Oshogatsu (JAPANESE NEW YEAR) AND KAGAMI Biraki
Oshogatsu (JAPANESE NEW YEAR) AND KAGAMI Biraki
in all countries and cultures, the arrival of New Year is marked by different traditions and customs to celebrate this significant event. All sectors of society are influenced by these practices, and budo is to be expected. And it's more than obvious that budo traditions have been influenced by Japanese society.
The Oshogatsu is the Japanese New Year. Literally means "first moon". For centuries, the East had always followed the lunar calendar, so that the first moon of the year marked the beginning of it, that is, the Chinese lunar year or year and is best known in the West. This first moon appears one day in mid-January. Japan adopted the solar calendar in 1873 and since then the New Year celebration is like in the West, the first of January, but in rural Japan, many farmers and villagers continue to rely on the lunar calendar and for them Oshogatsu remains the celebration of the New Lunar Year.
Oshogatsu is by far the largest celebration of the year in Japan. It is a time for peace and conflict resolution, and the celebrations last for five or six days. Everything associated with Oshogatsu (New Year) is symbolic and has the character of being "First" of the New Year. So the Oshogatsu has a sense of renewal. In this context, martial artists, is considered essential to conduct special training in Oshogatsu, an intense keiko to renew the spirit and dedication to martial arts.
Just before midnight on the last day of the Buddhist temples touch bells 108 times to remember the hardships that Japan had to suffer in the past. This ritual is intended to send the last year still in progress and welcome the new year.
In many traditional Japanese dojo training Oshogatsu begins at 23h of December 31, stops at midnight to receive the New Year and then the train continues until 1 or 2 in the morning, followed by a party for all dojo members and their guests.
Iaido practitioners are at 7 am on January 1 outside a Shinto temple, for the Hatsunuki (first scabbard of the year), or in the dojo or in a park where also carried his kata at the sun rising, renewing his spirit and his dedication to art.
These are just some examples but there are certainly many more.
The Biraki Kagami is a traditional Japanese festival of great importance to those who belong to organizations dedicated to the systematic practice of the martial arts. Kagami means harmony and Biraki or Hiraku, open road. However, the joint expression literally means "the opening of the mirror." Also known as "rice cutting ceremony." Kagami was also the name designating the top of the barrel of sake at the liquor store. Formerly, the sake was used in religious services, offering as a drink of God, with a symbolic like the wine that is used in the Catholic mass. When offering a new barrel of sake have to break the glass cover and provide all the mourners.
Likewise also breaks the Kagami-Mochi (rice ball) and eat it, wishing health and happiness later. Today Biraki Kagami marks the end of the New Year holiday. Apparently the Biraki Kagami tradition began in the fifteenth century and developed as a practice of the followers of the Shinto tradition, especially the samurai class, although not specifically a ceremony or tradition "official" Shinto shrines. It can be classified as nenchu \u200b\u200bgyoji-traditional observances as usual repeated in the same manner and style in the same period of the calendar year, according to the Dictionary of Japanese Ethnography. This also indicates that these observances are usually undertaken by family, village, ethnic or social groups that give you the strength of the obligation and often appear in specific periods of the agricultural calendar. Currently
Biraki Kagami ceremony takes place in various celebrations such as the new year, the wedding banquet, the opening of a new home or business, the anniversary of the founding of a company or start a new company etc.De According to tradition, before the New Year were placed Kagami Mochi (rice cakes) against the dealer to honor and purify the weapons and armor. The women of the samurai also placed Kagami Mochi family at a Shinto shrine, with a central element was a small round mirror made of highly polished silver, iron, brass or nickel. The day of Kagami Biraki men gathered to clean, shine and polish the weapons and armor. Broke in pieces the rice cakes and eating among family members.
The symbolism of the armor and weapons was so strong that even today remain feudal ties to those images. The Japanese homes and martial arts dojos often have family armor, helmets or swords, or modern replicas thereof, in the kamiza, the place of honor. Faced with these relics are burned incense sticks to worship and pay homage. The symbolism of the mirror (with the sword and jewels) dates from the original trilogy myth of the creation of Japan. The mirror allows people to see things as they are (good or bad) and stands for justice and fairness. The mirror is also a symbol of Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess, a fierce spirit (the enlightened face of God). For members of Japanese feudal society also represented the soul or consciousness, for what was considered important to keep it clean and mirrors that reflected the thoughts of who was watching. Finally it was believed that embodied the spirits of the ancestors.
So strong was this belief that when a beloved family was close to death a small metal mirror pressed against the nostrils of the dying to capture their spirit. Then the mirror was wrapped in a silk cloth and placed in a box with the name of the person and kept with great respect and honor.
