Presentation Information
[O05-P01]Legends and disasters associated with the straw snake rituals★Invited Papers
*Tohru Sakiyama1 (1.Institute of Geo History, Japan Geochronology Network)
Keywords:
intangible folk cultural assets,geological disaster,geomythology,straw snake
1. Straw Snake Rituals and Associated Legends
Straw snake rituals are prevalent across the Kinki, Chugoku, and southern Kanto regions, exemplified by well-known festivals such as the Kojin-matsuri in Shimane's Izumo and Oki regions, the Nogami-matsuri in the Nara Basin, and the Kanjo-nawa around Lake Biwa and southern Kanto. These rituals fundamentally involve residents crafting a colossal straw snake, parading it through the village, and subsequently installing it at a shrine or wrapping it around a sacred tree. Among the 161 identified straw snake rituals, 18 incorporate legends featuring dragons or giant snakes. Notably, 16 of these depict these entities as menacing monsters that devastate fields and assault people.
2. Flooding and the Straw Snake Ritual
The Nara Basin is home to numerous straw snake rituals, often referred to as Nogami Festivals. Of the 22 confirmed instances, six include legends of giant snakes attacking humans. Given the basin's susceptibility to water shortages due to the absence of major external rivers, the Nogami Festival is widely believed to have originated as a rain-making ritual (Niu, 2001). Conversely, the Yamato River, the sole outflow, collects all surrounding mountain waters, historically leading to frequent severe flooding within the basin. When the locations of these rituals are overlaid onto flood hazard maps, they consistently fall within the periphery of flood inundation zones. Considering that most legendary giant snakes emerge from water, it is more plausible that the narratives of giant snakes ravaging fields and attacking people are rooted in flood events rather than droughts.
3. Debris Flows and Straw Snake Rituals
Legends of mountain-dwelling giant snakes attacking villages at the foot of mountains have been confirmed in three specific straw snake rituals: the Jagata Matsuri in Niimi City, Okayama Prefecture; the Ninoko in Yamashina Ward, Kyoto City; and the Hassaku in Yabu City, Hyogo Prefecture. These areas are characterized by narrow valleys, with visible collapsed core stones in their upper reaches, rendering them designated debris flow warning zones on hazard maps. The convergence of these legends and the local geomorphology strongly suggests that these particular straw snake rituals are intrinsically linked to past debris flow disasters.
4. Landslides and Straw Snake Rituals
The Muraoka area of Kami Town, Hyogo Prefecture, is a significant landslide zone, featuring a pond at the head of the landslide mass. In the Wada district, situated at the edge of this landslide, a dragon-themed tug-of-war event is held, accompanied by a legend of a dragon from the pond frequently assaulting the village. Similar tug-of-war events were reportedly once held in two adjacent areas (Aburano, 2011). These neighboring sites also lie at the periphery of the landslide area, with ponds and marshes above them, and share legends of giant snakes in these water bodies attacking people. These traditions collectively indicate a reflection of past landslide disasters.
5. The Significance of Intangible Folk Cultural Properties
As demonstrated, straw snake rituals are frequently and intimately associated with geological hazards such as floods, debris flows, and landslides, with their accompanying legends and traditions offering crucial insights into these connections. Many regional legends and traditions embody the historical human apprehension and reverence for nature. Intangible folk cultural properties, such as the straw snake ritual, are thus understood to serve as profound expressions of this enduring relationship between human communities and their dynamic natural environment.
References
Aburano T. (1984) A Study of a Tug of War in Tottori and the Northern Part of Hyogo Prefectures. Jour. Fac. Ed. Tottori Univ., Cultural and social science, 35, 79-90.
Niu C. (2011) The Straw Serpent in the Nara Basin: Toward a Comparative Study of Dragon and Snake Beliefs in Japan and China. Jour. Inq. and Res., 94, 81-98.
Straw snake rituals are prevalent across the Kinki, Chugoku, and southern Kanto regions, exemplified by well-known festivals such as the Kojin-matsuri in Shimane's Izumo and Oki regions, the Nogami-matsuri in the Nara Basin, and the Kanjo-nawa around Lake Biwa and southern Kanto. These rituals fundamentally involve residents crafting a colossal straw snake, parading it through the village, and subsequently installing it at a shrine or wrapping it around a sacred tree. Among the 161 identified straw snake rituals, 18 incorporate legends featuring dragons or giant snakes. Notably, 16 of these depict these entities as menacing monsters that devastate fields and assault people.
2. Flooding and the Straw Snake Ritual
The Nara Basin is home to numerous straw snake rituals, often referred to as Nogami Festivals. Of the 22 confirmed instances, six include legends of giant snakes attacking humans. Given the basin's susceptibility to water shortages due to the absence of major external rivers, the Nogami Festival is widely believed to have originated as a rain-making ritual (Niu, 2001). Conversely, the Yamato River, the sole outflow, collects all surrounding mountain waters, historically leading to frequent severe flooding within the basin. When the locations of these rituals are overlaid onto flood hazard maps, they consistently fall within the periphery of flood inundation zones. Considering that most legendary giant snakes emerge from water, it is more plausible that the narratives of giant snakes ravaging fields and attacking people are rooted in flood events rather than droughts.
3. Debris Flows and Straw Snake Rituals
Legends of mountain-dwelling giant snakes attacking villages at the foot of mountains have been confirmed in three specific straw snake rituals: the Jagata Matsuri in Niimi City, Okayama Prefecture; the Ninoko in Yamashina Ward, Kyoto City; and the Hassaku in Yabu City, Hyogo Prefecture. These areas are characterized by narrow valleys, with visible collapsed core stones in their upper reaches, rendering them designated debris flow warning zones on hazard maps. The convergence of these legends and the local geomorphology strongly suggests that these particular straw snake rituals are intrinsically linked to past debris flow disasters.
4. Landslides and Straw Snake Rituals
The Muraoka area of Kami Town, Hyogo Prefecture, is a significant landslide zone, featuring a pond at the head of the landslide mass. In the Wada district, situated at the edge of this landslide, a dragon-themed tug-of-war event is held, accompanied by a legend of a dragon from the pond frequently assaulting the village. Similar tug-of-war events were reportedly once held in two adjacent areas (Aburano, 2011). These neighboring sites also lie at the periphery of the landslide area, with ponds and marshes above them, and share legends of giant snakes in these water bodies attacking people. These traditions collectively indicate a reflection of past landslide disasters.
5. The Significance of Intangible Folk Cultural Properties
As demonstrated, straw snake rituals are frequently and intimately associated with geological hazards such as floods, debris flows, and landslides, with their accompanying legends and traditions offering crucial insights into these connections. Many regional legends and traditions embody the historical human apprehension and reverence for nature. Intangible folk cultural properties, such as the straw snake ritual, are thus understood to serve as profound expressions of this enduring relationship between human communities and their dynamic natural environment.
References
Aburano T. (1984) A Study of a Tug of War in Tottori and the Northern Part of Hyogo Prefectures. Jour. Fac. Ed. Tottori Univ., Cultural and social science, 35, 79-90.
Niu C. (2011) The Straw Serpent in the Nara Basin: Toward a Comparative Study of Dragon and Snake Beliefs in Japan and China. Jour. Inq. and Res., 94, 81-98.