Bonbori Festival

Actress Fujiko Yamamoto

The Bonbori Festival takes place every year in early August at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine in Kamakura. Countless bonbori lanterns are lit up within the shrine grounds during the festival.





Admiring everyone's work one by one is a blissful experience.

The photo above is of an actress named Fujiko Yamamoto's lantern. She seems to exhibit every year, but I'm not sure which year this photo was taken. In any case, I really like this lantern.





I like the seventeen characters written in ink.

「富士仰ぎ　育ちし人の　凛として」





The meaning of this poem is as follows: Those who grew up looking at Mount Fuji are dignified.

Because of its location, I feel like I'm talking about Minamoto no Yoritomo.





This is because Yoritomo lived in Izu from his boyhood until his mid-thirties, so he would have always looked up at Mount Fuji.





Of course, I also think it refers to Yamamoto's name, Fujiko.

When it comes to Fujiko Yamamoto, I'll always remember her performance as Yukiko in Yasujiro Ozu's Equinox Flower.

Movies are wonderful because they allow you to easily reconnect with that person from that time.

Sanetomo Festival

The Bonbori Festival, held on August 9, is also known as the Sanetomo Festival. It is also a festival commemorating the world-famous poet Minamoto no Sanetomo.





Although it is still hot at this time of year, autumn has arrived according to the calendar. I can feel it in my heart before I can feel it in my body. This reminds me of the following poem by Sanetomo:

秋ちかくなるしるしにや玉すだれこすのまとほし風の涼しさ





(Kinkai Wakashu, edited by Saito Mokichi. Published by Iwanami Shoten in February 2015)





The meaning of this poem is as follows: The wind coming through the gaps in the bamboo blinds feels cool—a sign that autumn is approaching.

A Guide to Easy-to-Read Books on Kamakura

The books below, produced by Lab Deep in Kamakura, provides an accessible introduction to Kamakura from a variety of perspectives.

Lab Deep in Kamakura　Juei Masuda