on this day: 1946

["Rowan Klein" <rowanchan@hotmail.com>]

Nippon Times, Friday 1st November 1946

Meiji Shrine Holds Gala Festival Today

3-Day Celebration to Include Ancient Polo Game, Sumo Attraction

The Meiji Shrine celebrates its regular annual festival, lasting for three 
days from today, with presentation of a 1000 year old aristocratic sport of 
Dakyu (Japanese polo) beside offering the spectacular show of Dohyo-iri 
(sumo ring entry) part of wrestling and other attractions.
Today, tea ceremony of the Ura Senke School of tea cult, will be offered 
from 1 p.m. Shinji Takahata, the Shrine's priest said.
For the first time in 1,000 years of its history Dakyu will be carried over 
from the Imperial Palace grounds to delight the common man. The game, which 
had it origin in the Heian period (794-1186), has remained the reserve of 
the elite of the aristocrats. About 30 horsemen, experts at the game of 
Dakyu, from the Imperial Palace Bureau will make their debut on the athletic 
enclosure of the Shrine at 1 p.m., Saturday, the second day of the festival.
Together with this, on the same afternoon three former Imperial chargers, 
Shirayuki and Hatsuyuki are scheduled to vie with five other horses taking 
part in the art display of horsemanship.
At noon, Sunday, the third and last day of the festival wrestlers Akinoumi 
and Terukuni, the two "yokozuna" (champion of champions), will make their 
appearances in the spectacular show of "Dohyo-iri". In this show the two 
yokozuna wearing the coveted straw belts and aprons made of costly fabrics, 
will attempt to keep the audience spell-bound by the art of slapping their 
hands and stamping their feet on the ground.
Throughout the celebration seasonal flowers will be arranged in the 
traditional Japanese art of flower arrangement. The chrysanthemums, the 
branches of the maple tree, gentian, holly, and camellias will adorn the 
pots set in the corridor of the main Shrine.





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