The polishing arms and armor in Biraki was symbolic Kagami (mirror polishing), a method to clarify thoughts and strengthen the commitment to samurai obligations and duties to fulfill during the next year. So when Kagami Biraki also called "Day of the Armor." This concept continues even today. When a martial arts master of polished speaking to oneself, to work to improve and reduce the ego, the idea comes from the ancient concept of polishing the mirror to keep a clear mind and resolute.
rice cakes used for Kagami Mochi also had a symbolic meaning for the samurai. The farmers believed that rice was the breath, breathing through the ground and was alive, so that was associated with a living deity (kami). On another level, Rice represented the true backbone of the economy of samurai society. The samurai was given a stipend for his services to his master was a certain amount of rice. Or alternatively give it control over territory and over the peasants who lived there and that rice produced there that would help pay for their services. Keep in mind that the Japanese feudal power and wealth is not based on money but on the control of the land that produced agriculture. Round rice cakes, with just as mirrors, are used as an offering in gratitude to the gods waiting to receive divine favors and also make offerings to the spirits of relatives dead and heroes of the family.
Today, for martial arts practitioners, the celebration of Biraki Kagami no longer has religious significance. However, it continues the ancient samurai tradition of beginning the new year. This ancient tradition was adopted again in the modern martial arts since 1884 when Jigoro Kano (the founder of judo) instituted the custom at the Kodokan. Since then, other Japanese arts, martial or not, adopted the celebration officially kicks off the New Year, a tradition of renewal, a time commitment and a spiritual commitment. The Kagami Biraki officially falls on 11 January, but usually held the second Saturday or Sunday of January as the date most convenient for all members of the dojo. In Japan the day are great demonstrations of Koryu (traditional school) in Budokanes.
The Biraki Kagami is a time in which participants commit to work towards a common way and unite their spirits to achieve goals through hard work and discipline and of course the train. The conclusion is different for different dojos and schools. In many traditional dojos preparation for the new year begins towards the end of this year. Then thoroughly clean the dojo, minor repairs are needed, it polishes the mirrors and is left spotless. In many dojos of Japan Kagami Biraki begins with a long session of zazen meditation in the morning and includes visits to the dojo during the day from people who want to offer their good wishes, alumni, and important people there. At the end of the day is devoted to special training, training usually considerably harder than usual in which each brings out the best of himself.
unusual for students normally this is the only opportunity of the year they have to be examined. In some Okinawan karate dojo the Biraki Kagami is a special train of four or five hours straight, rather harsh and severe and then ends with a big party that was attended by both members of the dojo as the guests of honor in the community. Another custom is to some school called "Ni Nen Keiko" or "training for two years." This training includes 10 to 12 hours of intense training. The extreme hardness and duration of this workout symbolically represents the span of two years. Biraki Kagami Another interpretation is to train continuously for an hour or two a year old and continue for one or two hours, the first of the new year with a small gap at midnight to meditate.
The Biraki Kagami is also the time when the offerings of gifts to the teacher students and often the teacher gives a lecture or short speech in which he also often involved older members of the dojo, the higher ranks, etc.
In recent years the "Opening Ceremony of the Mirror" has been reinterpreted from a different point of view, very Zen in an esoteric explanation, the mirror contains an old image and what one sees in the mirror is seen with old eyes . See what you expect to see something that fits with your own self-image based on what you remember about yourself, so this connects people with their past through the road to see their own image, which creates a continuous false. Instead, each time you save the potential for novelty, another chance to break old patterns, patterns that restrict the mind, something that binds us to the false self. Breaking the mirror (rice dumpling) one breaks his own image that bound to the past, so you can experience the now, today.
Many dojos, particularly in Japan, maintain the tradition of the ceremony of purification (misogi). Spread salt on the dojo, since salt is a symbol of purity, virtue and welfare and then is swept with branches of pine. This purification ritual is intended to symbolically expel evil spirits that might have for the place practically to remember is sacred-is clean and honorable. Too often also decorate the dojo. These decorations were great symbolism in ancient Japan but today most people think of them only as holiday decorations. Some koryu-traditional schools, have special kata for this purpose, are made only that day or other special occasions. Budo
also mean tradition, so to keep the tradition is very important to practice but also the transmission.
In the Bujinkan dojos are also celebrating the Biraki Kagami. Everyone has also adapted to the idiosyncrasies of their country or their tradition while maintaining primal purpose, the concept of unity and renewal of commitment and dedication and loyalty to both the art and the dojo and teachers. Bushi Dojo has always tried to remain true to this tradition, although there have been some years that we have been unable to do it. Our Kagami Biraki is a training and a living out of the dojo one day and night, sometimes the training is very intense and others less so. The important thing is the commitment and marriage. We try to work issues not usually work in the dojo during the year, morning and afternoon workout and then held a fellowship dinner, drinks and celebrate, and then, after midnight, is back in training for 2 or 3 hours more. We conclude with the traditional rice meal. The next morning we again make training of 2 or 3 hours to welcome the new year and to end the Biraki Kagami.
Written by Dani Esteban-Bushi Dojo-
Sources to develop the article:
http://bushidojo.blogia.com http://www.hispagimnasios.com/a_varios/oshogatsu . php http://ar.geocities.com/argentinayjapon/efemerides/enero http://www.familyculture.com/holidays/japanese_new_year.htm http://www. informativos.net / Noticia.aspx? story = 31974 http://www.shotokanryukaseha.com/english_site/default.htm http://www.shitoryu.org http://www.fightingarts.com