Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
imagesofthelarvaethatcausedthedamage,orofhumanfiguresrepresentingeitheranevil
spirit or a good spirit who was requested to take away the insects with him, were paraded
around the fields, the villagers bearing blazing torches and beating upon bells and drums
of. When the effigy is human, it is often called Sanemori, after a warrior who died in the
great civil wars of the twelfth century. More straightforward recourse to religion would be
occasioned by a shortage of rain at a critical time, when prayers were offered, either to
implore the gods that were thought to give rain, or to appease some hostile spirit that was
withholding it.
(34)Aprocessionofvillagerswithtorches,bangingdrumsandbells,blowingconch-shells,
and bearing an effigy of Sanemori, makes its way to the shrine, indicated by the character-
istic gateway
(torii)
.
In late August or September the flowers opened on the rice, and it was ready for har-
vesting in October or early November, depending upon the latitude and local climate.
Normally winter does not come to Japan until late in December, so that November is still
autumnal, with calm weather andcolorful leaves inthe woods,andthe frosts that would be
fatal to rice have not yet started. During autumn, while the crop is ripening, the water in
the fields is allowed to evaporate or drain away, so that the ground is usually firm by the
