Sendai Tanabata Festival — Local services in Sendai

The Sendai Tanabata Festival, annually celebrated on August 6th, 7th and 8th, is a personal and family favorite from throughout the years. From my childhood to youth, the Kroehler family traveled to our summer cottage on the Shichigahama shoreline in Miyagi Prefecture, just due east, outside of the Sendai metropolitan area. As a family, we often drove into Sendai (or took the train from Tagajo Station) in order to attend the festival. The iconic, mesmerizing very colorful streamers annually invited (welcomed) large local crowds and visitors from around the world.

I knew the general love-story, which underpinned this remarkable annual celebration. There were reasons for the countless ferverent prayers and pleas for good weather throughout the night on August 7th. But, not until now, have I carefully researched the underlying background to this very popular Japanese celebration with deep historical Chinese roots and legacy. Here then, is my first attempt, to describe the important highlights of this popular star-studded ancient Chinese poem.

The Tanabata Festival in Sendai, based upon an ancient Chinese love-story, now widespread throughout Japan, is celebrated (according to the Chinese calendar) each year over the three days of August 6th, 7th and 8th. Others in Japan attend Tanabata events on July 7th. This romance is a bitter-sweet, hopeful account of an fleeting-moment rendevous under ideal, good weather circumatances. Visitor from throughout Japan and around the world, press into the arcade to view these spectacular, lively streamers. They gracefully hang from high arcade arches above (and, perhaps, some would say reach into the heavens). Individuals of all ages stand below their beautiful stunningly individually crafted, very special, colorful unforgettable forms. But, the underlying amazing and captivating ancient Chinese poem is equally remarkable as well as awe inspiring.

I wanted to carefully investigate the history of this awe-inspiring legend, which I have have heard throughout my childhood, youth and now into my adult life. What I found, deeply impressed me. The contours of this very popular legendary account, kept it's basic highlights and storyline. But, the specific details of the fairy- tale poem varied substantially. Also, I wanted to devine Asian attitudes toward the magpies, which play a critical, all-important role in this narrative. I came across remarkable findings about East Asian Chinese, Korean, and Japanese views about this very special, lucky bird. These results follow in my narrative. May you, my reader, become infatuated, and yes fully, hopelessly immersed in the story / poem details, storyline and final joyful outcome.

My research reveals these facts. This love story, from records, goes back 2,600 years ago to the Chinese Han dynasty dated (202B.C.-220A.D.) in one account (206B.C.-220A.D.) in another. Later, the storyline evolved in "Classic of Poetry," more than 2,500 years ago, a Tang Dynasty (618-907A.D.) Era poem, called the "Tian He" or "The Heavenly River." And, still later during the Song Dynasty (960-1279), the Que Qiao Xia or "Immortals At The Magpie Bridge" added further details. The storyline evolved.

In time, Sendai embraced the Tanabata Star Festival under Sendai Daimyo (Warlord) Date Masamune (1567-1636). Sendaians celebrate this festival according to the Chinese lunar calendar on August 7th (including 6th and 8th), other regions across Japan observe Tanabata on July 7th, under the modern Roman calendar.

Truly, in this context, folk-tales and poems too can offer forward-looking benefits regarding pride of hard work, persistence and a sincere eternal hope in future possibilities and good fortune. HINT: How many different types of values can YOU identify, which underpin this remarkable story? I count at least seven (a lucky number). And, YOU?

Please carefully study my images and accompanying commentary. So YOU too, my reader, can star-gaze, dream and envision your own optimistic future. What wonderful future opportunities await you on...

