January 23, 2015
The First Market of the Year in Aizu – A Snow Country's Seasonal Tradition for the New Year
Daisuke Uchiyama, Fukushima Museum
The first market of the year is a tradition held during the New Year in each sub-region of the Aizu region of Fukushima Prefecture. Despite the fact that winter in Aizu usually means that it is cold and snowy, the citizens of the towns brave the winter for just this day. The market at Aizu Wakamatsu City is the largest in the region, and is known as the "Tenth Day Market" because it occurs on January 10. Traditionally, this market was an opportunity for the farming villages to trade with the people living close to Wakamatsu Castle, as well as a day when old acquaintances exchanged greetings and well-wishes for the New Year. Thus, the market used to be full of items such as pots, pans, and agricultural tools that the farmers needed for daily living: now, the market has evolved to sell food and toys for children.
The highlight for people attending this market was the variety of folk art being sold there, such as dolls, small bamboo whistles, daruma, pinwheels, and other trinkets and lucky charms.
The dolls being sold are a special type that rights itself when knocked over, and it is customary to buy one more than the number of people in your household. These dolls held prayers for the health of the family and longevity of children. The rotating pinwheel symbolized good fortunes. Even now, these items decorate the household altar of many homes in Aizu. Items bought in the previous year are burned in a special ceremony called Sainokami held on the Lunar New Year.
People buying trinkets and lucky charms
Aside from going to the market, one of the defining characteristics of the festivities in Aizu is the habit of praying to the market deity. For example, during the Tenth Day Market, a temporary shrine is built at the northern and southern ends of the market as the market deity relocates from the nearby shrine. In addition to charms, a special salt in a straw tube can be purchased at the temporary shrines; these were used in the past to cleanse the home, by sprinkling it around fire pits and fire places.
The market deity of the Tenth Day Market in Aizu Wakamatsu City
Additionally, in the markets of Aizu Sakashita-cho and Aizu Misato-cho, a Shinto ritual reminiscent of a tug-of-war with a rope tied to straw bales is performed to determine the fate of the year as well as the fate of the crops and harvest. This tug-of-war occurs on January 14 in Aizu Sakashita-cho, in front of the shrine of the marketplace deity in the center of town. Men wearing loincloths are divided into the East and West teams. It is said that if the West wins, crop production will be blessed, but if the East wins, the price of rice will increase. In the past, similar ceremonies were held throughout the region.
Tug-of-war at the marketplace in Aizu Sakashita-cho
Records found during the Edo Period (1685), indicate the occurrence of the Tenth Day Market in the Wakamatsu Castle town, including the market deity and the tug-of-war. One theory suggests that this is a 400-year-old tradition, and many other traditions have been passed down through this market in Aizu. The New Year cannot start without this market, and that appears to be just as true now as it was in the past.