As mankind moves into the 21st century, integrated policies of ocean governance are necessary for the sustainable development and use of our oceans and their resources and the protection of the marine environment.

　

 Towards this end, the Ship & Ocean Foundation has launched an "Institute for Ocean Policy", with the mission statement "Living in Harmony with the Oceans".

　

 The Institute for Ocean Policy aims to conduct cross-sectoral research in ocean related issues in order to initiate debate on marine topics and formulate both domestic and international policy proposals.

　

 We publish a Japanese-language newsletter called the "Ship & Ocean Newsletter" twice a month. The "Ship & Ocean Newsletter" seeks to provide people of diverse viewpoints and backgrounds with a forum for discussion and to contribute to the formulation of maritime policies to achieve coexistence between mankind and the ocean.

　

 Our Institute believes that the Newsletter can expand effective communication on these issues through its function as editor, publishing timely research and welcoming responses from readers, which might then be published in turn.

　

 "Ship & Ocean Newsletter Selected Papers No.3" is an English-language versions of papers from the Japanese Newsletter edition, published from No.29(2001.10.20) to No.40(2002.4.5).

　

 It is our sincere hope that these Selected Papers will provide useful insights on policy debate in Japan and help to foster global policy dialogue on various issues.

　

　

■The Newsletter Editorial Committee

●Chief Editors

●Members

　

■Publisher

Executive Director, Institute for Ocean Policy, Ship & Ocean Foundation

　

Kaiyo Senpaku Building, 1-15-16 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo, JAPAN 105-0001

Tel. 81-3-3502-1828/Fax. 81-3-3502-2033

E-mail. info@sof.or.jp

URL. http://www.sof.or.jp/english

　

　

Executive director, Communication Design Institute

　

　

 Local festivals and traditional local performing arts were once closely linked with the livelihood and lifestyle in each local community. People in a fishing village prayed to the village shrine for safety on the sea and a good haul of fish. If they got a good haul, they expressed their appreciation to the shrine.

 Three different ways of expressing their appreciation should be noted:

　

 A typical festival held on the beach is the "midwinter ablutions" a tradition coming down to us from the Tenpo Period for almost 130 years in the Samekawa Shrine, Kikonai Town, in the southern part of Hokkaido. Four young males are chosen as the "disciplinants," and they shut themselves up in the shrine a few days before the start day of the festival, perform the "cold water ablutions" by repeatedly pouring cold well water, just about to freeze in frosty weather, on themselves and walk into the sea as they carry the shintai or the object of worship in their arms on the last day, and wash the shintai with the seawater. After completing their ablutions in the sea, they return to the shrine, and the main part of the festival begins at last. People pray to the god for a rich harvest, a good haul, safety on the sea, and so forth. In the last part of the festival, the Matsumae Kagura (sacred music and dance) is dedicated to the shrine. The climax of this festival is the ablutions in the sea. Spectators praise the courage of the young males who walk into the sea during a cold wind or even in a snowstorm. Four young males chosen as the disciplinants must fulfill the demanding responsibility for performing the ablutions every year over a four-year period, one of them being replaced with a newly chosen disciplinant every year.

 Just about the same time the "midwinter ablutions" are also performed at the Sosogi beach of Wajima City in Ishikawa Prefecture. People walk into the severe cold sea as they carry the portable shrine on their shoulders; they perform the ablutions in the sea while carrying the portable shrine. As they perform the ablutions, drums are played on the beach.

　

　

 People perform the ablutions in seawater because it is thought that seawater has a purificatory power, greater than that of pure water. Our ancestors had a special deep respect for the seawater and salt. In the coastal regions in various parts of Kyushu, the customs called "shiokaki, shiokeri and shioitori" (seawater paddling, seawater kicking and seawater well digging) are still widely practiced. This shows that they have the same respect for the sea tide and salt and continue to hand their customs down from generation to generation. Even in villages among the mountains, customs called "hamafuri and hamayuki" (beach going) are still practiced: before the start of festivals, people walk a long way to the beach and perform the ablutions there. These customs are also based on the respect for the sea and seawater. A tiny pile of salt that we see on a gala occasion or at the entrance of a fancy Japanese restaurant today is the vestige of such a custom.

　

 A typical festival in which people parade on the sea with the portable shrines on boats is the "Ine Festival" (summer festival). The tradition started in the Yasaka Shrine, Ine Town, in the Tango Peninsula in Kyoto Prefecture. Ine Town is well known for the legend of Urashima Taro and the unique scenery of the fishing port: "funaya" or houses with the first story used as a fish warehouse and the second story used as a residential quarter stand side by side. On the festival eve called Yoinomiya, people get aboard boats decorated with lanterns. As they parade on the sea, they enter the Yasaka Shrine from the sea with lively playing on their drums and flutes. In this festival, main boats with town people aboard and the kagura boats with drum and flute players aboard parade on the sea. This festival is held on a much larger scale, though that is not held every year, and this large-scale festival is called the Taisai or a big festival, which was held in 1995. The Taisai is known for four large, gorgeous boat floats parading on the sea and is called the "Sea Gion Festival" after the Gion Festival in Kyoto.

　

 A typical festival in which people visit a shrine on an offshore island is the "Okinoshima mairi, Oshimasan mairi or Ongamisan mairi" (a visit to the shrine on an offshore island) practiced in Kashima City, Saga Prefecture. In the Sea of Ariake where the sea level at low tide differs greatly from that at high tide, there is a small stone shrine on an offshore island that appears above the sea only at low tide. People get aboard fishing boats decorated with lanterns before dawn and navigate their boats to reach the offshore island before others. In Saga and Nagasaki Prefectures, people perform the traditional local performing arts called "furyu." "Kane furyu and taiko furyu" (playing gongs on boats and playing drums on boats, respectively) are named in reference to musical instruments, while "odori furyu and mai furyu" (dancing on boats) are named in reference to body actions. In addition, "men furyu," or dancing with masks on faces, and "tentsuku mai furyu," or dancing with extremely tall masks, are performed. Of all these performing arts, the "kane furyu," or playing gongs on boats, is performed on boats before the boats start sailing or when they are waiting for low tide.

 Traditional events and local performing arts associated with sea can be categorized as described above, and all of them are based on the respect and appreciation for the sea.

 The industrial structure is now undergoing a change in fishing villages: the population engaged in fishing has decreased, and that in manufacturing and service industries has increased. In this situation, people engaged in fishing and other fishing-related jobs are finding it increasingly difficult to maintain and inherit the traditional events and traditional local performing arts associated with the sea. However, the new move is emerging that people from various walks of life make an effort together to maintain and utilize the traditional events and traditional local performing arts as intangible common properties or symbols of cooperation in each community. We know local communities in which people are attempting to involve children in the traditional events and traditional local performing arts associated with the sea and achieving good results in the area of enlightening children on the importance of leading a decent daily life. Specifically, through the activities conducted concerning the traditional events and local performing arts, respect and appreciation for the sea, as well as deference to the traditional local culture and the will to inherit it, are being nurtured in them. This case shows that the traditional events and local performing arts associated with the sea can be put to such good use. It is expected, therefore, that in each local community throughout the country, people will make good use of the traditional events and local performing arts to contribute to the welfare and good living of people.