「女性」「子ども」「平和」がテーマの４００年続く夏祭りです。８月初頭の３日間で２４５万人を動員（２０１９年）する日本最大級の祭りのひとつです。子どもやお年寄り、ハンディキャップを持つ人でも準備なく無料で参加できる高いアクセシビリティも注目すべき点です。前夜祭の花火大会では１万５千発以上の花火が舞い上がります。

全長１．５ｋｍの商店街が３０００本の巨大な七夕飾りで埋め尽くされます。毎年新調されています。メインは仙台市内の小学校が作成した９万羽に及ぶ折り鶴です。短冊で子どもたちは平和を願っています。

激安の露店も魅力的です。１００円のかき氷、果物などもあります。外国人観光客がまだ少ないからだと思います。格安店はアーケード街に多く、市民広場はやや高いです（それでも全国的には安いと思います）。

市民広場の会場では「すずめ踊り」や「伊達政宗のおもてなしパフォーマンス」が楽しめます。特にすずめ踊りは日本屈指の激しい踊りなので見ごたえがあります。

七夕飾りに触らないことがルールですが、明確な注意がなくてもほとんどの人が守っている姿は好印象です。飾りが壊されることはあまりありません。今も昔も親子が「飾りを触ってはいけません」と教育している姿を見かけます。市民の信頼関係で成り立っています。

トイレはいくつかの大型デパートが好意的に提供してくれます。一方でゴミ箱の設置は非常に少ないです。市民広場にゴミ収集所があります。

仙台七夕には興味深いルーツがあります。仙台の街が創られた伊達政宗時代に、政宗公が女性の外出、社会参加を奨励するために始めた祭りといわれています。まさに現代の取り組みを先取りした文化と言えるでしょう。大不況だった１９２７年に商店街が復興目的で祭りを発展させ、現在のスタイルとなったそうです。その後第２次世界大戦では仙台空襲を受け焼け野原となり、さらなる復興激励のため現在の規模に発展しました。

#letsguide #安い...

七夕祭可以追溯到中國的“技能比武大會”，其中蘊含織女和牛郎相會的故事。在日本，七夕祭在平安時代被京都皇室採用，並在江戶時代早期在廣大公眾中廣泛流行。由於織女擅長製作手工藝品，人們表達了希望通過慶祝兩顆星星的會面來獲得卓越技能的願望。

仙台七夕祭在封建時期最初由伊達政宗推廣，作為提高對女性在社會文化中的重要性的認識。在明治維新和引入太陽曆之後，仙台的七夕祭的特徵也發生了變化。隨著第一次世界大戰的到來和隨之而來的經濟嚴重衰退，仙台市民心灰意冷，疲憊不堪。1927 年，商人用大型七夕飄帶裝飾在城裡，以鼓舞人們的精神士氣。七夕祭大大觸動了仙台居民們的內心，熱情幹勁重新復活。目前，仙台七夕祭被認為是東北地區三大節日之一（青森睡魔祭、秋田竿燈祭、仙台七夕祭），是為期3天的慶祝活動。

七種紙質裝飾品，也稱為 “七飾”，是理解七夕祭意義的重要部分。每個飾品都有特殊的意義，在節日期間隨處可見！

短冊たんざく（紙條）： 寫有詩體句子的紙條表達了提高學習和書法技能的願望，習慣上使用沾在芋頭葉上的露珠製成的墨水。

紙衣かみごろも： 創作紙衣是代表精進縫紉和藝術技能之意。紙衣曾經在節日結束時被放進河裡流走，以此祝愿孩 子們能夠安全健康地成長，不過如今已不再被沿用習俗的這一部分。

折鶴おりづる(紙鶴)： 紙鶴是為了祈願全家的健康長壽。習慣上按照家族中最年長者的年齡摺紙鶴的數量。

巾着きんちゃく(錢包) ： 在這個節日期間，巾著代表著對財富，節儉和商業蓬勃發展的期望。

投網とあみ： 投網表達了能捕獲數量可觀魚貨的願望。同時投網還代表了能 “抓住” 好運的願望。

吹き流し(飄帶) ： 吹き流し代表古老的編織紗線，象徵著織女星 (“Vega” 星)。製作這些飄帶同時也帶有提高手工 藝和編織技能的願望。

屑篭くずかご(廢紙簍)...