User:Bensculfor/tsukimachitō

A *tsukimachitō* in Midori-ku, Yokohama, built in 1847. The characters 二十三夜塔 (*nijūsanyatō*, lit. 'twenty-third night tower') are on the main body of the monument, indicating that people would gather here on the 23rd night of the lunar month.

A tsukimachitō (月待塔, lit. 'moon-waiting tower') is a monument used in Japanese folk religion. On specific nights of the lunar calendar month, people gather at the tsukimachitō to eat, drink and perform religious rites while waiting for the moon to rise.^[1] These rites were done to worship Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto, the shinto god of the moon.

The groups that would gather at the tower are called kō, often translated as "confraternities".

Types of Tsukimachitō[edit]

Tsukimachitō come in several forms, depending on which night of the lunar calendar people gather at the monument. These can happen on the 17th jūshichiya (十七夜), 19th jūkuya (十九夜), 22nd nijūniya (二十二夜), 23rd nijūsanya (二十三夜).^[1]

References[edit]

^ ^a ^b ^c Iwai, Hiroshi. "Tsukimachi, Himachi". Encyclopedia of Shinto. Kokugakuin Daigaku Digital Museum. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
^ "Shinto Symbols". Contemporary Religions in Japan. 7 (1): 3–39. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
^ Bouchy, Anne-Marie (May 1987). "The Cult of Mount Atago and the Atago Confraternities". The Journal of Asian Studies. 46 (2): 255–77. doi:10.2307/2056014.
^ Groemer, Gerald (2011). "Tamura Hachidayū and the 'Masters of Sacred Dance.'". Japanese Journal of Religious Studies. 38 (2): 303–327. Retrieved 24 March 2023.

[Iwai-1] Iwai, Hiroshi. "Tsukimachi, Himachi". Encyclopedia of Shinto. Kokugakuin Daigaku Digital Museum. Retrieved 11 August 2021.

[ShintoSymbols-2] "Shinto Symbols". Contemporary Religions in Japan. 7 (1): 3–39. Retrieved 24 March 2023.

[Bouchy-3] Bouchy, Anne-Marie (May 1987). "The Cult of Mount Atago and the Atago Confraternities". The Journal of Asian Studies. 46 (2): 255–77. doi:10.2307/2056014.

[Groemer-4] Groemer, Gerald (2011). "Tamura Hachidayū and the 'Masters of Sacred Dance.'". Japanese Journal of Religious Studies. 38 (2): 303–327. Retrieved 24 March 2023.

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