Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
sentiment expressed by some warriors that the farmers always had good rice to eat might
have been true from time to time and from place to place, but the frequency of the risings,
and the practices, against human nature, of infanticide and child selling, must indicate that
life for many must have been very hard.
In every village, however, there were times in the year when people enjoyed them-
selves. The New Year was the time for the farmer to visit his patrons, and for his depend-
antstovisithim:atthisseasonsmallpinetreeswerebroughtdownfromthemountainsand
placed at the gate, and round rice-cakes, made from especially glutinous rice, were offered
tothevariousgodswhowatchedoverthehome—lookingafterthefireorthekitchen—and
to the spirits of the ancestors inscribed in the household Buddhist altar, and were, needless
tosay,eateninlargequantitiesbychildrenandadults.Allsortsofritual,looselythoughtof
as
shintō
, took place, and there was hardly a village but did not have something exciting to
look forward to—even in the north, with its snowy winter, strange wild men might appear
and burst into houses and frighten the children until appeased with refreshment. At the vil-
lage
shintō
shrine, which was often the residence of the god or ancestral spirit of the oldest
family, there was usually some fertility or hunting dance, or some representation of myth,
interspersed with comically obscene dances, performed by young men of certain restricted
families,andthiswasanoccasionwhenthewholevillagewouldturnouttowatch.Perhaps
the most widespread festivity of all was that of the midsummer
bon
dances in July, which
were Buddhist. At that time the souls of the dead were thought to return to earth, and the
villagerswoulddancefortheirentertainment.These
bon
dances,andthesongsthatgowith
them, have survived until today, although many have become separated from their local
origins,andformonesectionoftherepertoryoftraditionalperformersalloverJapan.They
areprocessionalorcirculardances,bymenandwomentogether,withagroupofolderper-
sons providing the accompaniment, typically a combination of drums, flutes and
shamisen
(a three stringed instrument played with the hand or plectrum). In some regions the dances
are very energetic, but more often they are slow and graceful, with languorous hand and
arm movements, in keeping with the sultry heat of the season. The words of the songs are
more often than not in praise of the region. As the sun set, the heat and the excitement of
thedayhadtheir effect, alongwith the
sake
that wasdrunk,andorgiastic scenes aresaid to
have developed. The
bon
festivals brought with them a great release from tension, and in a
society the members of which were incessantly concerned with their obligations and their
status, such a relaxation of normal standards was of the greatest psychological benefit.
Other opportunities for enjoyment were rare but not entirely absent. Weddings were
celebrated with wine and food for all, with the bride having to do a great deal of the en-
tertaining: no honeymoon privacy for her, and as the whole emphasis was on her duty to
her husband and his family, she did not really expect to get any pleasure out of a marriage,
so she was not disappointed—the status and security were sufficient compensation. Other
