What does a monkey show at the beginning of the New Year, tora-doshi mean?
In Japan, many people pay the New Year’s first visit to a shrine during the first three days of January to pray for health and happiness in the new year.
There was a monkey show in Igusa-hachimanguu in NISHIOGI in the morning of the first day. This show is now considered one of the street performances, but it was done as a messenger of God to drive away epidemics of horses and protect them in the samurai society and became an exclusive occupation of the Edo Shogunate in the Edo period (1603-1867).
The performance was definitely done to pray also for the early settlement of Covid-19 together with worshipers this time.
西荻の初詣
寅年の年初めに猿回しとはこれいかに？
日本では、多くの人が、正月3が日の間に神社に初詣をし、新年の健康や幸福をお祈りする。
西荻の井草八幡宮では、元日の朝、珍しく猿回しも登場した。猿回しは、現在では大道芸の一種とみられているが、昔、特に武家社会では神の使いとして、馬の疫病退散・守護のために行われ、その後江戸時代には江戸幕府の専属の職業になったという。
今回は、特に参拝者とともにコロナ禍の早期終息をも願って舞ったと思われる。
