AWAJI, Hyogo Prefecture--Artisans here on Awajishima island, devastated by the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake, returned the favor to those in need, restoring a “mikoshi” portable shrine that was damaged in the 2011 tsunami in Iwate Prefecture.
AWAJI, Hyogo Prefecture--Artisans here on Awajishima island, devastated by the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake, returned the favor to those in need, restoring a “mikoshi” portable shrine that was damaged in the 2011 tsunami in Iwate Prefecture.
The craftsmen repaired the mikoshi for a reduced fee and in time for a Sept. 27 festival at Unosumijinja shrine in Kamaishi in the prefecture.
“We undertook the reconstruction to return the kindness we received from throughout the country 20 years ago,” one of the artisans said.
The restored mikoshi was transported to Unosumijinja shrine on Sept. 5. While retaining its original shape, it now has gorgeous gold leaf decorations on its lacquered roof and other portions.
Residents of the Unosumai district of Kamaishi are eagerly anticipating carrying the mikoshi in the autumn festival while hoping for the reconstruction of their hometown.
The mikoshi is one of the three that were held by Unosumijinja shrine. The portable shrines were swept away by tsunami spawned by the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011, when a warehouse where they were stored was hit by the disaster.
Although one of the mikoshi was lost, two were found in a river about 1 kilometer from Unosumijinja shrine. However, part of the roofs was peeled off and the bodies that held the objects of worship were caked in mud.
In the autumn festival held in 2012, local children carried a small mikoshi offered by a Tokyo community. The festival was packed with several hundreds of people.
In autumn 2013, local residents formed a group to restore the damaged mikoshi. They raised funds by holding traditional arts performances in the Kanto region and receiving subsidies from a public interest foundation. However, the amount raised was insufficient for the restoration work, which was estimated at several tens of millions of yen apiece.
At that time, they learned of artisans in Awaji, Hyogo Prefecture, who can construct mikoshi.
In the early summer of 2014, the group’s leader, Tomitaro Nihonmatsu, 79, and others visited Kajiuchi Danjiri, a manufacturer of goods for festivals and other religious events in Awaji, and asked for their damaged mikoshi to be restored.
Junji Kajiuchi, 65, the company president, willingly accepted the request, saying, “(We will reconstruct the mikoshi) if the reconstruction gives encouragement to the people of the Unosumai district.”
The group transported one of the two damaged mikoshi to Awaji.
Since wooden portions that were immersed in seawater could not be used, the artisans replaced them with new “hinoki” (Japanese cypress) wood. They stripped the rust off the metal portions that were adorned with patterns such as peony flowers and “shishi” lions, plated them with gold and reinstalled them.
The eight artisans worked even on weekends and national holidays to complete the restoration in time for the autumn festival. As a result, they completed the work in one year instead of the two years that is usually required.
The restoration fee was not disclosed. However, Toshio Oki, 65, a member of the secretariat for the local residents' group, said, “Considering our financial situation, Kajiuchi Danjiri gave us a reduced rate.”
Makoto Nihonmatsu, 51, another member of the group and a son of Tomitaro Nihonmatsu, said, “Many people have memories of this mikoshi. I want people who have left our town to come back and carry it (in the festival).”