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

Travel Photos: Outer Island Art and Seafood

Cameras Only Used Indoors

On a beautiful, sunny day, business took us to the south and east on Okinawa, today.

It was almost 2PM by the time I snapped, this first picture.

The primary mission, was to do some shopping on Chinen Peninsula.

Some people, asked me to pick up Okinawan Folk Stories if, I could find any for sale.

Inside the souvenir shop in Nanjo City, I was lucky enough to discover five of them on a shelf. 

Just in case, someone else might need a copy, I purchased took four of them.

Two, are already promised to those who were smart enough, to contact me.

The remainder I hold on to, until some high bidders come along and, they'll get sold.

When's the Sanguacha Came Next

For those who don't know, Sanguacha is a festival, held annually on Henza Island.

It's an unusual sort of, off the main road event, worth seeing and, I wasn't sure of the dates .

The entire matsuri, covers about 3 days but, the best part will happen March 31st this year.

Adventurous sorts of people, walk at low tide, to perform some rituals offshore on some rocks.

My body, has plenty of adventures already. I just go to see my sweethearts.

Ikei Island Was the Last Stop 

While waiting for our order, I walked over and took the photo of the mermaid.

That's when I announced to Doc, "This is the first photo, I shot today."

The image, doesn't show the whole meal. Rice, soup and another salad, came too.

That meal was so large, I couldn't eat it all. And, it was only about seven bucks !

It was time to head home, before I realized, only 3 photos had been taken, all day.

The last one was an image of scarecrows, hanging on the wall.

There's no sense in scaring people so, I'll save that for some other time.

Should you ever get hungry while visiting Ikei Island, don't pass this place up.

It's the restaurant at Ikei Beach and, prices are unbeatable.

10 Photos from Henza Island 2016 Sanguacha

It began at the Community Center

 

 

These characters were having photos taken at 10:22AM, before ceremonies commenced.

Later in the day they were sharing some of their black oil with uniformed policemen.

  

The festivities wouldn't start until afternoon but, we arrived plenty early.

That way, it's possible to capture some pictures, without a crowd scene, moving around.

Kijimuna, gladly posed in front of the fish and, I got the village office in the background.

My camera, says it was 10:26AM so, I think the village clock is a minute slow. 

 A closer look at the fish, reveals seashells were used in constructing its teeth.

The fish, is some sort of shrine, carried throughout the day in processions.

It was 10:35AM when this photo was taken and, I'd still have lots of time on my hands.

It's always better to arrive way too early than, way to late for these festivals.

 At 12:31PM, I caught these beauties, posing under a white tent.

After they let me photograph them, I blew them a kiss.

And, all four of them, blew kisses back at me. What sweethearts !

By 1:15PM the tent was surrounded with a crowd of a few hundred people.

The fish would, soon become targets for, a woman with a spear.

It was 1:19PM when the first fish was stabbed and, the woman danced around with it.

The ceremonies in the tent are performed for a noro (priestess) present for the event.

After the second fish gets harpooned, they might get carved up and eaten.

Satisfied with the images, I had captured, it was time to move on down the road.

I was afraid, my religious appearance could cause them to offer me some of the fish.

Cows or pigs, taste much better to me so, I weaved my way back out of the crowd.

 Climbing to the top of a concrete wall, I got in position to capture the parade to the sea.

There weren't any hamburger joints along the way so, my stomach started growling.

By the time the procession showed up, it was 1:49PM and, I was ready to shoot them.

The parade, passed me and, I had to hurry to catch them leaving the island. 

It was 2:09PM when they began to wade out to an rock outcropping in the sea.

Photo Credit: Rusty Robertson

Rusty, had wadded to the rock, in advance of the procession and, gotten in a good position.

Facing towards the east, prayers and offerings were made by the participants.

Octopus was served along with plenty of local spirits.

A bed of coral and seashells served as a table, to ensure no bottles, accidentally got tipped.

This photo was taken at 2:49PM and, people drank, danced and sang songs for awhile.

 Photo by: Rusty Robertson

From the rock, Rusty captured the scene as the parade wound their way back to Henza Island.

This scene took place at 3:27PM and festivities would continue where the event started.

More photos will be added to an album on the Ryukyu Life Facebook Page.  

Also See: Carrying a Portable Shrine to Pray for Safety

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Look at Some Characters and Faces from the Sanguacha

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 ?