15 Photos: Sanguacha 2018 on Henza Island Okinawa

A Springtime Ritual

It's a combination of a parade, religious festival, beach party sort of thing.

Every year, around the third of March (Lunar Calendar) Sanguacha takes place on Henzajima.

One of the highlights of the festival is a procession, where this fish shrine is carried.

An outcropping of rocks, off the coast of Henza Island, is their destination.

One of the purposes of this celebration is to pray for a good fish harvest and safety at sea.

Octopus happens to be part of the ocean harvest in this area.

So, a gentleman wearing an octopus hat posed for the camera before the parade started.

Skipping the rituals downtown, I headed out on the highway and waited for the parade.

Hundreds of festival goers would be coming down the street, moving towards the sea.

Going on 2 PM the afternoon sun would be blinding unless the camera was facing the sea.

Knowing this, I was sure plenty of rear-end photos would be collected before calling it a day.

Rear-end photos, sounds better than ass-shots. Don't you think?

Every age of individuals may be seen at this event, from babies to folks in their 80's.

And, you'll see every color of the rainbow in custumes or, on flags and banners.

Down the road they go, parading towards the ocean. No faces are visible. Good.

Once a magazine photo editor told me, "Women don't like photos of their fannies."

Hah. That was before Stormy and some president's wife came along!

Off the street and on to some grassy knoll, the participants march, heading to the ocean.

From the looks of this scene, you'd never guess an ocean is nearby. 

Please, be patient. Once we pass that blue, wavy roof, you'll see the sea.

It's no fun for me, looking at all the rear ends, either. Blue skies are OK.

A brief pause before everyone enters the sea. The tide must be low for the rest of the hike.

The hills to the left remind me of Hawaii's Diamond Head.

We should make a stairway and trick tourists into climbing up there. No?

One of the things I wanted to photograph, was the fish shrine, under Diamond Head.

A commercial photograph could be made, for the right price and right people.

Just have to get all those people and telephone poles out of there.

One of the spookiest costumes was this corpse of a schoolgirl looking creature.

She was posing for everyone. I took a snap just to keep from being bitten.

Close to 2 PM the procession started marching into the sea, below Diamond Head.

It was fairly windy and, blew the banners so, most of them were backward.

Folks who don't read Japanese would never know the difference. I'm just guessing.

Another colorful character was this sanshin player on the beach.

It seemed like a young teenager until you got closer and looked at the hands.

Now, I'm thinking the guy was closer to being 70ish, like me!

The procession, carrying the fish shrine, wade out to a rock outcropping at sea.

One of these years, I may buy some low tide wading shoes and accompany them.

Another thought I had, was get a boat to take me farther out to sea for the photography.

Nanza Rock

The outcropping of rocks, too small to be called an island, is known as Nanza.

The crowd climbs up on the outcroppings and conducts rituals.

Prayers for prosperity and safety at sea, as well as for the farmers, take place.

The fruit of the sea, the octopus is consumed along with some alcoholic spirits, awamori.

The festival-goers return to the beach, where dancing and singing may take place.

By that time, I'm long gone and home downloading cameras.

It might be worth checking in to a nearby hotel on that island, to get the rest of the story!

MORE ABOUT HENZA ISLAND SANGUACHA

Ten Photos from Sanguacha 2016

Okinawa Clip Article

Henza Island Image: Kobashigawa Mitsu 小桥川みつ

Friends Along the Way in Okinawa

 

Every now and then, in traveling these islands, it's easy to get sidetracked.

The mission April 13, 2013 was to document a cultural event on Henza Island, the Sanguacha.

Meeting Kobashigawa Mitsu, turned out to be the highlight of my day.

She was sitting at a picnic table in the shade.

Stopping to get a drink of water and cool-off, out of the hot sun, I met her.

We became friends in just a few minutes.

When I asked if I could take her photo, she agreed and, even signed a model release.

My release forms are in Japanese because, that's mostly who I deal with in my line of work.

She signed the form in Japanese and English.  I promised her some prints.

She told me to just bring them to the store we were sitting in front of.

Everyone there knows her.

Time Flies and a Month Went By

 

 

 

On the last, rainy Sunday in May, I drove back to Henza Island to deliver the photos.

Inside the little Mom and Pop store, there were only three or four people.

When a woman saw me showing the photos to the cashier, she took a look at them.

Then, she pointed to a corner where a woman was bending over at a freezer.

It was Kobashigawa Mitsu.

When she saw me, she busted out in smiles.

Handing her the prints, I apologized for taking so long and thanked her.

Then, I paid for her ice cream. 

Don't tell the wife !

Look at Some Characters and Faces from the Sanguacha (Images)

Centuries Old Ritual Tradition

 

The Sanguacha is an event that takes place on Henza Island in Okinawa, Japan.

Further research and translation will be needed before I have a complete story to publish.

But, I can give you a peek at some of the folks and things I met during the Sanguacha.

This brightly-colored fish appears to be the village mascot.

Much of the prayers and rituals are dedicated to the success of fisherman.

The whole entourage proceeds to a small off shore island to conduct ceremonies.

Villagers, of every age, participate.

There could be as many costumes as you would see in New Orleans Mardi Gras, for all I know.

Every major brand of camera and video recorder are there, too.

It's always a pleasure running into those who know what they are doing.

These guys cracked me up.

They knew how to stuff a bra but, forgot to shave the armpits.

To keep confusion to a minimum, I won't try to name any of these characters.

It would have been nice to get photos of everyone but, I had to move quickly.

The procession covers a lot of ground so, there's no time to waste, sitting down.

It was a really warm day.

Those people wearing rubber masks must of been awful hot.

When the crowd stopped at a tent for some opening ceremonies, I took a break.

There was a drink machine, in the shade and I bought some cold water.

While everybody in the tent was praying or, whatever they do, I was over here.

 This sweetheart invited me to sit down and cool-off.

And, we just entertained ourselves.

Everywhere you go at the Sanguacha you run into friendly people.

Sometimes, I pop-up from behind the camera and blow a kiss, to see what will happen.

Hah.  I better not let the wife see this one !

 The Henza Community Center is where everything started and ended.

There were plenty of dances and performances, that probably lasted all night long.

One of my favorite characters, is the Shishimai; that purple guy above.

The two youngsters, under that fur, had to be roasting, dancing in that contraption.

This was where I took my parting shot, for the day.

Some Photo Printing Needs to be Done

 

 

A pile of photos of these faces and characters will be made for my return trip to Henza Island.

Maybe, I should just burn them to a CD for the village office.

Out of all the faces, I took photos of, I only came home with one, signed model release.

That means, I have to track some folks down for signatures if I want to get them published.

Can you guess who, from the photos above, already signed one ?

Photo: A Simply Beautiful Woman From Henza Island Okinawa

Over a thousand photos, using three camera, were taken today.

It will probably take me a week to go through all of them.

But, this is one that just jumped-out at me so, I'll share it with everyone here.

Just because she was one of the fantastic people I met on Henza Island.

And, I think, she's simply beautiful.