Cultural Properties of the Munakata Region
| Name |
Oshima and the Story of Tanabata |
| Classification |
|
| Address |
|
| Form |
|
| Survey year |
|
| Storage status |
|
| Excavated relics |
|
| Age |
|
| Description |
The Tanabata story and associated festival, held nationwide, are believed to originate at Nakatsu-miya on Oshima. While the festival is observed on July 7 in many parts of Japan, it takes place on August 7 at Nakatsu-miya, in accordance with the lunar calendar. The earliest recorded celebrations date from the Kamakura period (1185–1333), when matchmaking customs and poetry gatherings were held at the shrine.
The legend
There are many variations on the Tanabata story, but the version passed down on Oshima tells the love story of a young aristocrat called Kengyu (Hikoboshi) and a weaver woman called Shokujo (Orihime). They met after Kengyu was ordered by the imperial court to bring back skilled weavers from Tang-dynasty China. On his return, Kengyu fell in love with one of them, Shokujo. After reaching Japan, Shokujo was sent to Hetsu-miya, while Kengyu returned to court. Unable to forget her, he grieved deeply until one night, a Munakata deity appeared in his dream and told him he must go to Nakatsu-miya. Obeying the divine instructions, Kengyu left his post and became a priest there. One night, as he purified himself in the stream flowing through the shrine grounds, Shokujo’s reflection appeared in his water bucket. From that night, each year, on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, Shokujo would appear reflected in his pail, and the two would gaze lovingly at each other. Then, one day, they mysteriously vanished from their respective shrines.
Tanabata celebrations
On the grounds of Nakatsu-miya stand two small shrines for Kengyu and Shokujo, separated by a stream. On August 7, an altar is set up in front of Shokujo’s shrine, with offerings of seasonal produce and fish. For that evening’s celebrations, the shrine grounds are festooned with lights and decorated with streamers, while bamboo branches are hung with colorful votive strips of paper. |
| volume / scale / area |
|
| Collection |
|
| References |
|
| Catalog page |
|
Copyright © 2020 The Preservation and Utilization Council of the sacred island of Okinoshima and the Associated Sites in the Munakata Region, All Rights Reserved.