@camelliakyoto@mastodon.social
2026-07-07 06:25 UTC
The details of this goryō-e are sparse, but we do know that 66 halberds (1 for each province of Japan at this time) were erected on a stretch of lawn at the south part of the Shinsen-en (神泉苑).
These were purified by priests from Tō-ji (東寺), with water from a sacred spring.
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@camelliakyoto@mastodon.social 2026-07-07 06:31
We translate 'hoko' (鉾) as halberd, but it could in fact be any pointed stick. From ancient times people believed evil spirits could be caught in such a stick, and disposed of by simply floating the stick away on a river or out to sea. #GionMatsuri #祇園祭