmed people and animals passing by it. A century passed, a monk Genkou-wazou asked helf of Buddha and hit the cursed stone with a stick tree times, then the evil rested in peace and faised to the heaven.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamamo-no-Mae

The day is in Heian Period. Military commander Samurai Minamoto no Yoshitsune gained a great fame on the destruction of the Heike clan in Dannoura in Yamaguchi prefecture. He got the order from the Imperial court to pursue and kill his brother Mianmoto no Yoshitomo, and received a mysterious drum “Hatsune-no-tsuzumi” Yoshitsune took this drum unwillingly and decided never to beat it throughout his life. However, suspicious Yoritomo sent soldiers to Yoshitsune to pursue and catch him. Yoshitsune ran away from the soldiers and hid in Mount Yoshino in Nara prefecture. Yoshitsune’s lover Shizukagozen came to Mount Yoshino to meet him, guarded by Yoshitsune’s vassal Sato Tadamobu on the way. Surprisingly, Shizukagozen found another Tadamobu there! Yoshitsune asked her to tell which is the real Yoshinobu. Shizuka gozen received the drum from Yoshitsune and beat it. Then, her body guard Tadanobu heard the sound of the drum and turned into a little fox, because the drum is made by the little fox’s mother’s leather. Shizukagozen found out that the fox took the shape of Tadanobu and protected her Yoshitsune got deeply impressed by the mother and child’s love and gave the “Hatsune drum” to the fox.

We would like to talk about a traditional festival of Yame.This festival is called “Akari-to-Chachaponpon (あかりとちゃっぽんぽん)” “Akari(あかり)” means the light of Chochin. “to” means “and”.  “Cha(ちゃっ) “means the sound of Shamisen（a kind of Japanese guitar）.”Ponpon” means  the sound of Taiko (a kind of drums). In this temporary traditional theater building a traditional puppet show is performed.

This festival is held in Yame during 3 consecutive days at the bottom of every September, which is comfortable season.

Continue reading “Chochin festival”