上山田温泉を守る波閉科神社の年に一度の祭りは中秋際です。２０１２年は９月２３日に行う予定。朝から上山田神楽保存会が町中を回って、祭りの役員のご自宅や、新築お祝いなどで獅子舞をやり、別な行列が朝に出発して、神社に辿り着いて、午後からは相撲大会。夜９時ぐらいになって、獅子がやっと神社に到着して、役員の行燈の光で最後の獅子舞をやる。神秘的なフィナーレです。

私がお神楽の獅子笛をやっていますのでメンバーと一緒に中秋際を向かって毎週木曜日に必死で練習しています。今年は私が大人しく一日で獅子笛をやる予定です。

しかし、数年前の中秋際、亀清旅館の板長が相撲担当だったので、「タイラーさん、お相撲、人数が足りない」と言ってきました。その後は、歴史でした。良かったら、下記のリンクにてのビデオをご覧になって下さい。

Habeshina Jinja is the main shrine looking over Kamiyamada Onsen. Once a year, on the autumnal equinox, the shrine holds its Fall Festival. For 2012, it will be Sunday 23-Sept. The Okagura lion dance troupe makes a procession around town during the whole day, stopping to perform at the residences of the various festival elders. A separate procession works it way and arrives at the shrine around noon, whence a sumo tournament begins. At around 9pm, the lion dance troupe finally arrives at the shrine for the moving grand finale -- a lion dance by lantern light.

I happen to be a member of the lion dance troupe -- I play the flute. We have been practicing every Thursday in preparation for the big festival. This year I will be joining the procession for as much of the day as my innkeeper duties allow.

But in a previous year, Kamesei Ryokan's chef was one of the festival elders in charge of the sumo wrestling. He came to me and said, "Tyler, we don't have enough sumo wrestlers." And, as they say, the rest was history. Take a gander at the video in the link below.

タイラーと波閉科神社相撲Tyler Doing Sumo at Habeshina Shrine